jeepin81;11006344 wrote:I personally have not used one but I've always been 'told' that the QWERTY board was positioned solely to slow down typing b/c of the typewriter to prevent 'jams/collisions'... I don't know if that is true or not but it makes sense I suppose for back in the day when there was ribbon.
Yes and no. It's a common misconception (one I made myself) that the positioning of the keys for the QWERTY layout were intended to slow down typing. As you mentioned, the keys were positioned to reduce jamming, thereby increasing typing speed. But yes, the keys were placed in such a way that the typist would be impeded. This of course no longer applies since we are no longer using typewriters.
jeepin81;11006344 wrote:I've never used one, so I don't know the layout. How are the vowels positioned?
The vowels are placed on the home row where the ASDF are typically placed. They're in the order (from left to right): A O E U I.
bradgrafelman;11006349 wrote:I've never bothered with anything other than the QWERTY layout for a few main reasons:
I'm very proficient with it. (If it ain't broke...)
The amount of time between the first day I begin to use the Dvorak keyboard and the day when I am able to use it at least as proficiently as I can currently use a QWERTY keyboard just seems too large versus what little benefit I may or may not gain.
This is, perhaps, the most compelling reason... the speed at which I can use a QWERTY keyboard is, IMHO, right around a "sweet spot" where my fingers are fast enough to keep up with moderately-paced trains of thought yet slow enough to allow rapidly moving ones enough time to even out a bit. 🙂
There are more benefits to the Dvorak layout than just typing speed. The most notable is the far less hand/finger movement required. It has also been documented that the Dvorak reduces repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The layout is also designed to reduce mistakes, but that won't really become apparent until you are proficient at it (I still make a lot).
cretaceous;11006363 wrote:Doesn't this make it hard to use any laptops?
Switching back and forth isn't impossible, but yes, I have noticed a huge reduction with my proficiency with the QWERTY layout. I still use it on my laptop, media computer, web server, and phone, so I am still exposed to it. It's somewhat amusing seeing me trying to type on my parents' computer.
Derokorian;11006366 wrote:Looking at the picture I can say that I definitely won't even try. Maybe I'm stubborn, maybe I don't like change or maybe I've spent 20 years learning to use the qwerty very efficiently and I'd hate to reset all that learning.
Overcoming 20 years of habit is my biggest challenge as well. It was more of a "can I do this" for me, but after doing the research, the QWERTY layout really doesn't make sense. I've wanted to learn for a long time, but what finally got me started was reading that Matt Mullenweg (founder of WordPress) is a Dvorak user. Steve Wozniak is, too.
laserlight;11006367 wrote:It would not benefit the whole world to switch since the various Dvorak configurations are biased towards English 😉
There are many Dvorak layouts tailored to different languages. A common one for example is the Svorak, which is the Dvorak layout for Swedish. But yes, one size does not fit all.
