The QWERTY keyboard layout was developed for typewriters. So why do we still use it today? Get a FREE 7 day trial for lynda.com here: bit.ly/1hvWvb9 Video credit: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil...
I am learning Dvorak for about 1 month now and my typing speed 35-45 wpm. Actually, it could be better if English were my first language. What about your results in one month?
I am going to get dvorak stickers and train with dvorak.nl After shipping and training I will try to remember to come back here and post how long it took me
I always thought the Chicago Typewriter, which got that moniker during Prohibition, was named after normal typewriters. I guess it was the other way around!
Due to this video two years ago I switched my phone's keyboard to Dvorak, just for fun, I actually really like it. But now I forgot how to type on Qwerty and no one else can type on my phone.
Not to be a Debbie downer, but Dvorak makes very limited sense on a phone/ any thumb based keyboard, unless it's what you type on the desktop so to maintain familiarty. Most of the advantages of the layout are nullified by thumb typing on a handheld device.
Learned dvorak years ago. It is legitimately great and does feel like almost lazy typing for how much easier typing is. I wouldn't say that i really type faster (though i did test is years back and I certainly do) but more that It just feels better physically. It was not easy to learn or get used to, but once I did, it was great. I do swap back and forth sometimes when I need to type in passwords, but it is pretty easy to just attach switching between keyboard formats to a hotkey and voila. It can be set up in virtually any system in seconds. For me, it is great. (A lot of games can actually recognize that it is dvorak and switch automatically and for those that dont, it doesnt take that long, or I just hotkey back to qwerty.)
I started practicing Dvorak some weeks ago and, man, I am in love. Since then, everytime I use a QWERTY layout for about five minutes makes me uncomfortable, and that's because Qwerty forced me to make unnecessary movement that my hands were free from. My speed, from 70 wpm (in Qwerty) dropped to 30, 39, after the first week of practice. Also. The majority of games that are keyboard compatible are not affected by the keyboard layout you are currently using. Using Dvorak and playing a silly game, like Roblox, is not different than the normal.
I switched to Dvorak a couple years ago. It was difficult, but I think it was worth it. I was able to learn true touch-typing (which I probably couldn't do in QWERTY, because I would need to unlearn bad habits I'd developed over the years). Most of the speed improvement probably came from being able to touch-type, but I am sure Dvorak's better layout helped too. The main benefit, however, isn't the speed ... it's the comfort. My hands feel much better after a day using the Dvorak keyboard. (I still use a "QWERTY" keyborad, but on a computer with Windows set to receive the input as Dvorak. And I can switch between Dvorak and QWERTY with a keyboard shortcut.)
This is the most proper video about Dvorak keyboard I've watched on RU-vid. I switched to Dvorak a few years ago and I am using it to type this comment. It took me about a month to learn... or a month and a half? I couldn't remember precisely. I can still switch to Qwerty if necessary, just need to stare at the keyboard whereas I just remember all the keys on Dvorak. In my opinion, Dvorak does not necessary make you type faster, but it sure makes your typing experience a lot more comfortable. I used to have a sore pinky because of overuse of computer (and that leads to me to try Dvorak). Now with my typing mostly done on the middle row and sometimes on the top, I barely need to move my wrist and that allows me to rest both my hands on the same position comfortably. Does it make me type faster? I don't know. But I am certainly a happier computer user.
I was forced to change keyboard layouts due to RSI. It took me about a week to be able to type blind at a decent enough speed. About a month or two to surpass my old qwerty speed. I did it by printing out a Dvorak layout image and placing it besides the computer. Then I opened a text editor (any will do) and grabbed a towel. Placed the towel over my hands and started copying some texts. Look at the printout to find the key you need to type, and then type it. Learning the new layout went very fast. Also, most games nowadays actually use the hardware key codes and don't care one way or another what layout you've selected. Older games might need a bit of settings screen duty. 😏
Both Dvorak and Querty were developed using the english language in mind. For those who have to write in other languages, this debate is useless. BTW, X and Q are used a lot in portuguese.
