Is QWERTY Dead?

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Does RSI = repeated strain injury?

Repetitive

 

[nadia]

German keyboards have a swapped y and z. you get used to it after a while

 

[rhod]

What is the point of the caps lock key being where it is? You invariably press it by miSTAKE AND THEN HAVE TO DELETE HALF A SENTENCE OF RANTING!

 

[Lea]

When I was in France I used to have to type on the AZERTY keyboard. It didnt take long to get used to and then moving back to the UK I had refamiliarise myself with QWERTY.

 

[El Jefe]

as long as its within the rules i can post whatever i want whenever i want

you can, of course. Doesn't mean most people wouldn't rather you didn't.

(counts number of negatives in that sentence and gets confused )

 

[fogbat]

Repetitive

They only asked once

 

[untethered]

It's an urban myth that QWERTY was deliberately designed to make things harder.

Not so. People used to think that they'd go mad if they typed at more than 30 wpm.

 

[untethered]

Surely, the old QWERTY keyboard is obsolete. It was a deliberately unergonomic layout, designed to slow down common sequences on early manual typewriters, it's a pointless legacy when we're typing on unjammable machines. Time for a new mor ergonomic layout?

The literal answer to your question is that QWERTY, far from being dead, is the most commonly used text input method in the world with hundreds of millions of installations and skilled users.

Modern developments in key-based input tend to focus on "chording" (pressing several keys at once) rather than simple rearrangements of a conventional single-press keyboard.

 

[THINK!]

The literal answer to your question is that QWERTY, far from being dead, is the most commonly used text input method in the world with hundreds of millions of installations and skilled users.

Modern developments in key-based input tend to focus on "chording" (pressing several keys at once) rather than simple rearrangements of a conventional single-press keyboard.

Yeah, but you know what I meant, is it time to moove on develop a better system? I think so.

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Last i heard that while DVORAK are supposed to allow you to type faster, tests show that it doesn't provide any advantage over QWERTY in speed (ie typists get retaught DVORAK compared to typists who spend the same time working on their QWERTY show negligible difference).

Short version, no or negligable improvement, massive cost to change over.

 

[untethered]

Yeah, but you know what I meant, is it time to moove on develop a better system? I think so.

I don't see any particular need for change. My typing is plenty fast enough (80 wpm+) and most people that type regularly can achieve these kinds of speeds on a good keyboard.

 

[fogbat]

I think I may put LEDs and a spoiler on my keyboard so I can type faster.

 

[untethered]

I think I may put LEDs and a spoiler on my keyboard so I can type faster.

Try pressing the "turbo" button. If you can't find it, look underneath.

 

[bluestreak]

Does RSI = repeated strain injury?

Close enough.

 

[bluestreak]

I don't see any particular need for change. My typing is plenty fast enough (80 wpm+) and most people that type regularly can achieve these kinds of speeds on a good keyboard.

Ah, the exact model. Except mine has more fag ash and geeb stains on it.

 

[THINK!]

I don't see any particular need for change. My typing is plenty fast enough (80 wpm+) and most people that type regularly can achieve these kinds of speeds on a good keyboard.

Very Flash. but I would still giv a new lay-out a try, seeing as I haven't learnt speed-typing yet. So, for novices /children, a new key board lay-out in the future = might be possible?

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Very Flash. but I would still giv a new lay-out a try, seeing as I haven't learnt speed-typing yet. So, for novices /children, a new key board lay-out in the future = might be possible?

Possible but not likely. Keyboards aren't going to change any, you'd be looking at a concept change (more than just going to touch sensitive) before that paradigm shifts.

 

[untethered]

Very Flash. but I would still giv a new lay-out a try, seeing as I haven't learnt speed-typing yet. So, for novices /children, a new key board lay-out in the future = might be possible?

You're presupposing that the current "speed limit" is a problem.

For most people, the problems are achieving comparable speeds on smaller devices. Few people want or need to go faster.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Whilst those who use computers a lot may not want/need to go faster many who don't sit in front of a screen all day probably do. I'm slow at the moment as I haven't worked in a office for a few years. Even if you touch type like me, you still need to stay in constant practice to hit 80 wpm and few posts on urban each day doesn't do that.

I think we can improve the input method for computers, but I don't think changing the keys around is the way to do it.

 

[bluestreak]

Roll on the neural link up.

