Re: [NTLK] Dvorak (was clie (OT))

From: John Charlton (johncharlton_at_mac.com)
Date: Mon Oct 28 2002 - 00:59:50 EST


Jon Glass wrote:

>> I tried Dvorak, but without the keycaps on my keyboard,
>> I decided it wasn't worth the effort. (I tried moving
>> them, but then the shapes were all wrong and uncomfortable.)
>> I guess that for me, at least, Dvorak _is_ a has-been...

Ah, but on the Newton keyboard all the keys are the same. I know. :-)

I learned, some time back. Much more comfortable, less twisting and
stretching for touch-typists, could help avoid carpal tunnel, but the
speed advantage wasn't there. And since I was always moving around to
other keyboards it slowed me down overall and I've gone back to old QWERTY.
  Besides, the semi-colon key is so conveniently placed for programming. ;-
)

The separating of keys was only really necessary for very early mechanisms
(before anyone even knew how to touch-type). Turns out this actually does
fairly well since it has a lot of combinations that go from one hand to
another, or at least between different fingers. This lets a fast typist
begin moving to the next key before they're done with the first.

If you really want to talk anachronisms, look at the slanting arrangement
of the keys. This is to let rods squeeze between keys to connect through
to the strikers or hinges. You may have noticed most computers don't have
these (old Selectric terminals may be the exception). Kinesis do a
keyboard with a concave arrangement of keys designed around differing
finger lengths, would like to try one one day.

Has no-one here learned FITALY? I'm more curious than anything, I mean,
with handwriting recognition being the killer app that it is on the Newton
where's the fun? The claimed speed (50 w.p.m.) is intriguing though.

jc

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