Dvorak can be easily used to type in Portuguese. I do it all the time and I find that with Dvorak one keeps their fingers on the home row most of the time in Portuguese just like in English.
I've been typing on DV for about a year now. It took me a couple months to be proficient. The hardest part about learning is that in order to do it effectively, you need to go completely cold turkey from QWERTY. No switching back just to "write a quick email." It's almost like learning a new language; it's only going to stick if you fully immerse yourself. I also found that, while learning, I unlearned a lot of bad habits I picked up while learning QWERTY, like looking at my hands while typing. Most people learn to type now when they are very young. Paying attention in typing class was not my top priority in high school, and I would cheat and look at my hands. It all felt so forced. When you are learning a keyboard layout because you want to, you put a lot more effort into it and learn it the right way. Not to mention, DV is definitely easier for touch typing because you don't have to move your hands / reach when typing most words.
@@rozemo7953 It's better in general but it doesn't mean you need to use it to become a better typist. I'd give Dvorak or, better yet, Colemak or a variation of Colemak a try.
Dvorak user here since about, oh, 1986 I think. It's not just about speed. For me it's about reducing pain from RSI. I first switched because I had read an article and wanted to see for myself what the difference was. So I wrote a TSR program to remap my keys. Ironically, I never got around to doing a speed test, neither before nor after.
Yes, comfort is the main reason to use Dvorak. It feels so much easier. Also the nerd factor is nice. The looks I get when people try typing on my keyboard... 🤣 But I wouldn't pick Dvorak if I was starting today. There's even better layouts like colemak or workman and support for these is a lot better than it was 20 years ago. Dvorak is kinda like vim: It's available on almost every system.
I'm a Dvorak user, and would never look back now. I tried switching to Dvorak quite a while ago and failed once, because I gave myself the option of switching back to QWERTY with a single keystroke, which basically meant that I did that all the time. The second time I tried to swap, I just rearranged my keys, switched the settings in the OS, actually removed QWERTY and didn't give myself the option of switching back. I also taught myself to touch type at the same time as this was something I never did on a QWERTY keyboard. For a short while after mostly learning where the keys were in Dvorak and briefly doing some typing exercises to teach me the layout, I switched to blank keycaps while I made the transition. I've switched back now though and use a Filco mechanical keyboard (Cherry MX Blue) with a custom laser etched keycap set with the right layout on it. It was pretty frustrating at first, but after a while I became pretty proficient at it, though making the occasional typo by pressing the wrong key (I was still using QWERTY at work so I wasn't totally useless there!). After a while, when I became 'good enough' at Dvorak, I dropped QWERTY entirely and switched at work too, and my speed just improved from there. I can no longer use a QWERTY keyboard, the muscle memory has completely gone, but this is a total non-issue for me - everything I use (smart phone, keyboards etc) is set to Dvorak now, and I rarely need to use other people's computers. When I do though, it's not a major issue, I'm just a lot slower than normal! Definitely wouldn't switch back though, you can just feel that Dvorak is a superior layout, and how little your fingers move compared to before, with loads of typing done on the home row.
2 weeks, though I never learned to touch type properly with QWERTY to begin with. I didn't change my keycaps around, which (while slowing me down significantly) helped a lot since I couldn't rely on looking at the keyboard as a backup and resorting to hunt'n'peck. I kept a cheat sheet taped to the wall by my monitor when I was slipping up, and I completely committed to the task instead of switching back to QWERTY just because I "had to get something done NOW". If you've had muscle memory developed for QWERTY it will probably take longer, but 10 years later I'm happily typing at a cool 100WPM on average and without the RSI that runs in my family.
