Just plain ot

When I was in boy scouts, as part of learning Morse code, I was told
that the inventor of the typewriter originally put the letter 'e' under
the left middle finger, just below its present position.  The typist
was often too fast and the print bars would jam.  I heard the same
story when I took a typing class.  This led me to wonder if 't' might
have been moved from the home row for the same reason.  'E is dit and T
is dash, under middle and index the print bars would clash'.
If e and t on the home row made the human 'typewriter' too fast for the
machine, now that the machine can keep up, wouldn't it be a good idea
to put these letters back where they belong?
My letters over the years to various publications and keyboard
companies have often been answered with the observation that the Dvorak
keyboard, the gold standard, hasn't done very well in the market place
and that even small changes have big costs.  Several days ago an
employee Segin suggested I try 'keytweek'.  I hope that you will email,
or even publish, the following for anyone who might be interested.


The transposition of the letters dfjk with etni on a standard keyboard
increases the amount of text typed from the four keys under the middle
and index fingers by five times, from 7.5% to 37%.  While not as
efficient as the Dvorak keyboard, it is much easier to learn.  The
transposed keys remain under the same fingers and feel very natural.
The transposition can be thought out without benefit of a keyboard map.
 For those who might worry that they will not be able to go back to
qwerty, the experience of many Dvorak users is that a typist can be
bikeyboardal.  The letters etni are fairly easy to get used to but you
may find yourself trying to type dfjk from their old locations.

I have found a keyboard remapping program that is free, downloads
quickly and is very easy to use.  I am typing this email on a keyboard
remapped to the 'etni' transposition layout.  The program is called
'Keytweak 2.11' and can be googled up by that name.  It is available
from several sites, includeing PC magazine and recommended by several
keyboard manufacturers, includeing TypeMatrix.  The creator of the
program is Travis Krumsick.

1)  After you have loaded the program hit start.
2)  Click the keytweak icon and a graphic of a keyboard will appear.
3)  Click the 'Full teach mode' at the bottom of the screen.
4)  A box will appear.  Click 'begin teach mode'.
5)  Press the key you want to reassign, then the key you want it
reassigned to.  In this case d and e.
6)  Click 'remap key#1 to key#2'
7)  The box will disappear and the scancodes of the keys will appear in
the 'pending changes' window at the bottom right.
8)  Follow the same procedure (from 3) for the remaining seven remaps.
9)  Click 'apply' and you will be asked if you want to turn off the
computer to apply the changes.
     At the top there is also a clickable 'restore defaults' to give
you back your qwerty layout.
     I was able to remap in under three minutes and restore qwerty in
thirty seconds, not includeing the restart.

If you would like to determine if etni on the home row is comfortable
for you, you might try typing the paragraph below in pretend mode.

Google is going to have a service that grants a location search option,
it gives unique results in the place where you are.  Recently a company
began selling a wrist computer that uses the palm pilot operating
system and entry character set.  It has real potential to receive
emails, cell phone text messages or the google service.  Perhaps 'may I
have the time'  will become 'may I have the time and weather'.  This
will come out as shown below.

Googld ks gokjg fo havd a sdrvkcd fhaf grajfs a locafkoj sdarch opfkoj,
kf gkvds ujkqud rdsulfs kj fhd placd whdrd you ard.  Rdcdjfly a compajy
bdgaj sdllkjg a wrksf compufdr fhaf usds fhd palm pklof opdrafkjg
sysfdm aje sfylus djfry characfdr sdf.  Kf has rdal pofdjfkal fo
rdcdkvd dmakls, cdll phojd fdxf mdssagds or fhd googld sdrvkcd.
Perhaps 'may I havd fhd fkmd' wkll bdcomd 'may K havd fhd fkmd aje
wdafhdr'.  Fhks wkll comd ouf as showj bdlow.

sfdphdj

skearney@accessbee.com wrote:
> When I was in boy scouts, as part of learning Morse code, I was told
> that the inventor of the typewriter originally put the letter 'e' under
> the left middle finger, just below its present position.  The typist
> was often too fast and the print bars would jam.  I heard the same
> story when I took a typing class.  This led me to wonder if 't' might
> have been moved from the home row for the same reason.  'E is dit and T
> is dash, under middle and index the print bars would clash'.
> If e and t on the home row made the human 'typewriter' too fast for the
> machine, now that the machine can keep up, wouldn't it be a good idea
> to put these letters back where they belong?
> My letters over the years to various publications and keyboard
> companies have often been answered with the observation that the Dvorak
> keyboard, the gold standard, hasn't done very well in the market place
> and that even small changes have big costs.  Several days ago an
> employee Segin suggested I try 'keytweek'.  I hope that you will email,
> or even publish, the following for anyone who might be interested.


Just get a Dvorak (Dworak) keyboard. There are standard transposers from 
qwerty to Dvorak. Some studies indicate that it's 30% faster. 
http://www.latkey.com/a_pr251004.asp  http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/

   ...

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
�����������������������������������������������������������������������

Dvorak is often offered in the language options along with qwertz and
azerty.  To be honest it intimidates me.  This transposition keyboard
is something of a lazy mans Dvorak.  There are some conflicting results
in the studies that have been done.  Most advocates say the speed
increase is marginal but that it is a more comfortable and stress free
keyboard.  
Do you use a Dvorak?

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 22:41:19 -0800, skearney wrote:
> Do you use a Dvorak?

