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120 Comments
- Ludwig, on 10/12/2007, -3/+90I've been using Dvorak for years, but never changed the keyboard layout.
I don't look at the keys anyways, and it adds an extra fun bit of confusion/security to anyone that tries to use my computer.
Pisses the fiancée off something fierce, though. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+76It is only much more comfortable if you are familiar with it. I could never, ever change from QWERTY.
- titlesaysitall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+36dvorak.org/blog
- aprigliano, on 10/12/2007, -0/+34If that were the case, this would be the first keyboard mod to complain about itself.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34So this Macbook gets no Spam?
- ElectricSoup, on 10/12/2007, -1/+32I thought you meant John C. at first. :-)
- Bokista, on 10/12/2007, -3/+34re:superal
This keyboard gets no spam. - armbar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+33I did it; I'm sure you could too. You become familiar with it in about 3-4 weeks, which is likely a lot less time than it took you to be comfortable with QWERTY in the first place.
- bias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+27and soon, we'll see some grandma switching to Dvorak stories.
- Ludwig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22Small tip for switching layouts, don't go back and fourth while you're learning.
Once you're able to type at or around your QWERTY speed, going back and fourth from one layout to the other is easy. The only time I get confused is in Windows, since it's a per-app setting, not global.
Enjoy your new, bigger geek status! - pauldonnelly, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22Ah, Apple computers and the Dvorak keyboard layout. A match made in heaven. We couldn't get more pretentious if we listened to Merzbow in our black turtlenecks while mixing fine drinks.
- Otto, on 10/12/2007, -13/+28Umm... No. The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936, well before the "modern computer age".
Dvorak is also not any faster than Qwerty, to a trained typist. All the results saying it is were produced by Dvorak himself. Independent testing has found otherwise, many, many times. - armbar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16You can switch keyboard layouts through your operating system--you don't need a specific Dvorak keyboard.
http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/support.html - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18One of our programmers has done that on all of his Macs for years.
- 7of7, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18Well isn't he a unique snowflake.
- lickmygiggle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14I've always wanted to try Dvorak, but I can't get over the fact that if I was to use someone elses computer, the keyboard would be Qwerty, and it would just drive me insane.
I know I'd end up typing my name "Uaoodkk" - w0nt0n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10If you've ever tried to replace an apple key, you know what this guy went through. Dugg for the sheer tenacity displayed...
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10@Otto
I beg to differ: http://whitman.syr.edu/facstaff/dvorak/blackburn.html
I imagine that some typists can type very fast on either type of keyboards, but no one can match her speed (QWERTY or Dvorak). - Frabjous, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9It isn't really intended to be faster. The main benefit of using Dvorak is that it minimizes fatigue and is easier on your joints, since your overall key travel is less and you alternate hands more when typing in common English. It's said (although I don't know if there are any studies associated with this) that Dvorak is good for people with RSI.
It might not be the best choice for IT people, though. The command "ls -l" is all typed with your right pinky! - armbar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I found that IMing people was great practice for learning Dvorak--you don't have to worry too much about accuracy, and it helps increase your speed very quickly. Have you tried going through the lessons in a typing program, like KP Typing Tutor? Those help a lot too.
I've been typing on a Dvorak for about 4 years now, and am now learning the left-handed Dvorak layout too...lots of fun trying to get my speed up to par. :) - blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"and soon, we'll see some grandma switching to Dvorak stories."
I can hear my grandmother:
- "I switched to John C. Dvorak because he's so hot. I threw your grandfather out.". - kevinarth, on 10/12/2007, -7/+14I believe the QWERTY was created as the layout for the mechanical typewriters to actually slow down typists. I don't know when it was done, but 1936 doesn't seem unreasonable. If a typist was too fast with the keystrokes on the old typewriters, the hammers jammed up and got bent. QWERTY was designed to slow you down just enough to allow the hammers to fall before the next keystroke.
Now that keyboards are no longer mechanical, QWERTY is no longer essential. It's just so deeply ingrained in our heads, it would be nearly impossible to change the standard at this point.
I love the idea of the Dvorak keyboard, but I've never had the opportunity to check it out. ...One of these days.
BTW, title confused me too. I thought it was related to John C. also. - mindlessxd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Hopefully he won't need to use the number pad...
- Shutter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I'm in the process of trying to switch... it hasn't been too difficult so far, but I haven't regained much speed yet. Plus Windows is a little flaky trying to switch between the two layouts (although I'm trying to stay on Dvorak all the time now).
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I think im going to purchase a Dvorak keyboard. Per wikipedia, it says the qwerty keyboard layout we have now, is used from old type writers. They were made in that layout so the keys wouldn't collide with each other and stick. So im going to purchase a dvorak and try it and see
- dimension89, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I tried switching to Dvorak.. it's hard. sorta like writing with your non-dominant hand
- RadiantBeing, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6You can just buy a cheap $10-20 keyboard, pop out the keys, and re-arrange them in Dvorak form. I did this on an old Dell keyboard and found the chore of re-learning touch typing more hassle than it was worth.
- KyleMistry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Is that a CHALLENGE?
To the Egomobile, AWAY! - Ludwig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5In all fairness, I was able to type 90-100WPM in QWERTY before I learned Dvorak.
