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I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

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Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#81

Post by chrismeller »

blunte wrote: post #69

Considering the author did not begin the Dvorak journey as a touch typist, their experience doesn't carry much weight with me. I took the time to learn Dvorak (years ago), and I found it very much nicer for typing prose. However, I couldn't code with it (and I didn't try a code-focused version). Perhaps I should have tried different Dvorak variations to find one that was still better than QWERTY for writing while als…

> As an aside, why why why do people use the international keyboard layout? There is no possible way that it is more efficient given that two of the most used keys - left shift and (right) return are reduced in size and pushed further out of reach from home position. Worse yet, their lost space is taken by less frequently used keys. I cannot fathom why that design has remained popular outside the US.

This doesn't make much sense for the UK keyboard layout, where I agree that the US layout is a bit better from a common use perspective. It makes more sense when you start looking at other variations of the international layout, though. Live in the Baltics? You're going to use the Nordic layout that has several of the most commonly-used letters with diacritical marks. The physical layout (number of keys, position of keys, etc.) are all still the same, so not only is it easier to manufacture but all a touch-typist needs to do is alter the software layout to be able to use any keyboard they happen to stumble upon.

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#82

Post by [deleted] »

___alt wrote: post #68
jamestomasino wrote: post #29

It doesn't look like anyone has yet addressed my biggest PRO for switching to Dvorak. It has pretty much healed my RSI. QWERTY had caused a huge drain on my ability to type. I was at risk for being unable to continue my work if the pain progressed. I made the admittedly-difficult switch to Dvorak and that went away almost immediately. My typing speed is on-par with what it was with QWERTY. I can type out conversation…

Imho, this is were alternative layouts really shine: comfort, health. Typing speed is an overrated fad (and in the worst cases an e-penis length contest) as in most cases when writing stuff (be it fiction, reports, code) your throughput isn't limited by typing speed. Avoiding injuries on the other hand is invaluable.

[deleted]

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#83

Post by danpalmer »

jamestomasino wrote: post #29

It doesn't look like anyone has yet addressed my biggest PRO for switching to Dvorak. It has pretty much healed my RSI. QWERTY had caused a huge drain on my ability to type. I was at risk for being unable to continue my work if the pain progressed. I made the admittedly-difficult switch to Dvorak and that went away almost immediately. My typing speed is on-par with what it was with QWERTY. I can type out conversation…

Came here to say this. I'm 27, and 3 years ago started to get some pain in my hands when typing for extended periods of time. Given that I'm a software engineer, I'm likely to need to type for a very significant portion of my life. Barring new input technologies, I might be doing this in my career for another 40+ years. I switched to Dvorak to head-off future RSI issues, and it has made typing far more comfortable for me.

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#84

Post by appleflaxen »

coldtea wrote: post #49
xiii1408 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That said, there are better researched layouts that DVORAK, with actual modern research behind them. Any references? I'm curious.

Here's a good starting point: https://deskthority.net/wiki/Alternative_keyboard_layouts Also: http://xahlee.info/kbd/most_efficient_keyboard_layout.html

i spent several minutes on both of these sites. they are interesting extensions into the topic of keyboard layouts, but there was almost no research or data on them, other than simple mechanical metrics.

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#85

Post by mherrmann »

Dvorak reduces effort 25% over QWERTY [1]. I'm using QFMLWY, which reduces effort by 43% [2]. Unlike op, I'm very happy with my switch. It feels a lot more efficient and has greatly helped reduce wrist pains for me. The drawbacks are that it's difficult for other people to use my computer and that I've basically forgotten how to touch type in QWERTY, so am much slower there on the 1x/yr occasion where I have to use it.

1: http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?dvorak

2: http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?full_optimization

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#88

Post by V-2 »

alexandernst wrote: post #9

I never really understood the obsession about WPM that some programmers have. You're a programmer, not a court reporter. You don't need +200 WPM. You need to think before/during/after writing each one of the characters you type. And more often than not, you actually spend +5min of 20 lines of code, so your +200 WPM ability doesn't matter at all.

A chef doesn't need to be winning vegetable-slicing races, but being able to chop the veggies fast saves time for the meaningful work.

Also I admit I'm not really thinking before each one of the characters I type. It's not uncommon for my thoughts to be forming in my head at a pace more or less consistent with my typing, or even exceeding it, especially as it's not necessarily coding, but eg. code reviews, comments and clarifications in tickets etc. I will go back and review what I wrote of course, but it still feels more convenient if I'm able to lay it out quickly to begin with. And all the saved time adds up, at the end of the day.

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#89

Post by edpichler »

mherrmann wrote: post #85

Dvorak reduces effort 25% over QWERTY [1]. I'm using QFMLWY, which reduces effort by 43% [2]. Unlike op, I'm very happy with my switch. It feels a lot more efficient and has greatly helped reduce wrist pains for me. The drawbacks are that it's difficult for other people to use my computer and that I've basically forgotten how to touch type in QWERTY, so am much slower there on the 1x/yr occasion where I have to use i…

They have metrics of how good it is, but does it depends on the language being used?

Re: I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and it’s not all that

#90

Post by wodenokoto »

edpichler wrote: post #89
mherrmann wrote: post #85

Dvorak reduces effort 25% over QWERTY [1]. I'm using QFMLWY, which reduces effort by 43% [2]. Unlike op, I'm very happy with my switch. It feels a lot more efficient and has greatly helped reduce wrist pains for me. The drawbacks are that it's difficult for other people to use my computer and that I've basically forgotten how to touch type in QWERTY, so am much slower there on the 1x/yr occasion where I have to use i…

They have metrics of how good it is, but does it depends on the language being used?

Yes, it does.
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