I use the German Dvorak Typ II for about 3 years now. I can't say it made me much faster at typing. The biggest thing slowing me down when writing is phrasing out what I am writing anyay. I do seem to be around 5-10% faster when copying text from screen. The big difference I feel is that my hands stay very much relaxed even after longer writing sessions. I do still use QWERTZ though. At work, because I can't make these changes, working on many different machines. At home I do sometimes still switch back, because some of the long complex passwords I use in variations over years are stored in movement in my brain and it would just take too much effort to always learn them in both layouts. I do tell you though, that Dvorak really can be a pain when you are a gamer. Some games are great in simply adapting the bindings to the exact same spot on your keyboard, thus bewaring the actualy layout the game creators intended, but many (all Valve games for example) do not, but the actual character behind it. Switching the layout in game often doesnt help. You have to quit the game and start it with the correct layout set before. I can write blindly on Dvorak and QWERTZ but what I can not do on Dvorak is to blindly tap a single random charackter with one finger. I can only use it when my hands are put on the orientation nobs on F and J. I only use Dvorak in Software so finding a particular key directly has never been part of my training. I use computers pretty much since I am born Shortcuts are also still an issue, because you often need both hands. If you copy paste a lot using your mouse in between that's horrible, but as somebody who is quick with navigating by keyboard alone, thats not a big problem.
Breaking News, Some kid from Michigan hacked 1.6 Billion Facebook accounts and then proceeded to change their name to Im Dumb For Setting My Password To QWERTY
Mid 1980’s, after 2 semesters of Qwerty, I could then start typing my own college papers. It didn’t take long before my hands ached. Fed up, I bought a used keyboard and crudely sawed it half, connected them, via flexible tether, and adjusted them to how my hands naturally rested - at a slight angle. Researching this approach, I came across an article on Dvorak, which intrigued me “w/a level of proficiency within 20-30 hours.” Having access to a Mac, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing offered software for a host of keyboard layouts with clear labels for the keys. My plan was, before doing any work, 30 to 45 minutes was dedicated to Dvorak. The roommate thought I was crazy. I thought I was set free. Then, imagine my excitement with the intro of Mac’s split keyboard and a 10 key could plug into either the right or left side. Brilliant! Fast forward to today, whether it’s the ergo keyboard or the more compact laptop, I have never had hand strain w/Dvorak.
doe maeries Xyos212 Except there is nothing wrong with the Qwerty layout, whereas windows is a mess compared to most Linux distros and the only reason it's still used is that pretty much anything is made to work with Windows, and OS X and Linux are an afterthought.
I briefly tried years ago to adjust to it, but I quickly gave up because even if I got used to it at home, every other device would still be QWERTY so it would have been too annoying to switch for little gain.
If you have a work computer with a GUI (unless it's a custom interface that doesn't let you switch to other windows) that you log into your own account on, the keyboard layout is per account if you modify it. Unfortunately you'll still see the same layout on the physical keyboard. You'll just have to go by memory and avoid viewing it.
I would only use Dvorak if I was a hipster Just so I can say things like "Well yeah I use a keyboard, but it has this obscure layout that you probably never heard of before"
***** Because most things are designed with QWERTY in mind, you can change between the two or rebind but that's not exactly practical + if you learn DVORAK and go to use pretty much any other keypad (computer or otherwise) it'll most likely be QWERTY.
***** SUrreee it wasn't written on a QWERTY... Anywho... what I wrote was a joke, it works because if you go out on the street and ask 100 people what DVORAK is, 40 will think its cousin to the Daliks, 59 will think it is a party drug and 1 will tell you it's a keyboard layout type
***** I guess it depends how much time you spend typing (english i.e. not coding or other languages) but IMO for the majority of people DAVORAK is less practical, IMO you would really have to be a typist by trade to see measurable benefits without the inconveniences out weighing the benefits.
I made the switch in 2012 (having been a touch-typist in QWERTY since 1984) based on a number of accounts of Dvorak being easier on the wrists. It was super frustrating to drop from 80+ wpm down to about 20, and it took months of drills to build back up (my speed since then has varied from 70-90, which is acceptable to me). Yeah, it sucked. But it was well worth it. I don't regret the switch at all. I used to end every workday with sore wrists from all the twister-style typing on QWERTY. That is now just a distant memory.
