--- title: "What I got wrong about fast terminals" url: https://daily.dev/posts/what-i-got-wrong-about-fast-terminals-hfubkefgv source_url: https://mijndertstuij.nl/posts/what-i-got-wrong-about-fast-terminals type: article source: "Lobsters" published: 2026-06-09T07:26:39.415Z updated: 2026-06-09T07:27:05.723Z tags: ["devtools", "bash"] reading_time: 4 upvotes: 17 comments: 1 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # What I got wrong about fast terminals **[Lobsters](https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters)** · 4 min read · 17 upvotes · 1 comments ## Summary A follow-up correction to a previous post about fast terminals. The author acknowledges three key mistakes: using the wrong benchmark (time zsh -i -c exit measures total init rather than perceived startup), overgeneralizing that all plugin managers add overhead (modern static-bundling managers like antidote do not), and recommending zsh-syntax-highlighting despite its per-keystroke re-highlighting lag. The post introduces zsh-bench as a better benchmarking tool, explains the 'instant prompt' technique that makes startup feel near-zero, and highlights zsh-patina as a faster syntax highlighter. The author ultimately reframes their minimal shell preference as being about simplicity and understandability rather than raw speed. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@andradei** · 2 upvotes > Love those personal experiences and tradeoffs ppl make. Nice read. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Life is too short for a slow terminal](https://daily.dev/posts/life-is-too-short-for-a-slow-terminal-lqylqjjiy) · Lobsters · 1 upvotes · 1 comments - [Supercharge Your Terminal With Zsh](https://daily.dev/posts/supercharge-your-terminal-with-zsh-idvukriuz) · Callstack Blog · 14 upvotes · 1 comments - [You probably don't need Oh My Zsh](https://daily.dev/posts/you-probably-don-t-need-oh-my-zsh-h6pnfozld) · Hacker News · 103 upvotes · 15 comments --- Tags: [#devtools](https://daily.dev/tags/devtools), [#bash](https://daily.dev/tags/bash) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/what-i-got-wrong-about-fast-terminals-hfubkefgv)