What is your typing speed? What keyboard layout do you use?
@complexvanilla (653)
India
May 31, 2007 1:25pm CST
What is your current typing speed? Do you use the regular Querty keyboard layout or do you use any other layout? Have you heard about the Dvarak keyboard? I was a two-finger typist, and sometime back, decided to learn touch typing. I downloaded a typing tutor for practice. This tutor came with support for the dvorak layout. I was curious to know about what dvorak was all about and this is what I learned about dvorak and the more common querty layouts:
A long time ago, when the typewriter was a new invention, keys would get stuck to each other when the user typed fast. In order to curb the user from typing fast, the keys were spread about in the way they are!!!! Can you believe it? The keys on our keyboard are the way they are, only because it was created to prevent typewriter keys from getting jammed!!! This is actually a most inefficient layout. Dr August Dvorak, a scientist, came up with a specially designed keyboard designed exclusive for the computer keyboard. This has all the vowels on the center row i.e. accessible as the home keys, thus translating into lesser movements for the fingers. Having read this, I was determined to learn dvorak. It was a bit disorienting in the beginning as the key positions are totally different, but over time, I have made it upto 85 words per minute. The world record for speed typing is held by Barbara Blackburn, who managed a whopping 212 words per minute, and that record was set using the dvorak layout. Need I say more?
The best part is that you don't need to buy a new keyboard for this layout. You just need to go to language settings and select dvorak layout, and you are ready to start. Since the amount of finger travel is far lesser in dvorak, it is also known to be less likely to cause CTS (Carpel Tunnel Syndrome) than the regular Querty layout. Are you game to try dvorak?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@texasclassygal (5305)
• United States
31 May 07
I think I have been on those keyboards before, the only problem is that is all well and good for you to type on when you have the particular keyboard, but most places won't carry such keyboards so you will be forced to type on the regular keyboards that you and I type on these days. I am one of those people that typed for a living, for many years. My Mother enrolled me in typing in 9th grade and required for me to take it every single year of high school, plus I also had to take it in summer school (so I was not to lose it) then I also took Advanced Typing in College for my easy A course. Needless to say my appropriate speed on a bad day is over 90 wpm, I wear keyboards out in my house, have gone through 4 this year alone. So back to your Dvorak keyboard, it might be nice, if you were a writer and only were going to do your typing from your house and your computer, but if you have a job to go on where you are using someone's else's keyboard you might be subjected to go back to the original method.
1 person likes this
@complexvanilla (653)
• India
1 Jun 07
Oh, no! You really don't need a different keyboard. All you need to do is to change a setting in the control panel of your machine or on any machine you intend to use. It's just a 30 second procedure, and you will be able to type in dvorak though the keyboard is the same physical querty keyboard. It hardly makes any difference anyway when one is touch typing as we don't look at the keyboard when we are typing.
@babostwick (2036)
• United States
1 Jun 07
The highest I've ever gotten when I was tested was 60 Words a Minute. I use a standard keyboard and that's about it. Although I've got to find out where I'm at exactly. My average was and it still might be 55-60 WPM. That includes accuracy as well which is key. I've never heard of a Dvorak keyboard to tell you the truth as it sounds foreign to me. I'm too used to a regular keyboard that it would take time to adjust to it.
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
31 May 07
I had typing as a class in high school. Also I am aware that each key belongs to a certain finger and use them that way. I am using my whole of my hands and so do quite well. I don't know how fast since once upon a time I was a consistent 70+ word per minute girl. With the advent of the delete key I am more prone to mistakes I think. Anyway, I would wish for one of those parted keyboards that has two pads and the appropriate keys on each for each hand. Good luck finding the keyboard that is good for you.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
1 Jun 07
I am using a qwerty keyboard and I type at about 75wpm according to a recent online test I tried. I didn't attend any typing course and I am not typing the "offical" way. I just invented my own and it includes just about all the fingers. It works fine enough for me.
Interesting bit of info regarding the Dvarak layout. Haven't heard of it myself and I am too lazy to learn something new that requires so much effort. It is easier to introduce this to a new typist that one already ingrained in his own kind of typing.
@nandhinir (154)
• India
1 Jun 07
This discussion is very good informative...Let us try this keyboard and enjoy typing!!! thanks