I learned to type on Dvorak using the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor program. In the beginning I bought stickers for the keys but no longer use them. If the keyboard has a QUERTY or QUERTZ or some other layout not a problem, I am a touch not a look-and-touch typist. It is also very good security. I had one time early on when my wife and I were using the same computer, so I had it setup to switch keyboard layouts. I was on a business trip and got a strange email from my wife. At first it looked like someone had just when crazy hitting keys. Then I realized that the layout had switched to Dvorak and she did not know how to switch it back. She had touch typed the message using the QUERTY layout she knew but Dvorak was what was coming out. It took me a bit to decoded her message which confirmed my thoughts on the switched layout. I of course had mercy on her and immediately email her instructions on how to switch the layout.
I'm writing this with a DVORAK keyboard without using the prediction function and I hate myself already. I wish I improve at a motivating rate, as I'll have to overcome more than ten years of experience with a QWERTY keyboard, I learnt to type proficiently when I was 14... Almost 7 minutes to type this.
I'm writing this with a DVORAK keyboard without using the prediction function and I hate myself already. I wish I improve at a motivating rate, as I'll have to overcome more than ten years of experience with QWERTY keyboard. I learnt to type proficiently when I was 14... Almost 7 minutes to type this. Took me 20 seconds with QWERTY, man has muscle-memory become so important. It took me 3 seconds to properly type in QWERTY because I've never wrote that word enough for it to be natural, fluent. However seeing as I'm fluent with the QWERTY keyboard and that all of these words are just muscle memory, it's rather simple. Sucks for you, who cares if technically DVORAK is more efficient.
I stopped with this challenge 3 days after I started. I thought it could be a great way to develop brain plasticity, but my efficiency was really low, it was hindering my communications.
I learned Dvorak years ago as a necessity because of RSI. I had to slow my typing and so decided to hit two birds with one stone by learning Dvorak. I just used a normal QWERTY keyboard, but wrote the Dvorak keys on the side of the keys facing me. That way, if I forget the Dvorak key, I just need to raise my hand and look. I still use Dvorak to this day and type faster on it than I did on QWERTY previously.
I switched from QWERTY to Dvorak. My previous QWERTY speed was 70-75. It's been a few months, and my Dvorak speed is about 55 WPM. I'm not a touch typist yet (aka I still need to look at the keys while typing), but there's always going to be room to improve.
In romania we use qwerty, not qwertz, but if you want you can set it to it. In the communist period, most typewriters were imported from Germany, which used qwertz.
4 seconds in and I had to stop the video cause that didn't sound correct at all. 1860's is more correct. Makes me wonder what else is wrong with the information.
i switch between keyboard layouts. when i remember to practice dvorak! i type over 100wpm on qwerty and only 40wpm in dvorak. in the past i stuck at it a while and speed in dvorak comes up pretty fast ... 60-80wpm fairly easily. however, i did it to see if it's possible or even *easy* to maintain and switch between layouts. IT IS!! Learn dvorak layout. I figure it can only help your cognitive ability.
Using a DVORAK since 2009, when I bought my first Mac (I wanted to use a DVORAK keyboard for quite a time... a new computer/OS was my motivation: 'lets make it all weird at the same time'), and I moved the keycaps. I currently use an Apple Wireless Keyboard also with keycaps moved to Dvorak layout. I don't know if today I am faster than I was with QWERTY, but less finger 'traveling' is more comfortable and less painful. I am a fan.
You have an iPad Mac doesn't support DVORAK, you cannot use a DVORAK keyboard on a Mac. If you switch the keycaps around it will still be QWERTY just with mislabeled keys.
Hi 0M9H4X, I honestly don't know why you wrote this... because I am typing right now on a Mac with a DVORAK keyboard that was previously qwerty. You just open "System Preferences" > Keyboard > Input Sources and add a DVORAK layout (no additional programs, everything you need already comes in your OS X).
0M9H4X lol You dumbass. He even said in the video that you can switch to Dvorak on OSX. Someone doesn't know how to pay attention. That is probably a reason you failed to graduate from high school. But, don't worry we need those experienced Mcdonalds employees in the world to make my cheeseburger and fries when my cook is out sick.
