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Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

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Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#101

Post by seniorivn »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #40
esja wrote: post #19

I've been typing for 36 years now (since I was a child), and have never had RSI once, or anything close to it. I think it's because I never learned to touch-type "properly". I use most of my fingers, and I type very fast, but I'm not hitting the "correct" keys with the "correct" fingers - I'm just following whatever comfortable patterns I've burned into muscle memory over all these years. If someone asked me to descr…

I've heard the same story from others, and it's my story too. I type fast enough and accurately enough to get ideas out of my head. I tried to type "correctly" way back in junior high (on a typewriter, no less!) but found that my personal technique (developed since first using Apple II's at 8 y/o) worked better (even on a real typewriter). Thirty-six years typing this way and never any pain. I know what you mean re:…

both of you should make videos of you typing

so we can compare your styles to each other and a regular one

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#102

Post by jakupovic »

The thing that helped the most and continued helping was not using regular computer mice. Instead I use thinkpad keyboards with a little red button for a mouse that's on the keyboard itself. This has essentialy got rid of RSI for me. Your mileage may vary, but the keyboard is like $40 so not an expensive experiment. As a matter of fact vi use 2 of those keyboards as they are pretty small and i have wide shoulders, also with 2 keyboards you can use the mouse with both hands, which also helps.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#103

Post by Xevi »

lunixbochs wrote: post #81
Xevi wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the tip. I've come across Talon before, but never tried it. I can't use it at work because it would drive my co-workers insane, but maybe I could learn it for use at home. Can the commands be easily switched to non-english words? Also does it work with any language? I mainly use JS, HTML, CSS, Rust and C#. One of the reasons why I was thinking of buying a Mac to use Voice Control is because it also enables…

The main speech engine is English. Due to the large amount of open data available for English model training, even if you have a strong accent, you'll probably get better command accuracy by tweaking Englishy commands rather than trying to use a lower accuracy engine for your native language. (By Englishy I do mean you can say a non-existent or non-English word, ask the engine what it heard, and map that semi-phoneti…

Alright, thanks for the explanation. I'll try it out in a week or so I think. If I like it I'll donate some money.

Have you ever considered open sourcing Talon? Because as far as I can see it is closed source right now.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#104

Post by Cu3PO42 »

nomel wrote: post #88
accelbred wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typing on ortholinear is quite uncomfortable for me. I find column staggered to be far better. Also why would someone learning a new layout pick Dvorak when there are better alternatives like Colemak, Workman, or Colemak mod-DH? Theres softer mechanical keys too like silenced linears.

Dvorak is still the only one that's available on Windows, by default.

If you really find this to be a limiting factor for whatever reason, you can get a programmable keyboard and have it perform the translation between your desired layout and QWERTY or the default layout on your systems.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#105

Post by bbatha »

esja wrote: post #19

I've been typing for 36 years now (since I was a child), and have never had RSI once, or anything close to it. I think it's because I never learned to touch-type "properly". I use most of my fingers, and I type very fast, but I'm not hitting the "correct" keys with the "correct" fingers - I'm just following whatever comfortable patterns I've burned into muscle memory over all these years. If someone asked me to descr…

Counter point I touch type properly (developed with good form around 15) and I just had to visit a hand specialist for RSI at 30.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#106

Post by eimrine »

lawn wrote: post #67
eimrine wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your argument about Dvorak is far from the ultimate layout because of "ls" utility is strange. I think it is really best layout and in regular typing "ls" is rare. If "ls" case bothers you, you can just add an alias. What you can not get in any other layout is alteration of right and left hands, that is what makes Dvorak ultimate.

"ls" was just an example. L being a common letter in an awkward position is another, imbalance between the hands a third and other layouts get a lower score on same finger usage (pressing two keys with the same finger right after each other). See this writeup for a bunch of ways you can analyze a layout: https://sites.google.com/alanreiser.com/handsdown#h.u8i88ask... There are many layouts that give you right/left al…

Interesting layout, but my opinion is that pinky keypresses is not so hard as a Beacl's effort grid says. Especially I disagree with placing rare letters on a home row in pinky positions, it is just wrong. I really want to explore the metriks which make Dvorak worse than Workman or Colemak, my experience with those three layouts tells me that something is wrong with those data on the link you have published. For me typing on a keyboard is like a piano playing, if your pinkies move hardly, then you will have hard time playing literally any chord and it is not a piano's problem. But who knows, maybe people with hard moving pinkies want to have their own layout and Beacle is comfortable for them.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#107

Post by uglycoyote »

dehrmann wrote: post #94
brailsafe wrote: post #82

I wish Microsoft would just put out a second version of the Sculpt keyboard. Nothing else on the market really appeals in the same way, and their surface keyboard is ridic expensive. 10 keyless, wireless, negative tilt, with chicklet keys and the same key layout. Maybe less loud keys with less action would be fine. My stupid mechanical keyboard is in the closet, along with my Apple Bluetooth keyboard. At a desktop, t…

I just hope the fix the F keys.

