Dvorak keyboard

[Lupe]

Dear Mr. Pavlina,

Do you use Dvorak keyboard layout for typing?

[Tasaio]

I do!

I recommend not changing the layout of the physical keys. Learn Dvorak by instinct.

[Kaspian]

I've been using the Dvorak keyboard layout for about a year now, and I love it. It's easier on my hands, and it didn't take too long before I had caught up to my old typing speed - two months, maybe three. The first couple weeks were challenging, though. My emails and posts from that time were very brief! To help me learn it, I used a desktop background with a picture of the Dvorak keyboard layout pasted into a less-used corner so that I could find keys that I didn't have memorized yet. I also found a typing practicing application for Dvorak layouts and used it to practice.

[Keith]

I use Dvorak as well. I never got back to quite as fast as with QWERTY but it's soooo much easier on my hands and wrists.

I can still touch-type QWERTY too, on the rare occasions I need to.

[Zwynd]

I have seen this keyboard before but hadn't much thought about it till this post. It was originally made to make typing easier on the hands but was not as popular due to the typewriters which used metal spokes which would jam more easily with the Dvorak system.

The simplified keyboard initially looked great for me because I enjoy writing and I too had thought to purchase it. However, I realized the keys which were used less often wouldn't hold the same for typing outside of the English language.

As I'm a language lover and also use my keyboard for gaming, taking the time to re-learn a new set of keys for only a partial daily use would obviously be as useful to me as going out of my way to buy a left-handed mouse would be.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Zwynd

I have seen this keyboard before but hadn't much thought about it till this post. It was originally made to make typing easier on the hands but was not as popular due to the typewriters which used metal spokes which would jam more easily with the Dvorak system.

Actually, while QWERTY was invented to get around the key-jamming problem, that problem was resolved by the time Dvorak came around.

QWERTY was just pretty much locked in by then.

[Zwynd]

0.o You quoted what I said to basically say the same thing as me, just using different words. =P

A bit of a nostalgia moment...I remember the old typewriters (I'm not that old, though) and they were a pain to use with the old QWERTY style. They were also really fun to jam up sometimes. However, I had to get a certain erratic beat going while using them.

Never used a Dvorak is what I was saying but I can definitely see the uses for it NOW, in this present time.

However, I'll stress (again) imo the Dvorak is possibly not as useful for people who wish to type in other languages but keep the Roman/English lettering. It is also not as helpful for gamers like me who like to keybind every useful ability they can. I guess in that case though it depends upon the game; some aren't so keybind heavy.

[wulph]

Originally Posted by Zwynd

0.o You quoted what I said to basically say the same thing as me, just using different words. =P

It appears to me that Keith actually said something quite different.

Originally Posted by Zwynd

However, I'll stress (again) imo the Dvorak is possibly not as useful for people who wish to type in other languages but keep the Roman/English lettering.

I find Dvorak useful for typing in Spanish; I imagine this would hold for other Latin-based languages but probably not so much for others.

Originally Posted by Zwynd

It is also not as helpful for gamers like me who like to keybind every useful ability they can. I guess in that case though it depends upon the game; some aren't so keybind heavy.

The great thing about keyboard layouts is that you can switch them on the fly with a simple key combination (CTRL+SHIFT on Windows; CMD+SPACE on Mac). This is most useful with games and other applications that depend on the keys being in the "right" places.

[Zwynd]

Originally Posted by wulph

It appears to me that Keith actually said something quite different.

I went over my words quite a few times to see where I was being misread. I eventually realized my lack of proper grammar was the culprit. Yes, there is a resemblance in our meaning but the sentence itself was reversed and I inferred a bit too much in my initial post.

Either way, you see it as different. That's fine. =)

I find Dvorak useful for typing in Spanish; I imagine this would hold for other Latin-based languages but probably not so much for others.

I've been learning Spanish recently and I too agree it would be useful for the language though I can see how it would be not as handy for German and especially Polish; as many of the common letters are on the less-used bottom row.

(I actually have an interest in learning Polish after Spanish, that is why I gave that specific example)

I also have a locking problem with the last few fingers on my right hand, most notably my ring finger. Unless I decide to ask less questions when I type I'll end up with more than my average typos.

The great thing about keyboard layouts is that you can switch them on the fly with a simple key combination (CTRL+SHIFT on Windows; CMD+SPACE on Mac). This is most useful with games and other applications that depend on the keys being in the "right" places.

I've not known about the ability for Win/Mac to switch like that before, but reorganizing keys to match the old spell/ability pattern for every character I own in just one mmorpg would be quite a pain for me. But then that is me and others have stated that they find the Dvorak keyboard to be very useful for their own purposes.

If it works for them, that's great!

[Marco Polo]

I listen to Dvorak's music instead of using his keyboard.

New World Symphony rocks.

[Lucas]

I have been interested in lerning the dvork system for a while. What I want to ask is how hard was it for you to relearn where shortcuts were?

I use a laptop so I cannot rearrange my keys.

[Kaspian]

When I switched to the Dvorak layout, I left the keys in their original QWERTY places, so that when I hit the key labeled "k", I type a "t" and so on.

I gamed for a while after the switch. Both games still used the QWERTY mappings, although in the key binding options, one was labeled with QWERTY letters and the other renamed them. The key labeled "i" was still "inventory," even though if I typed text, it would be my letter "c".

[Steve Pavlina]

I tried Dvorak for several days once and didn't like it at all... maybe because I'm left-handed.

[ticktockclok]

I learned dvorak about a year ago. I'm too lazy to switch the settings to Dvorak outside of my home, so I can switch between qwerty and dvorak very easily, and I don't have to look at the keys. I actually bought a program to practice Dvorak, which helped a lot. I also started IMing friends in Dvorak for extra practice. I never switched the actual keys though.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

I tried Dvorak for several days once and didn't like it at all... maybe because I'm left-handed.

A 30 day trial (at least) is required to get a feel for it. My experience was that it was truly horrible for about a month.

Converting is a hassle, and probably only worth it if you need to do so to avoid RSI.