0M9H4X No, he says (2m47s): "and most operating systems, except iOS, have built-in support for DVORAK keyboards". iOS = iPhone / iPad... OS X = Mac (and, come on, I said I use it on the Mac...) Also, notice the word "built-in support". You could always install 3rd party drivers/programs. The new iOS allows you to install 3rd-party apps with Keyboard layouts (no more jailbreak) - so, now even on iOS/iPhone you can have a DVORAK keyboard layout. Anyway, you would already know all of this if you were truly interested in experimenting different keyboard layouts. :)
i have been using the Dvorak for over a year now on my touchscreen smartphone and am extremely satisfied. despite what is said in this video, it took me no more than 2 weeks to master it. my typing on the phone is now lightning fast, using both thumbs or even just one. what i am particularly looking forward to is the one-hand variant of the Dvorak (either left or right) to use on the tablet (which i dont own yet). as for the issue of alternative languages, i have the Croatian dictionary installed which i use parallel to English at the same time, mostly using autocorrect to insert special characters or just ignoring them altogether (c instead of č etc). HERE'S AN INTERESTING POINT: as much as i type insanely fast on the touchscreen Dvorak and on the hardware QWERTY - with no trouble switching instantly from my phone dvorak to my desktop qwerty - when i accidentally turn on the qwerty on my phone i am completely lost and struggle to find each of the letters, like a granny. so much for the claim that, psychologically, the medium is unimportant. :D
Thanks for the video, I've been sharing the misconception about the creation of qwerty myself so thanks for clearing that up for me. Personally I'm now a colemak user but I used to be a dvorak user. I started with it mostly because I wanted to challenge myself and see how quickly I could learn a new keyboard setup. The answer was about a month with each. Back then I used to also race with my friends on trying to type the alphabet faster. I came up with my own qwerty hand position for all of it and got it down to 1.6 seconds I believe. However there's no practical usage of this anecdote. Have a great day
I've gotten used to Dvorak. I just changed the layout completely and typed with that for a week. Also I can still type on qwerty but at only half speed at most. It's super weird playing wasd on Dvorak, but I manage. Vim and emacs works just as badly on Dvorak as on qwerty, since their hotkeys are not designed to be consecutive anyway!
Old video, but these layouts are heavily dependent on which language u type! In my language Swedish we use "our" weird letters a lot! So QWERTY/DVORAK is probably most relevant to the English language.
I'm a Dvorak typist and I really like the layout. That being said... If you're a decent QWERTY typist, don't switch to Dvorak for speed. You won't be that much faster. The best reason to switch is to help with wrist strain if you do a lot of typing and your wrists are bothering you... everything moves much less while you're typing, so it really does help.
This is it. Dvorak is much more comfortable than QWERTY. It's all about the comfort. 70% of what you type is on the home row. But it's always important to say: it takes a long time and a lot of effort to learn a second keyboard layout. On the 3rd day you want to give up. You cannot do this when you have papers to deliver!
Nice job and thanks for setting us straight about the reason for QWERTY. I too was under the misconception that QWERTY was developed to slow down the typist. We were not told that it was actually needed for mechanical reasons to prevent jamming. I have decided, after all these years of typing and using a computer, that I am going to finally give the Dvorak keyboard a try. I may not be able to get used to having CTRL / Z, X, C, or V in other positions of the keyboard, but if that's too big a problem I guess I'll just have to go back to QWERTY. The idea of QWERTY still being used just because it had been around so long and people were used to it reminds me of the U.S. attempting to convert to the Metric system in the 60's. But, oh how much better life would be if we had made the transition back then like other countries. My wife was raised in Japan and was educated in the imperial system, but later had to go through the painful process of switching over to metric. She said it was troublesome, but now she says that the imperial system is so difficult because she has gotten used to the metric system. So, the moral of the story is our human tendency for laziness is what makes it more difficult for us in the long run. If we would just bite the bullet we would be happier in the long run. So, my point is - it's too bad that we didn't cave in to the Dvorak keyboard. We might have been better off.
Per the misconception about "QWERTY was developed to slow down the typist", I don't find the history all that helpful because compared to the Dvorak arrangement, the QWERTY arrangement does indeed slow the typist down.