For me it was the arrow keys that drove me nuts and made me return my sculpt keyboard. I realized that without having some space around them, I needed to look down every time I wanted to find them.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#108

Post by ashkankiani »

jarnagin wrote: post #10

A lot of people really underestimate the impact that mobility and strengthening can have addressing issues with RSI. If you're struggling with RSI, consider going to physical therapy as your condition may be caused by a wide variety of issues that aren't obvious based on the pain you're having. My own experience was that I dealt with ulnar nerve RSI for about a year. During that time I wore braces at night and tried…

I had the exact same experience/realization. It's very easy to get focused on work and stop paying attention to the irritation one is putting their body in.

I have two examples.

Recently, I noticed that my neck posture was starting to lean forward again, and I realized that it was because I was sitting just a few more centimeters away from my desk because I had changed the place that I was sitting at. Given that I hadn't changed my font size, I was naturally leaning forward just a little bit. Once I noticed that, I bought a better monitor arm, moved my monitor closer, and now I can slowly return my posture to a less craned position. I've done it before, so I'm not too worried about getting it done eventually. Standing against a wall for a few minutes to calibrate your sense of where your head should be is a good tool for this.

The other example is when I was subconsciously stopping my keyboard from slipping using my right hand when it was on a slight incline. Eventually, this caused my entire right arm to be in pain on a daily basis from not just the wrist, but the elbow, shoulder, and back.

It's little things like this that make a huge difference. You have to appreciate how sensitive a body can be when you're sitting in the same position for so many hours (switching up positions/standing can help with this).

Once I fixed those things, I still had to reverse the damage that had been done, so I took a break from work for about a week and started doing exercises at home again. Mainly just pull ups and push ups (with a form that emphasized triceps more than chest) as far as arms were concerned, and that very slowly strengthed my shoulders and back, which got me to pain free after about a month and a half.

Even simple exercises like that can be enough to help prevent/undo a lot of the pain of RSI.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#109

Post by lawn »

eimrine wrote: post #106
lawn wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"ls" was just an example. L being a common letter in an awkward position is another, imbalance between the hands a third and other layouts get a lower score on same finger usage (pressing two keys with the same finger right after each other). See this writeup for a bunch of ways you can analyze a layout: https://sites.google.com/alanreiser.com/handsdown#h.u8i88ask... There are many layouts that give you right/left al…

Interesting layout, but my opinion is that pinky keypresses is not so hard as a Beacl's effort grid says. Especially I disagree with placing rare letters on a home row in pinky positions, it is just wrong. I really want to explore the metriks which make Dvorak worse than Workman or Colemak, my experience with those three layouts tells me that something is wrong with those data on the link you have published. For me t…

Oh I agree with your comments about the pinky. I tried BEAKL-15 for a while but I switched to a modified RSTHD to get more pinky usage (I also use a 5-column layout so I don't press shift or similar with the pinkies either.)

RSTHD is another good layout that has this left/right alternation, especially if you move E to the vowel side which I've done. But it does require a keyboard with at least two thumb keys as it has Space on one and E on the other.

Re: Typing, RSI, and what I do differently

#110

Post by woudsma »

ollo wrote: post #97
woudsma wrote: post #79

A few years ago I started having RSI issues. At a certain point I couldn't even comfortably hold a phone or glass with my right arm. There was no position I could hold my arm where I didn't feel pain. I went to a physiotherapist / mensendieck for therapy, which kind of worked. The real 'cure' for me was a small Wacom Bamboo pen tablet and screens at eye-level. Not having to look up or down. Coding with a pen tablet i…

Interesting setup, do you use the Wacom as a touchpad with your finger or with the pen? Do you have an external keyboard?

I strictly use a pen. It slows me down a little in some tasks, but poses no issue for me.
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