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 It was originally made to make typing easier on the hands but was not as popular due to the typewriters which used metal spokes which would jam more easily with the Dvorak system.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 It was originally made to make typing easier on the hands but was not as popular due to the typewriters which used metal spokes which would jam more easily with the Dvorak system.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".

[Savage]

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.

[PresNevins]

(old thread, but...)

I learned Dvorak way back in the '90s and had to learn to touch-type it specifically because it was too much of a pain to re-order the physical key-caps. I always liked it, but when I had to use other people's keyboards I often got confused.

After a while I switched back, but one result of the test was that since I'd learned to touch-type one way, my fingers were subsequently perfectly happy to learn to touch-type qwerty; I'd only been a six-finger typist up until then.

(I just enabled it and tried typing a bit in dvorak -- man am I out of practice! But it's weird how just typing a few lines seems to be enough to oil the old brain pathways -- I'm accelerating noticeably as I type! )

[restless]

I thought about it, but did not switch to Dvorak because of the following issues:

• I write in English, German as well as in programming languages. Should I use the original Dvorak, German Dvorak or Coder Dvorak? If I use the english one for example, the layout again wouldn't be perfect for the german language.
• Common windows shortcuts like CTRL+C and CTRL+V as well as many application shortcuts are in awkward places. There's maybe a software which can remap these shortcuts?
• For programming, and probably for blogging too, typing speed is not the limiting factor anyways once you are able to type proficiently. Thinking about what you're going to write takes much more time. Plus, I'm pretty fast with QWERTY and have no desire to further improve my typing speed.

[PresNevins]

Originally Posted by restless

Common windows shortcuts like CTRL+C and CTRL+V as well as many application shortcuts are in awkward places. There's maybe a software which can remap these shortcuts?

I don't know about how well the Windows setup is designed, but the Dvorak keyboard layouts on Mac OS X include both a regular version and a version with the shortcuts in their old querty positions (the one I've been using). Back when I was learning (on Mac OS 7) I think I had to customize my layout to get that, but now it's a standard option.

[RRR]

I type 80-90 wpm with qwerty. How much of an increase have those who have switched made?

[wulph]

As a diehard Dvorak convert, I'd like to point out that Dvorak isn't really about increasing your typing speed.

The placement of the keys in the Dvorak layout puts the most common letters (in English) in the "home row." This allows you to type more words without stretching your fingers as far. This is of great benefit in reducing or eliminating Repetitive Stress Disorder and Carpal Tunnel syndrome associated with typing. Although I don't think I had either of these conditions, I have noticed a huge reduction in fatigue associated with typing a lot for work and/or pleasure.

Within 2 months of switching to Dvorak, I was typing at the same speed I used to type on QWERTY (85WPM with 98% accuracy). 2-3 years later, I am still typing at that speed. However, I haven't tried continually practicing for speed improvement, and that may have the side effect of additional WPMs. 85WPM is "fast enough" for my needs, and the increased comfort is well worth it to me.

Now, I'd also like to comment on the portability of learning dvorak. Yes, using other people's computers (incl. public terminals) takes some thought now, and it's always annoying to have to "switch gears" and type more slowly and deliberately on those computers. Often, though, adding a keyboard layout is so easy that I can temporarily switch the mapping without much bother. This is true of Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. In the rare case that public computers don't allow the switch, I just suck it up.

There's no good reason to buy a new keyboard with the keys rearranged, except to freak out your guests. When touch typing, you're not supposed to look at the keys anyway; and modern operating systems have a Keyboard Viewer applet that helps with learning. Also, when someone else is using your computer, it is much simpler to switch the software "layout" back to QWERTY than to find and plug in your old keyboard. And unauthorized users are deterred by the surprise of the letters being "all wrong."

DVORAK also has (at least on Windows) a "left-hand only" and "right-hand only" layout, mainly for people with disability in one arm. I have not tried these, though I would like to try "Left-hand only" at some point.... I bet this would help a lot with data entry -- one hand for text, and the other hand on the Numeric Keypad -- I bet this would save a lot of time in accounting applications!

Even if you don't notice the strain, I highly recommend trying out DVORAK for a 30-day trial. Your hands will thank you.