Poll: Who uses Dvorak keyboard layout? - Poll please!

[miniyazz]

It's been posted before many, many moons ago, so I thought I'd start a new thread rather than play God.

I switched to Dvorak layout this time last year and was mostly wondering how many other people use it, why they use it, that sort of thing.

I stupidly didn't record my typing speed before making the switch, but following it (according to here, my typing speed on Dvorak is a bit over 90 wpm (no mistakes) and switching back to QWERTY is just over 40 wpm (2 mistakes; would be somewhat faster if I was typing from memory or being dictated at because I can no longer touch-type in QWERTY).


I'm happy I made the switch - it took a couple of months of abysmally slow typing on Dvorak while my QWERTY speed reduced, and then my Dvorak speed overtook my QWERTY speed; then my Dvorak speed increased over the next couple of months while my QWERTY speed decreased; and now my Dvorak speed's somewhat faster than it was 6 months ago and my QWERTY speed's increased (and is I think still increasing) from what it was 8-9 months ago. I'm now quite happy typing on QWERTY keyboards but if I'm doing some lengthy typing on a QWERTY keyboard I'll just pop into language settings and temporarily change it to Dvorak.
I changed just by sticking cut-out labels from a notepad onto the keys with sellotape. A few are starting to come off now, but it hasn't mattered for a while, now I can touchtype on it.

I get some odd looks whenever anyone tries to use my keyboard. What's funnier is that now a couple of the labels have come off, they can't even reliably press the key that has the letter they want on


And any chance this can be made into a poll please? - Dvorak vs QWERTY - thanks.

 

[miniyazz]

I was considering changing for a while because it was reputed to be faster and to reduce wrist strain. I changed eventually because I was getting annoyed at the common typing mistakes I made in QWERTY, and because if I was typing for a long period of time I used to get a bit of cramping in some of my fingers - something I no longer have a problem with.
I have the impression that I'm a quicker typer using Dvorak than I was before changing, but obviously no evidence for it. It definitely takes a fair bit of effort to change, and if your job depends on a significant amount of typing, it's especially tough while changing, but it's worth it IMO - unless, perhaps, you do a lot of one-handed typing () as QWERTY is better laid out for that. Dvorak intends you to use both hands, for best speed and ease of use, so one-handed typing is quite disjointed.
Having said that, if you never use two hands, there's actually a couple of one-handed styles of Dvorak available (depending on which hand) which apparently enable pretty fast typing speeds.

 

[miniyazz]

I take it you carry your keyboardd everywhere you go in case you need to use a computer?

Nah touch-typing f t w

I'm going to stick with qwerty, as I don't know of any laptops or netbooks that don't use qwerty!

True, but you can rearrange the keys - on my last laptop I did that, haven't got round to doing it on my current one. Don't know if I'll bother now I can touch-type.

 

[miniyazz]

I know, it's truly terrible. I apparently type at 55wpm, which is possibly a little bit slow compared to others, but I cope just fine

That's pretty damn fast for finger-typing

I don't think I could make the change, it would kill me trying to learn the layout

Man up and be happy about it *gets coat*

 

[miniyazz]

No thanks, QWERTY is good enough for me and I suspect it is good enough for most of the planet.

Alas, this is true. I don't even know if you can buy Dvorak keyboards (you must be able to, surely?)
There are many reasons why Dvorak should be taught in schools etc rather than QWERTY - increased speed, decreased finger/wrist strain, and ease of learning (yes, Dvorak's meant to be easier to learn than QWERTY) to name a few. But due to the prevalence of QWERTY, it's getting more and more unlikely ever to happen. If QWERTY and Dvorak were companies, QWERTY would be sued to kingdom come for uncompetitive behaviour

 

[miniyazz]

I love QWERT too much to change. Touch typing is easy with QWERTY and I can type faster than my brain can think of the words.

One thing that does annoy me, is using Macs and 'normal' computers equally, I get muddled with the @" keys, amongst others.

Wow, you have one slow brain

 

[miniyazz]

I use an MS natural keyboard, and that prompts strange looks if anyone tries to use my PC - good way to stop people nicking your office desk.

I just think "eugh" whenever I see one of those keyboards

I'm game. Not used one of these before, going to give it a try.

Years ago my Grandmother told me that the original type writers had the keys alphabetically. Typists picked up speed until they routinely reached the point of the hammers locking together, so qwerty was introduced to slow them down. As such it makes sense to use a layout designed to be efficient rather than one designed to stop type writers locking together.

I've got a spare keyboard I'll take apart and move the keys around on. Cheers

Nice one. Let us know how you get on

 

[miniyazz]

The design of QWERTY has got nothing to do with slowing people down, it's to do with placing letters commonly used together far apart to prevent the mechanism from jamming. It's the proximity of the letters which causes the jam, not the speed.

This - although a consequence of moving the letters far apart was, inevitably, to produce a suboptimal layout for maximum speed. Dvorak was created with different aims in mind; as a result, higher speeds have been attained on it than using QWERTY.
That isn't to say QWERTY is slow, or necessarily slower than Dvorak even - what it means is higher speeds are attainable on Dvorak. Not that everyone will attain higher speeds.

 

[miniyazz]

I touch type with 2 fingers, and I'm quick!