I've typed Dvorak for decades after I found out the things discussed in this video, such as the inefficiency of qwerty and the reason it exists at all. I switched mostly because I was angry and couldn't accept the inertia that kept whole industries from using a better system. I don't have any regrets and now I even use a keyboard with all blank keycaps. Looking at the keyboard is not an option.
***** You don't touch type on a phone, mate. So QWERTY's spaced out keys means it's easier on a phone as you have better (more even) use of both thumbs all over the keyboard vs. Dvorak's concentrated keys on the home row.
I agree. I use dvorak on my computer but leave qwerty on small hand-held devices. I don't know where the dvorak keys are visually, only by muscle memory, and as TCVidz pointed out, you don't touch type on a phone. QWERTY, I know visually, so it works better on the phone.
When I was a kid I still remember the three layouts we used in my country, which were called the National (HCESAR), International (AZERTY) and American (QWERTY). HCESAR was created in 1937 and started to be replaced by AZERTY in the seventies, which itself was replaced by QWERTY in the eighties. I only learned how to type in QWERTY since I was too young to even bother learning the other two (My dad used to own a AZERTY typewriter and my first computer was a ZX Spectrum +) but I was always impressed by some older people that could type lightning fast in HCESAR.
It's wonderful to have Dvorak on your smartphone keyboard, then have it melt someone's brain when they type their contact info into your phone. Always a pleasure to see 😃
I wish you included Colemak in your comparison because it is a more easy switch if you're familiar with Qwerty [citation needed]. Also by having the commonly used letters separated on a touchscreen and swiping to type it is easier for the software to ...
Juan S Iles C well a few would like to remedy it but it is mainly a corporate decision; they would have to pay for retraining staff to use Colemak or Dvorak layout and they are unwilling to do so. Most staff wouldn't retrain themselves that would also be a solution but that's unlikely.
Chris Druif I know you wanted citation, but Colemak is easier to switch to from QWERTY because there are fewer key relocations in Colemak than in Dvorak.
Took me about 3 months to get back up to speed. I don't recommend changing the physical keys on your keyboard, do it in software, it encourages you to type without looking anyways and actually learn it. It was very slow at first, but I figured I'll probably be using a keyboard the rest of my life. I feel it's been worth it, despite some annoyances that could easily be fixed if only people cared. It's definitely not for everyone though (yet).
I changed my keyboard to Dvorak in DOS using an ANSI command batch file. And I pencilled in the Dvorak letters. Of course, I made another ANSI command batch file to change it back.
true, which is why i'm learning dvorak, but It probably doesn't make a difference to most people. dvorak is better than qwerty, but people don't see anything wrong with it
Well I like to believe the more stress we put on our fingers, the faster we'll evolve to a version of humans capable to doing this stuff without carpal tunnel.
to be honest, Dvorak is overrated and I hate the typing style it gives off, not to mention it completely fucks the keyboard shortcuts. If you want to try a keyboard layout that is actually better than qwerty, try colemak or workman.
I was never good at typing with Qwerty. I always had to think about where the keys were located and then move my finger. I practiced a lot, and just never became good at it. It took me 2 weeks to become faster touch typing with Dvorak than with Qwerty. I started out switching my keys around, so my keyboard looks like Dvorak instead of Qwerty... After I was used to it, I used a label maker and covered all my keys, so I had a blank keyboard. This helped phenomenally for learning to touch type properly. Now, years later... I can't type on Qwerty, I have to look at the board, but I'm still doing great with Dvoark. Sidenote: I use a Razer Orbweaver for gaming. This solved all my WASD / ,AOE issues
I switched to Dvorak around 20 years ago and love it, it does generally keep people from trying to use my computer "real quick" and I even change the setting on all my work computers too
I was able to convert my work PC, home PC and android keyboards to Dvorak all at once, which made immersion retraining a lot easier, took about 3 weeks to get the hang of it, that was 10 years ago after using QWERTY for 20. As for games and what not still expecting QWERTY, the Logitech G15 Keypad (or the Nostromo if you're a Razer fan) allows creating a "any key will do" or a remap back to QWERTY's WASD (or even ESDF if you prefer, I actually use SAWD/DSEF alignment myself for easier forward movement with less strain), you can then profile switch on the fly or make a complete per-game/genre set of profiles to switch to as needed.
