Mid-game strategy (using the FEN analysis board) -- frowned upon?

Hey y'all... i'm a new chess player.  Just signed up a few weeks ago, and am enjoying it. Since I'm prone to beginner mistakes, I've been using the "FEN" analysis board extensively, to simulate a number of "what if's", and make sure the move I make in the game isn't a foolish one.  

My question is -- given the fact that physical-board chess seems to have strict rules about touching the pieces, it would seem that what I'm doing is a total no-no, and while I might be given a pass because I'm a newbie (and b/c it facilitates learning), it's not a good habit to get used to, since I won't have that luxury down the road.  Thoughts?

 

Also wondering how much you suspect that higher-ranking computer players do the same thing.

I suspect you're talking about Daily games and not live games.. For daily games it can be a good thing for beginners (of which I am one).. Playing daily chess is more like studying chess. I often use the analysis board to play out several branches of candidate moves, sometimes many moves deep.. It helps me to learn about the nature of the position, end games likely to arise, and learn how to improve pieces, etc.. and of course, playing out tactics and blunder checking.. It's good, but it doesn't help so much with developing an ability to avoid 'observation errors', or calculating in your head.. You have to play live or do tactics for that.. So to sum up my view, the analysis board is a good learning tool, but it is a 'crutch' in some respects.