An average professional typist reaches 50 to 70 wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other time-sensitive typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120.

Two-finger typists, sometimes also referred to as "hunt and peck" typists, commonly reach sustained speeds of about 37 wpm for memorized text, and 27 wpm when copying text but in bursts may be able to reach up to 60 to 70 wpm.[2]

As of 2005, Barbara Blackburn is the fastest typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records.

Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 wpm for 50 minutes, 170 wpm for shorter periods of time, and has been clocked at a peak speed of 212 wpm. Blackburn failed her typing class in high school, first encountered the Dvorak keyboard in 1938, quickly learned to achieve very high speeds, and occasionally toured giving speed-typing demonstrations during her secretarial career.

How can a woman be the fastest typer Stereotyping f t w lol

 

[miniyazz]

didn't know it included English as part of it - interesting.

What do you mean? And, any chance of a poll?

 

[miniyazz]

I meant I never knew it was an English layout, always associated it with anything but English!

Oh right. And, cheers.

 

[miniyazz]

I think dvorak only really work for a small number of people - most people would get better results from QWERTY imo - I've tried both and find the keys on qwerty are in a nice pattern for natural flowing useage... tho dvorak might encourage posture thats less likely to cause problems like RSI who knows...

I know a couple of linux programmers who insist on using dvorak and it looks so un-natural when they are typing.

I think the same thing now whenever anyone uses QWERTY - like they're wasting so much effort - I guess it just depends on what you're used to.
Also fair enough with preferring QWERTY, but I don't know how you can find the keys for qwerty in a more 'flowing' pattern than Dvorak? All I have to move is my fingers, and most of the time I don't even have to move them! (apart from down, obviously)

 

[miniyazz]

Not just for that, what if you were set upon by some toughs, or a kid gave you some lip, or someone on the bus looked at you funny, or something?

 

[miniyazz]

Here's someone's take on Dvorak:

As a long time (4 years?) Dvorak typer, I can say with certainty that, for me at least, Dvorak is not about typing faster. People who care about typing fast are usually determined enough to learn how to type fast on any layout. Switching to Dvorak would only slow them down for a few weeks/months, ultimately ending in a catastrophic explosion of frustration, possibly sending a few nice keyboards to their fiery deaths.

Dvorak is about efficiency in typing words in the English language. (I think the layout is tweaked for the letter frequencies in US/UK English.) The vowels are on the home row of the left hand so that most words use alternating hands. The most common consonants are in the home row of the right hand and the most common two-letter patterns are arranged to minimize the number of patterns that one finger has to type. These arrangements result in (anecdotally at least) much less deviation from home row and awkward jumping around.

My prime example is the word 'excruciating.' Type it in QWERTY, then go find a Dvorak chart and switch your keyboard layout and type 'excruciating' again. In QWERTY, you have to be careful not to tie square knots in your fingers, but in Dvorak, it rolls off the hands easier than "a sad lass."

For some people, having a keyboard layout that is much more comfortable to use results in typing faster. But speed-freaks don't care about comfort as much as speed, so you could probably give them any layout, even "ABCDEFG..." and they would eventually find a way to type faster than most other people. (I have nothing against speed freaks - I admire their abilities and truly feel bad for them when they get RSI.)

The way I see it, the benefits are:

- comfortable typing
- improved geek quotient
- added layer of security on your computer (assuming you get rid of QWERTY)


Note: If you want, you don't have to remove QWERTY from your brain; there's room for both. My method was, while I was learning Dvorak, to alternate between QWERTY and Dvorak. One day would be QWERTY Day, the next would be Dvorak Day. Now, it takes me a minute or two to get back into QWERTY, but after that, I can type fairly well in it.

 

[miniyazz]

I used to use dvorak, then I spilt vodka on the keyboard and have bothered changing my latest keyboards layout

Damn, I thought you were gonna make some cunning acronym joke, but then you didn't

 

[miniyazz]

The OP's clearly a freak!

SHUN THE MINORITAH!!

Alas, this is true

 

[miniyazz]

I looked at Dvorak and Colemak, and would have liked to move to Colemak.

Sadly, trying to find a keyboard with Colemak keys was practically impossible, and I'm not one to faf around with cellotape.

QWERTY is rubbish tbh.

Colemak does look like an easier transition from QWERTY than Dvorak. I don't know how it compares in direct comparison though.

 

[miniyazz]

Well, the poll results certainly don't tell us much.

They tell us that I'm the only one in the whole wide world of OcUK GD who uses Dvorak

 

[miniyazz]

Woohoo, we have another Dvorak user, even if he hasn't owned up I'm not alone!

It also tests how quick you are with both mouse and keyboard!

I beat you

Your speed was: 9774wpm.

Congratulations! You made no mistakes, practice does make perfect.

 

[miniyazz]

Also I only use 6 fingers to type My index and middle from each hand for the majority of typing my right thumb for the space bar and my left little finger for shift

I use nine - I never seem to use my left thumb for some reason

I guess that's another reason Dvorak is better uses more fingers = ↑efficiency, ↓strain, ↑speed I never used that many fingers typing QWERTY I'm sure.

I voted dvorak by accident.

ROFL *facepalm*