The last I heard, there was no real speed benefit for using a Dvorak keyboard, though, if I am wrong, will someone correct me, please? The reason the current keyboard layout exists was to speed typing on a manual typewriter. The letters were placed such that you wouldn't be likely to type two letters in a row that would cause the mechanical parts in the typewriter to jam. The location of each letter was considered so important by the inventor, I understand, that the patent application showed the letters on each key. So, I wonder if there is anything to these new keyboard layouts.
--- Andrew McNabb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > We got a spam message yesterday on the UUG site. > The post was entered > into the Suggestion Box, which has the instructions, > "You may submit > constructive (or good, old-fashioned destructive) > criticism using the > following form. Should you choose to include your > email address, it will > not be posted anywhere on the spam-bot infested > web." > > How you can talk yourself into entering in an > advertisement for a > keyboard layout is beyond me. Seems to me like > someone is really > desparate for attention. Anyway, I was able to > track down his email > address and sent a response to him. Showing an > unexpected level of > politeness for a dirty spammer, he emailed me back. > > I include the whole thread for your enjoyment. > > > ----- Suggestion Box suggestion by Anonymous Coward > ----- > > On: Monday February 28th, 2005 at 11:56 AM > Subject: [Website] > > Just thought this might be of some use to someone. > > Only about 26% of average text is typed from the > home keys of a qwerty > keyboard. Swapping, transposing, ETNI for DFJK would > increase this to about > 55.5%, more than doubleing typing efficiency for > these eight keys. To narrow > it down further, this would increase in the amount > of average text typed from > the four keys under the middle and index fingers by > a factor of five, from 7.5% > to 37%. This results in an overall reduction in > reaching, or transverse motion, > of the fingers by about 40%. While not as efficient > as the Dvorak keyboard, it > is much easier to learn. The transposed keys remain > under the same fingers and > feel very natural. While typing, the transposition > can be thought out without > benefit of a keyboard map. For those who might worry > that they will not be able > to go back to qwerty, the experience of many Dvorak > users is that a typist can > be bikeyboardal. Looking down at your fingers brings > qwerty right back. The > letters E, T, N and I are fairly easy to get used to > but you may find yourself > trying to type D, F, J and K from their old > locations. > > I have found a keyboard remapping program that is > free, downloads quickly and > is very easy to use. I am typing this email on a > keyboard remapped to the > 'etni' transposition layout. The program is called > 'Keytweak 2.11' and can be > googled up by that name. It is available from > several sites, including PC > magazine and recommended by several keyboard > manufacturers, including > TypeMatrix. The creator of the program is Travis > Krumsick. > > 1) After you have loaded the program click start. > 2) Click the "KeyTweak" icon and a graphic of a > keyboard will appear. > 3) Click the "Full Teach Mode" at the bottom of the > screen. > 4) A box will appear. Click "Begin Teach Mode". > 5) Press the key you want to reassign, then the key > you want it > reassigned to, in this case D to E. > 6) Click "Remap Key#1 to Key#2" > 7) The box will disappear and the scancodes of the > keys will appear in > the "Pending Changes" window at the bottom right. > 8) Follow the same procedure (from 3) for E to D, > and the remaining six remaps. > 9) Click "Apply" and you will be asked if you want > to turn off the > computer to apply the changes. > At the top there is also a clickable "Restore > Defaults" to give you back your > qwerty layout. > I was able to remap in under three minutes and > restore qwerty in thirty > seconds, not includeing the restart. > > If you would like to determine if etni on the home > row is comfortable for you, > you might try typing the words below in the pretend > mode, without lifting a > finger. > > sea see sat late little tail nile tin lit tell lean > till sin nettle silent line > less nest ill lint ease asinine nine > This will come out as: > sda sdd saf lafd lkffld fakl jkld fkj lkf fdll ldan > fkll skj jdffld > skldjf lkjd ldss jdsf kll lkjf dasd askjkjd jkjd > > Many thanks, > Stephen Kearney > > ----- End spam message ----- > > > ----- Forwarded message from Andrew McNabb ----- > > Subject: UUG Site Suggestion Box > Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2005 10:54:34 -0700 > > > We received a submission to the suggestion box of > the UUG website > (uug.byu.edu) which was attributed to your name > (Stephen Kearney). > Please forgive me if you were not the person who > posted this message. > > Your posting was indeed an eloquent exposition on > the myriad benefits of > the ETNI keyboard layout. I was very tempted to > download Keytweak 2.11. > However, I am already "bikeyboardal," typing > fluently in both Dvorak and > Qwerty and am concerned that were I to become > trikeyboardal my friends > would think I've become dexterously condescending. > I really can't > afford to lose them. > > My social issues aside, I am still confused. Your > comments were posted > to the UUG Website Suggestion Box. Please clarify > what changes you are > suggesting for the site. Would the site have been > better if we had > typed it in ETNI? Should we enhance the visitor > experience by allowing > forms to be entered with real-time ETNI translation? > Should we put "sda > sdd saf lafd lkffld fakl" on the front page? > > Thank you for your beautiful post, and thanks in > advance for your > clarifications. > > ----- End forwarded message ----- > > > ----- Forwarded message from Stephen Kearney > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ----- > > Subject: Re: UUG Site Suggestion Box > Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2005 10:41:41 -0800 > > Esteemed Mr. McNabb, > > Any eloquence you see in my email is mearly a > reflection of your own. I am > afraid I am guilty of spamming. Suggestion boxes > are open to...well > suggestions. I do hope you will pass on the idea to > anyone who might be > interested. I realize it was impertinate of me to > email your suggestion > box. > Extreem thanks for your kindness and good humour, > > Stephen Kearney > Sfdphdj Idarjey > > ----- End forwarded message ----- > > > -- > Andrew McNabb > http://www.mcnabbs.org/andrew/ > PGP Fingerprint: 8A17 B57C 6879 1863 DE55 8012 AB4D > 6098 8826 6868 > > ATTACHMENT part 1.2 application/pgp-signature > -------------------- > BYU Unix Users Group > http://uug.byu.edu/ > > The opinions expressed in this message are the > responsibility of their > author. They are not endorsed by BYU, the BYU CS > Department or BYU-UUG. > ___________________________________________________________________ > List Info: http://uug.byu.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uug-list __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. 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