 

[Detroit City]

Learning a new keayboard layout would scare me.

it could potentially turn one's life upside down

 

[danny la rouge]

it could potentially turn one's life upside down

It'd turn your love life upside down.

 

[fogbat]

Speaking of keyboards, has anyone tried this optical illusion with them?

1) With your keyboard flat on your desk, grab hold of the left and right sides with your left and right hand.
2) Try to keep your eyes focussed on the g and h keys.
3) Slowly, while watching the named keys, tilt your keyboard upwards and over your head, until you are staring directly up at the keys, which should be pointing directly downwards.
4) Marvel

 

[Almor]

Someone I used to work with tried revolutionising the keyboard layout but it just meant someone else spent over an hour trying to put them back where they should be so they could log on.

Slashdot says DVORAK is no faster.

 

[berniedicters]

 

[ajk]

Speaking of keyboards, has anyone tried this optical illusion with them?

1) With your keyboard flat on your desk, grab hold of the left and right sides with your left and right hand.
2) Try to keep your eyes focussed on the g and h keys.
3) Slowly, while watching the named keys, tilt your keyboard upwards and over your head, until you are staring directly up at the keys, which should be pointing directly downwards.
4) Marvel

 

[_float_]

Nope, is it any easier?

Note where the vowels are located...

...it means you don't have to move your hands/fingers as far around the keyboard when you type, which to my mind would be a good thing.

However, I don't use proper "touch typing" technique - I use my two index fingers, and I look at the keyboard while I type. The DVORAK redesign is predicated on a typist having four fingers of each hand hovering above the (on a QWERTY keyboard) "SDFG" and "KL" keys on the middle row, and using all their fingers while typing.

Presumably for someone like me it would be better to locate all the frequently used keys in the centre of the keyboard (on all three rows) rather than purely along the middle row (the "home keys"), as this would make them nearer to my index fingers in their resting position.

Which on is "faster" for a highly skilled touch typist is less relevant to me than:

* which one is faster for me (using two fingers)
* which one is more comfortable and ergonomic for me (less strain/better posture)
* which one produces less annoying mistakes - such as hitting the CAPSLOCK key instead of the left shift (or the windows key instead of Left Alt).

 

[ovaltina]

I can type without looking and hold a conversation at the same time.

 

[Edinburgh]

Note where the vowels are located...

...it means you don't have to move your hands/fingers as far around the keyboard when you type, which to my mind would be a good thing.

However, I don't use proper "touch typing" technique - I use my two index fingers, and I look at the keyboard while I type. The DVORAK redesign is predicated on a typist having four fingers of each hand hovering above the (on a QWERTY keyboard) "SDFG" and "KL" keys on the middle row, and using all their fingers while typing.

Presumably for someone like me it would be better to locate all the frequently used keys in the centre of the keyboard (on all three rows) rather than purely along the middle row (the "home keys"), as this would make them nearer to my index fingers in their resting position.

Which on is "faster" for a highly skilled touch typist is less relevant to me than:

* which one is faster for me (using two fingers)
* which one is more comfortable and ergonomic for me (less strain/better posture)
* which one produces less annoying mistakes - such as hitting the CAPSLOCK key instead of the left shift (or the windows key instead of Left Alt).

I think you pretty much got it there, Float. especially that last sentence. The times i've done that and because I look at the keyboard and not at the screen when I'm typing, I written a whole sentece before I realise my mistake and have to do it all again!

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Note where the vowels are located...

...it means you don't have to move your hands/fingers as far around the keyboard when you type, which to my mind would be a good thing.

However, I don't use proper "touch typing" technique - I use my two index fingers, and I look at the keyboard while I type. The DVORAK redesign is predicated on a typist having four fingers of each hand hovering above the (on a QWERTY keyboard) "SDFG" and "KL" keys on the middle row, and using all their fingers while typing.

Presumably for someone like me it would be better to locate all the frequently used keys in the centre of the keyboard (on all three rows) rather than purely along the middle row (the "home keys"), as this would make them nearer to my index fingers in their resting position.

Which on is "faster" for a highly skilled touch typist is less relevant to me than:

* which one is faster for me (using two fingers)
* which one is more comfortable and ergonomic for me (less strain/better posture)
* which one produces less annoying mistakes - such as hitting the CAPSLOCK key instead of the left shift (or the windows key instead of Left Alt).

If you do any amount of typing then spending half an hour learning how to touch type is going to be worth it. You spend a half hour learning how, then every time you type afterwards you're practicing.