I can type 70-80 in either layout now, probably faster if I've gotten into it.
If you're a fast typist to begin with, you'll likely lose something in the transition, simply because you're retraining a whole bunch of muscle memory, and you can't really escape having to go back and fourth between the two layouts. Dvorak typists aren't all that common.
It's far more comfortable for me, though, and worth the slight hit to my QWERTY speed. - doce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5....in fact, i used to work for Apple and was notorious for my DV usage. On my last day, I took one of the common area machines at the office and converted its keyboard (just like this) to DV. Quite a riot, that...
- mfratt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@ninjab3ar
You can simply remap the keyboard. Windows has a pre-defined map for dvorak you can select somewhere in the control panel, so I assume OSX has one too. Even if its not in the gui, being a UNIX system, you should be able to pretty easily remap the keys manually. - Frabjous, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4If you're really trying to get it under your belt, I'd recommend switching it globally and using Dvorak exclusively. It makes a big difference when you don't allow yourself to revert.
- doce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4i've been doing that to all my PowerBooks (and, recently, my MacBook Pro) for more than a decade.
- LaughingMan11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Otto: From a speed point of view, Dvorak might not have any inherent advantage over qwerty, but from a comfort point of view, the dvorak keyboard wins hands down.
Dvorak significantly reduces travel of the fingers because the most common keys (vowels and letters like d, h, t, s, n) are made into the home row, while more rare keys like ' , . ; q z are placed further away.
The reason to switch to dvorak should not be strictly for speed... comfort and ergonomics are big factors too. - ahknight, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Yay for someone doing something that thousands of others have done? Why's he special, he took pictures?
/looks for camera - doce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I switched a decade ago, then wound up in a situation where QWERTY was forced on me by virtue of a deskless job and no computer truly my own. When I quit that job, I went back to DV. In the first switch, from Q->DV, I was fluent and up to speed on DV in about 2 weeks and could still type QWERTY fluently when needed, albeit a tad slower. When I was forced back to QWERTY full time, I reverted instantly and fully. And, when I came back to DV in the end, I again reverted instantly and fully, and through it all, I can now type fluently at full speed in either.
- Spr0k3t, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3On dvorak I type close to 80wpm really jamming it out. On a qwerty I still type 65wpm. The 10% is only an estimate... you could be slower or faster depending on how well you type. Coordination also helps.
- eshiki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3HOMEROWED!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4What are you an eBay buyer?
"AAAAAA++++++++ WILL MAYBE GOOD GOOD BUZNEZ AGAN. ARIVED INEXELENT CONDITSHUN. AAAA=++++" :P - shad0w, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The Dvorak keyboard still doesn't solve basic problems with the qwerty keyboard like the hyper-extention of the pinky finger to reach the backspace, shift, tab, and control keys.
- NJank, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3i had myself switch to Dvorak 2 years ago. after about 3 weeks or so, with practice, I was up around my qwerty typing speed. I notice less typos, at least the most common ones (teh rarely happens). Once I got up to speed, switching became a no brainer. I use Dvorak at work, but my wife doesn't want to deal with it, so i do qwerty at home. I don't bother switching keys or anything. Too much of a hassle, and doesn't work well on some keyboards (key shapes different for different rows, etc)
The only reason to switch the keys is if you're only going to use Dvorak on that keyboard. makes it easier to hunt and peck, or hit a specific key when your hands aren't at their 'home' positions. In fact, I learned Dvorak faster by not switching the keys, because I couldn't cheat by looking down at the keyboard as I practiced. Also, you can set Windows to be Qwerty or Dvorak by user profile. you're supposed to be able to easily switch back and forth, which I think finally worked right in XP. (2000 keeps forgetting and resetting, etc.) - nichojo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3no kidding, when a lamp fell and got in a fight with my pb's keyboard apple had to replace the entire keyboard due to one key... yowch
- NJank, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3to help you out:
http://www.gigliwood.com/abcd/abcd.html
(notice how you can actually type meaningful sentences with just the home row. try that with asdfjkl;. what the hell is ; doing on the home row? qwerty must have been a programmer :)
http://www.typingtest.com/contents/java/typetest/default.htm
also, fyi, commonly mistyped words (note the disclaimer, but still interesting):
http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/Dvorak/demons.html - Bokista, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3DVzine is an informative and entertaining history of the Dvorak layout and has good tips on switching: http://dvzine.org/zine/index.html
- LaughingMan11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Ninja : he has them changed in software too.
- mutz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Erm, I'm used to AZERTY layout... ask graphic designer i must type in dutch and en french with lots of accents... i think DVORAK is good for programmers
- FiveIron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2after having to fix my tenth plastic spring, I decided that I was tired of the idea of changing the layout on my macbook pro to Dvorak
- stosh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3wow what an amazing hack dugg++++++ I'm sure nobody has ever done this before either
- penguindude15, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2if the color optimus keyboard *ever* comes out and is less than $300 i will try out Dvorak. Qwerty has worked fine for me all of these years and i really don't want to waste my time taking apart my PowerBook's Keyboard.
- Murdats, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3dunno, ive played around with the keys on a few laptops no problems, of course a desktop keyboard is much easier to rearrange
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