I switched from Qwerty to Dvorak. That reset forced me to type blind and with 10 fingers.
It's a very nice layout to do 10 finger typing, but it comes with some downsides as well, such as not being able to buy a decent keyboard with that layout, and when tinkering with hardware and/or other people's computers, typing in qwerty becomes painful.
Ask HN: How did you learn to 10 finger type?
11–15 of 15 posts
Re: Ask HN: How did you learn to 10 finger type?
#12In my early days, somehow I ended up being a tester for a computer based touch typing course. By the time the program was fully debugged, I got pretty good. Easily maintain 100-120 wpm rate. Very useful for long CLI commands, etc. When programming, thinking time slows me down, except during brief bursts of inspiration.
Re: Ask HN: How did you learn to 10 finger type?
#13Typing class in high school back in the ‘70s. Easy credit and lots of girls. Got the credits and can touch-type reasonably fast. Did not get a girlfriend.
Re: Ask HN: How did you learn to 10 finger type?
#14I have seen a first person shooter game in the horror genre that presents a word or sentence to type as fast as you can against the clock or you take damage. Using ten fingers gives you an edge in the game and you learn while at play. Try to avoid developing bad habits leading to repeat strain injury. For example, the right wrist fast flick to reach the right shift key to capitalize the left hand keys.
That's Typing of The Dead, which was originally released in 1999 to arcades, to Windows in 200, to the Sega Dreamcast in 2001, and to PS2s in 2004.
Re: Ask HN: How did you learn to 10 finger type?
#15Why do you want to touch type?
The QWERTY keyboard layout was purposely designed to be akward and unnatural with the most frequently used keys on the least dexterious fingers.
This was done in order to *decrease* typing speed --- because the original typewriters were mechanical with slow response time and the keys and closely spaced strikers would get jammed and stuck if you went too fast.
But perhaps the biggest negative today is the horrible ergonomics of touch typing has been associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.
https://www.jonathanshultsmd.com/blog/can-typing-cause-carpa...