Very interesting...

https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/why-do-we-use-a-qwerty-keyboard-anyway/p06yh0r3

Regards

Bill

Funny you mention that, because I was watching the video about the shoelaces.

Actually, I did know that, being from the tech industry.

What I found surprising is the lack of adoption of the Dvorak keyboard layout which could/would/should've increased key stroke rates considerably. I cannot say I have tried one, and being a touch typist it may be hard to unlearn QWERTY, but the potential was there. 

Many decades ago, I took a typing class in my freshman year at college. I actually "mastered" the standard touch typing skills before half of the semester had passed. This skill has been further refined to the point where I can correctly type well over 100 wpm, the which has been a true blessing given the uncountable number of pages I've typed since!

 

1 hour ago, n4gix said:

Many decades ago, I took a typing class in my freshman year at college. I actually "mastered" the standard touch typing skills before half of the semester had passed. This skill has been further refined to the point where I can correctly type well over 100 wpm, the which has been a true blessing given the uncountable number of pages I've typed since!

 

You and me both.  My father made me take a couple of touch typing courses in order so I could get enough credits to pass high school. They did the trick.

I never thought I would use it for anything, but now I type every day on the computer.

I see so many people typing with one finger and having to look at the keyboard. 

I can look at a document and type it out very fast, never looking at the keyboard.  It is so handy....Thank you Dad!

I had a friend over to visit me for a few hours. He asked me if I could type of a few pages for him and asked when he could come back to pick it up. I told him if he had to rush off somewhere immediately. He asked why I'd asked that.

I told him with a big grin on my face that I'd have it done before he could get his car started...

I pulled out my typing stand and proceeded to type up his pages 100% accurately in less than three minutes, and never once looked at the keyboard!

 

When I took typing in High School and  when most of us had achieved the coveted 30 words per minute,  our instructor mentioned a better keyboard (Dvorak) and stated it could double our speed.  The class was over at that point.  I cannot fathom how some people are still in hunt and peck mode after 40 years of typing.  

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 7:12 AM, bic said:

I cannot fathom how some people are still in hunt and peck mode after 40 years of typing.  

Nor can I understand. Honestly, once one has learned to feel for the little "dimples" on the F and J "home" keys, touch typing becomes nothing more than sheer muscle memory!

Which reminds me, I need to replace my current keyboard on this computer because those little "dimples" have been completely worn away from so much usage. Not too long ago I typed an entire page of text and only when going to print a copy discovered that my fingers were using the G and K keys as the "home keys!" Oops!

Idomh yjr etpmh "hp,r lrud dirt ,slrlrd s ,rdd@

14 hours ago, n4gix said:

Nor can I understand. Honestly, once one has learned to feel for the little "dimples" on the F and J "home" keys, touch typing becomes nothing more than sheer muscle memory!

Which reminds me, I need to replace my current keyboard on this computer because those little "dimples" have been completely worn away from so much usage. Not too long ago I type an entire page of text and only when going to print a copy discovered that my fingers were using the G and K keys as the "home keys!" Oops!

Idomh yjr etpmh "hp,r lrud dirt ,slrlrd s ,rdd@

Recently at work, I saw a keyboard that had quite a few of the printed letters missing.  Pretty sure it wasn't a lady, who usually has looong nails (how do they do it?).  

Now you made me look at my keyboard.  I did notice the shift key lettering is worn away on the right side.  The t is totally worn off and the f looks sort of like a t.  Can't figure out what that spells?💩

On 1/24/2019 at 2:06 PM, Howellerman said:

Actually, I did know that, being from the tech industry.

What I found surprising is the lack of adoption of the Dvorak keyboard layout which could/would/should've increased key stroke rates considerably. I cannot say I have tried one, and being a touch typist it may be hard to unlearn QWERTY, but the potential was there. 

The Apple IIc and IIGS had an option where you could switch the keyboard layout to Dvorak. I was just a little kid, so I wasn't terribly good at QWERTY yet (this was back in the days before many kids used computers at all) but I remember looking up the layout in a book at the library, then using a Sharpie to mark it on the QWERTY board that came with the IIGS. That got me grounded, but it also let me play around with the layout. I never got very good at it, but could see where it could be faster. I never went very far because even back then I realized it was never gonna change - people brought up on typewriters were too entrenched with that layout and didn't want to retrain their fingers.