I've been using dvorak for 7 years. I play guitar regularly and type daily for various reasons. It's honestly about the same speed, but man, the comfort is amazing
In my case, it's impossible for me to go Dvorak because I spent 13 years of my computer using life to not only type fast but also accurate to the point of not needing to look at the keys while typing.
I live in the Philippines and I see half of my classmates and friends had to look at the keyboard to type while the others are like me. One time, a few friends saw me type without looking and they were a bit amazed.
I'm American and I do agree that the Old English system is so inefficient. The Metric system is much easier to use and switching to it is crucial, just like we need to switch to Dvorak.
I'm from Puerto Rico, and for political status reasons we use both measure systems (Puerto Rico is american territory) depending on the use. For example, we use the metric system to measure distances, but imperial system when we are speaking about velocity. For terrain measures we use IS, for weight we use IS and for a person heigh we use IS... Yeah, it is very confusing... And yes, metric system is by far more superior. I wonder why here in America we use IS (or any other place at all).
I switched to Dvorak years ago to stave off repetitive stress injuries that I was starting to notice the early signs of (as a programmer, it's an occupational hazard). It only took me about a month to get back up to my normal typing speed, but I probably had a slight advantage over most people though: I was, at the time, the type of nerd who spray painted my keyboard, so I was used to not seeing the keys. These days I just buy the keyboard blank to begin with. Anyway it worked and it was several years before signs of carpal tunnel started showing up again, at which point I invested in an Ergodox keyboard, which I of course have programmed to a Dvorak layout. Now all that said my Ergodox does have a qwerty layer for gaming. Unfortunately there's just no way around it. Most games you can remap the controls easy enough, but every once in a while you'll come across one that you can't. And at work I have a standard keyboard sitting off to the side in case someone else has to use my computer.
Yeah, "the type of nerd who spray painted my keyboard". Been there, done that. I've been using Dvorak for a few years now. I'm not really that fast, but I was way slower with qwerty, mainly because I never learned. If you can't type, learning Dvorak first is a great idea and it's way easier than what the video claims. It does help using a trainer, like Klavaro, but it has to do more with training, as in "with your eyes closed", trying to feel where your fingers are and, last but not least, focusing while you learn.
soooo having switched to and from dvorak layouts at multiple points in my life, I think there's a method that can work for everyone, but the barometer of how well it's working between individuals varies with those individuals. Essentially, I think this comes down to having a good system to rewire your muscle memory, and the thing I did to overload the dvorak muscle memory was to use "LEARN TO TYPE" type games. There's a statistic out there that "5,000 repetitions of a properly executed motion will put it beyond the brain's control and in the spinal column's to administer, leaving the brain to trigger it only", and while I'm not so sure this metaphor is exactly correct, I can definitely say it's the working theory I've applied and that it has worked for me. In practice actually doing this, I spent a few hours watching movies or youtube videos and following along these typing tutorials the first night, and got to nearly-reflexive action, that I quickly forgot, on the home row and row above, and then the next maybe 2-4 days slowly cement this in. Once you have gotten a relatively small number of repetitions in on the new pattern, you can start trying to use it to do actual writing, and that second phase of actual application of the new pattern is where it really starts to take off. Again, TLDR, try a 'learn to type' game, then move on to writing actual linguistic expressions with the new layout, and give yourself a lot of leeway for not being instantly faster, because you're kind of learning a new typing language, even if it's one with all the same letters you've used before. Typed on dvorak.
***** Actually it kind of is. It also comes with the same frustration - as I live in America - when people debate that it is no better than what they use. If you know how to use a Dvorak keyboard and SI, you know that each is infinitely better than the alternative, but people still prefer to stay with that with which they are familiar. Even if it does mean mindbending mathematics gymnastics like Imperial measurement.
