Dvorak...

[Skatche]

While browsing through some of KDE's features, I discovered a way to change the keyboard layout. Having heard good things about DVORAK, I decided to switch over, and learn as I go. Lemme tell you, though - it's a nightmare so far. I would just like to know: does anyone here use DVORAK? Is it really faster, or am I just wasting my time?

[Pryme8]

My guess that your working with a QWERTY key board... and If im right, then you dont wana mess with the Other becaseu first of all you need a new board to do it right, and second you would have to learn all over agian how to type

[Skatche]

No, actually, I don't need a new keyboard. I typed that entire message in DVORAK; Linux just switched the key bindings around. The only real disadvantage is, yes, you need to learn to type all over again, and you need to do it without looking at the keyboard (because most of the labels are now incorrect). I was just wondering whether it might actually be worth learning to type all over again, if it was a faster system. I've got it turned off now, mind you, because I'm working on my webpage.

[Pryme8]

you can probibly get a qwerty to work on the system

[Dark Nation]

Dvorak is faster. If memory serves, Dvorak was actually the original keyboard layout design (for typewriters). However, the typists were too fast because the design was so efficient. This cause the hammers on the typewriter to jam a lot. So, the keyboard was redesigned to make it less efficient in order to force typists to slow down so the hammers don't jam up.

At least, this is what I read somewhere (in more than one place).

[DarkPanther]

Hmm.... that's interesting DN. I'd never heard that before. When JJ and I used to work for the same company, we talked about this. He actually took a spare keyboard, popped all the keys off, and put them back on in DVORAK format. Then he'd toggle his bindings back and forth. He was convinced he'd be able to type faster than me this way but gave up eventually after not having enough time to really putz around with it. I don't know anyone that uses it though. Let me know after a couple weeks what you think of it however. I'm interested to know.

[VEL]

The guy who invented the typewriter was from the city I live in, Kenosha, WI.

[inori]

Originally posted by Skatche
No, actually, I don't need a new keyboard. I typed that entire message in DVORAK; Linux just switched the key bindings around. The only real disadvantage is, yes, you need to learn to type all over again, and you need to do it without looking at the keyboard (because most of the labels are now incorrect). I was just wondering whether it might actually be worth learning to type all over again, if it was a faster system. I've got it turned off now, mind you, because I'm working on my webpage.

On most keyboards, the key caps (the part of the keys that's actually labeled) pop off. You can take the key caps off and rearrange them into the Dvorak layout, if seeing the keys in the right place helps any.

And DN's right about the QWERTY layout being designed to slow down typists. However, I'm not sure that Dvorak was actually the first layout designed ... the story I'd heard was that Dvorak was designed later, after hardware had gotten good enough to support faster typists. Not sure, though.

[Saffith]

(500! Yay)

Like DN says, Dvorak is faster. I actually had something about this in my Statistics class this semester. Discover magazine did some thing where they tried to find just how much faster. They made up a little numerical system for it, where higher nnumbers were slower. The first 52 words of the Constitution got a total of 229 on a QWERTY keyboard, and a total of 90 on a Dvorak.
Not sure if that's terribly meaningful, though. The whole thing's a little bit arbitrary.

Originally posted by inori
And DN's right about the QWERTY layout being designed to slow down typists. However, I'm not sure that Dvorak was actually the first layout designed ... the story I'd heard was that Dvorak was designed later, after hardware had gotten good enough to support faster typists. Not sure, though.

I'm pretty sure Dvorak was first. That's what I've always heard.
(And that's what my statistics teacher said — and he's something like 80 years old, so he was there to see it. )

Originally posted by Skatche
The only real disadvantage is, yes, you need to learn to type all over again, and you need to do it without looking at the keyboard (because most of the labels are now incorrect).

Fun! Of course, with some (most?) keyboards you can pull all the keys out and put them elsewhere. Probably more trouble than it's worth, but it'd solve that problem.
(Edit: Bah. I need to learn to read these things first...)

[DarkPanther]

Originally posted by DarkPanther
He actually took a spare keyboard, popped all the keys off, and put them back on in DVORAK format.

I must be a freakin' prophet.