i haven't been here in a while

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[–]theFriendlyDoomer 4 insightful - 5 fun4 insightful - 4 fun5 insightful - 5 fun -  (10 children)

Hello qwerty. I actually type using a Dvorak layout. I suppose that should make us enemies.

Let's not let it come to that. . .

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 4 fun3 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

hey now, let's not let our differences come between us. all typists are equal! regardless of keyboard, layout, form factor, or typing style. no need for us to be enemies :)

[–]magnora7 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (6 children)

I thought about learning that a long time ago. Was it worth it to change over?

[–]theFriendlyDoomer 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (5 children)

I really enjoy it now, but the learning process was pretty frustrating. I was a teacher at the time, so I was able to give up a summer to playing around with it. It was hell for a few days, I was okay at it within a month or so, and it felt like second nature by the end of the summer.

I wasn't convinced to do it because of speed, but rather care for joints -- I believe I've heard your fingers move a one-third of the total distance as they do in qwerty.

[–]magnora7 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

That's awesome. Do you ever have problems switching back to qwerty when you use a different computer? Or do you just never use other computers?

[–]theFriendlyDoomer 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Most operating systems have Dvorak installed as an option.

There was a brief window when I could switch back and forth between the two (I am to understand that's not actually typical), but after several years now of only using Dvorak I can only touch type in that layout.

[–]magnora7 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I am to understand that's not actually typical

That's the exact reason I never learned it. I can do 100-120 wpm on a qwerty so the idea of doing 140-150 wpm on dvorak was very enticing. But the inability to switch was just a deal-killer, especially when I was in college and working in an office and using lots of different computers.

Did you notice wpm speed gains from switching?

[–]theFriendlyDoomer 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Did you notice wpm speed gains from switching?

I've been pretty decent at touch typing most my life, so not really. The thing is that most of our speed comes from learning multi-key combinations. Dvorak realistically can only increase speed 10% or so. But I really feel the difference on how much I get to keep my fingers on home row (one of those Pareto 80/20 deals).

[–]magnora7 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

That sounds like a nice feel. Thanks for telling me about your firsthand experience with it.

Speaking of multi-key combinations... I once looked in to learning how to use a stenographer keyboard, which can do like 250 wpm (it's what they use in courtrooms and for tv closed captioning). I'm still kind of half-considering it. I watched a talk about a programmer who added programming functions as multi-key combinations as well, so they could code very fast. (I found the talk! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpv-Qb-dB6g )

Steno is a "chord" based system, where you hit like 5 keys at once, and basically type whole words simultaneously rather than letter-by-letter: https://www.huseby.com/blog/2019/court-reporting-more-than-just-typing-fast

But I guess it involves a lot of shorthand as well, so it needs an interpretation system to make it back in to full English. But I guess this is already solved with real-time closed captioning, so it seems like it should be doable on a computer too... anyways I always thought that would be a cool thing to try, going even beyond Dvorak.

[–]apoliticalinactivist 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Lies! you are both part of the keyboard-medical consortium, suppressing true ergonomic keyboard redesign and supporting the proliferation of carpal tunnel!

Mechanical keys are but a distraction! Shake off the oppressive rectangular chains of traditional keyboard "design"!

[–]theFriendlyDoomer 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Got a link to a good one?