Indeed, that is the meaning of the exchange. brandonhsiao said (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8122592):
> You used to... not be able to see your code verbatim as you were editing it?
and Sharlin, affecting to disagree, said (https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=8122773):
> Sure you could [meaning, you could see your code verbatim]. You just used pencil and paper.
Indeed, that is the meaning of the exchange. brandonhsiao said (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8122592):
> You used to... not be able to see your code verbatim as you were editing it?
and Sharlin, affecting to disagree, said (https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=8122773):
> Sure you could [meaning, you could see your code verbatim]. You just used pencil and paper.