I switched to Dvorak 5-7 years ago, and while the speed improvements are minor, the real advantage to the dvorak layout comes from comfort. It is hard to describe just how much more comfortable typing is when your fingers aren't flying all over the place. I still know QWERTY, but it has fallen to the wayside, and I cannot imagine going back. Typing for several hours in QWERTY is an absolute chore just because of how much more you move your fingers around. Also, seeing someone else try to use your computer is not a downside to the dvorak layout. The look of befuddlement on their faces when the keys display the wrong letters is amazing. On windows, cntrl-shift switches the layouts back and forth, so if, for whatever reason, I do need QWERTY, it is a keystroke away.
I switched to Dvorak. I started learning in September 2017, and my speed and accuracy are almost entirely back 6 months later. I think it was worth the switch. It was tough to retrain my muscle memory, and occasionally I will accidentally reach for the QWERTY position, but that has mostly stopped by now. I like this layout a lot better. It feels more natural on my hands, a lot less awkward stretches for commonly used "clusters" of certain letters. I recommend something like TypingClub or Mavis Beacon -- and a Model M keyboard!
That's what is frustrating about people saying it's not worth the hassle: you can't measure comfort and feel in a study with pure numbers. It may not get you much faster, but it will absolutely help you with your fingers and wrists tiring out all the time. I can't imagine going back to QWERTY.
@@BadockY not much tbh. I'm left handed and feel like Dvorak favours the right a bit. I also use a lot of different languages, which makes it more complicated.
BadhamKnibbs Good point, I use it mainly for typing. I use dvorak, but I keep my physical keys to QWERTY. Then if anyone wants to use my computer or I want to game, we just press shift+alt and boom it toggles back to QWERTY. The biggest reason I type dvorak is less stress on my hands, my hands rarely change position since over 70% is typed on the home row. Oh, I almost forgot, I changed one detail in my dvorak set up, my I and U are switched around: AOEU becomes AOEI since most words have I instead of U.
Ariel Sutton for me it's AOEI since I is used way more than U. My WASD is ", A O E" I agree in that sense, but then, you could have the reversed Dvorak instead. instead of AOEI, it would be SNTH so the keys would be arranged: LRCGFYP . , '+/\ SNTHDUIEOA- ZVWMBXKJQ; Then WASD would be: RSNT Then ASDF would be: SNTH Hmmm, this would actually make hotkeys easier, so Control T, Control S, Control V, all that stuff would be accessible by your left hand. Okay okay, we need this to be a thing, holy shit it's genius, reverse Dvorak.
I don't think its a misconception at all. Typewriter jamming was caused by "typing too quickly" as stated at around 0:18. By placing the most commonly used letters far away, that effectively slows the typing down so that there are less jams. The point is that it slows down the typing; yes, I understand that the typing process included jams and therefore the less jams, the less time the overall process of typing takes. I'm mainly focusing on the point that the actual typing portion was slowed down purposefully. Not a misconception.
+Some Weeb Because it's a pain doing that for each and every single game. What I do is this: my OS's keyboard layout is set to US English and I have two keyboards, one of which is just for typing, is ergonomic and therefore awkward for gaming anyway and does Dvorak to qwerty translation in hardware while the other is the gaming keyboard and does no translation. Boom, best of both worlds.
Some Weeb Sure, to each his own. Some games do suck ass though or at least the PC port does. Might still be worth playing. Also a favorite among bad ports is when you _can_ remap the keys but it will still show the unmapped key on screen in tutorials or God forbid QTEs.
I made myself learn dvorak about 10 years ago. Stayed with it for a couple years. Now I can go between both it and qwerty on the fly. Took a while and some patience though.
I switched to Dvorak a number of years ago. I struggled to learn it for the first week because I kept switching back and forth to Qwerty. I tried switching cold turkey and did a few online typing drills and it worked. I can still switch back and forth pretty fluidly when necessary.
3:11 You can reassign your shortcut in your system settings and most of the latest games allows you to reassign button config so this should not be a problem.