No.  I taught myself to touch-type (on QWERTY) when I was about twelve,
and could see that my future was going to involve a lot of typing (I'd
just discovered computers).  I haven't regretted the effort, and I can
type much faster than I can hand-write, so where's the potential gain? 
You mention comfort, and to me the biggest discomfort associated with
modern computer keyboards comes from having to move your hand off
the home row to get to the mouse. Trackpoint keyboards are a significant
advantage for that.  I'm still warming to trak pads.  Track balls are OK
if you can get a keyboard that doesn't have the numeric key pad on the
right: then it can be close enough.  Mice make my shoulder ache.

Consider: are you only ever going to have to use one keyboard, or might
you be required to move around and use others, from time to time?  If you
convert your own keyboard to Dvorak (or something else), then you have to
learn to touch-type on two keyboard patterns, rather than just one.

Cheers,

-- 
Andrew

The issue of whether putting high frequency letters on the home row
offers any significant improvement is a matter of debate.  If it is
important, then the transposition keyboard makes the transition easier
to make than does a Dvorak.
I have only been using the layout for a few days and have found it easy
to get used to.  I have restored the default, qwerty, and found that if
I look down at my fingers as I type it comes right back to me.  The
letters etni on the home row may not be a choice that many people will
make, but they should atleast know that they have the choice.

Cheers to you too,
Stephen

Jerry Avins wrote:
> skearney@accessbee.com wrote:
> 
>> When I was in boy scouts, as part of learning Morse code, I was told
>> that the inventor of the typewriter originally put the letter 'e' under
>> the left middle finger, just below its present position.  The typist
>> was often too fast and the print bars would jam.  I heard the same
>> story when I took a typing class.  This led me to wonder if 't' might
>> have been moved from the home row for the same reason.  'E is dit and T
>> is dash, under middle and index the print bars would clash'.
>> If e and t on the home row made the human 'typewriter' too fast for the
>> machine, now that the machine can keep up, wouldn't it be a good idea
>> to put these letters back where they belong?
>> My letters over the years to various publications and keyboard
>> companies have often been answered with the observation that the Dvorak
>> keyboard, the gold standard, hasn't done very well in the market place
>> and that even small changes have big costs.  Several days ago an
>> employee Segin suggested I try 'keytweek'.  I hope that you will email,
>> or even publish, the following for anyone who might be interested.
> 
> 
> 
> Just get a Dvorak (Dworak) keyboard. There are standard transposers from 
> qwerty to Dvorak. Some studies indicate that it's 30% faster. 
> http://www.latkey.com/a_pr251004.asp  http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/
> 
>   ...
> 
> Jerry
I use the Dvorak keyboard layout and I've experienced a 20-30% increase 
-- until I have to use someone else's machine.  You probably won't see 
any difference unless you're a strong touch-typist, and if you're a 
"guest" at a number of different sites you may have problems (but if 
you're given your own logon in Windows you can set up the keyboard for 
your logon and go to town).

Since I do a lot of writing, and most of it here, it's been a worthwhile 
thing to do.

-- 

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

skearney@accessbee.com wrote:
> Dvorak is often offered in the language options along with qwertz and
> azerty.  To be honest it intimidates me.  This transposition keyboard
> is something of a lazy mans Dvorak.  There are some conflicting results
> in the studies that have been done.  Most advocates say the speed
> increase is marginal but that it is a more comfortable and stress free
> keyboard.  

The familiarity that most people have with QWERTY makes a good 
comparison between it and any other layout difficult to make. The 
numbers most in favor of Dvorak were gotten from beginners who had never 
learned either one. Switching layouts involves /unlearning/.

> Do you use a Dvorak?

No. I take the path of least resistance. For two-fingered typists like 
me, speed is hardly an issue.

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
�����������������������������������������������������������������������

"Tim Wescott" <tim@wescottnospamdesign.com> wrote in message
news:111ufqclnqjmnf4@corp.supernews.com...
> Jerry Avins wrote:
> > skearney@accessbee.com wrote:
> >
> > Just get a Dvorak (Dworak) keyboard. There are standard transposers from
> > qwerty to Dvorak. Some studies indicate that it's 30% faster.
> > http://www.latkey.com/a_pr251004.asp  http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/
> >
> >   ...
> >
> > Jerry
> I use the Dvorak keyboard layout and I've experienced a 20-30% increase
> -- until I have to use someone else's machine.  You probably won't see
> any difference unless you're a strong touch-typist, and if you're a
> "guest" at a number of different sites you may have problems (but if
> you're given your own logon in Windows you can set up the keyboard for
> your logon and go to town).
>
> Since I do a lot of writing, and most of it here, it's been a worthwhile
> thing to do.

The difficulty I have with Dvorak, is that I use windows short-cut keys very
heavily, especially undo, cut, copy, and paste.  These are all easy to do with
one hand since those 4 keys (Z, X, C, V) are right next to the Ctrl key.  The
same is not true of Dvorak.

I have crossed paths with half a dozen or so Dvorak users who converted
from qwerty.  Some are still able to type in qwerty.  But an advocate
of dvorak who dosn't use it, now that's a new one.  The advantage of
Dvorak isn't speed, most claim only a marginal improvement, but comfort
and fewer mistakes.

skearney@accessbee.com wrote:
> I have crossed paths with half a dozen or so Dvorak users who converted
> from qwerty.  Some are still able to type in qwerty.  But an advocate
> of dvorak who dosn't use it, now that's a new one.  The advantage of
> Dvorak isn't speed, most claim only a marginal improvement, but comfort
> and fewer mistakes.

Did I advocate anything? I pointed out the Dvorak keyboard's existence 
and reported a claimed advantage.

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
�����������������������������������������������������������������������