Dvorak vs. QWERTY?

[Yar]

So, my brother thought he'd be a smart-ass and switched my keyboard settings to "Dvorak." Yeah, ha ha whatever.

Anyway, this intrigued me, so, of course, I went to Wikipedia, the only credible place on the intarwebz. It turns out, this keyboard is layout is supposed to be much more efficient than QWERTY. It's just the problem is not many people are willing to relearn how to type.

I'm willing to convert and relearn, but before I do that, I want to get your thoughts on Dvorak vs. QWERTY. See if it's what it's cracked-up to be.

Do you use Dvorak? If so, do you feel it's much more efficient?
Are you critical of Dvorak? Why don't you like Dvorak?

I have a poll. Please note that it asks which one you prefer, rather than which one you use.

[Momiji]

I've used QWERTY since I've ever laid hands on a keyboard, and I'm perfectly fine with using it, even if there is a better layout.

[Jessweeee♪]

I thought this was about some member I haven't heard of and qwertyxsora.

[Xalioniaf]

Dvorak is a much more efficient way to type, but it's quite hard to relearn a new keyboard layout. The fact that schools usually teach the QWERTY layout is also quite the hindrance, as well as how most places with computer access use QWERTY.
I tried to learn it once. Didn't get very far.

[Spuuky]

It's not so much more efficient that it's worth the time to relearn it, for the things I need it for.

It's like buying a $10,000 heating system to save $15/month on electricity.

[Formalhaut]

Ive always used QWERTY, although heres my thing:

If you grew up using QWERTY, then stick to it, but if you grew up using DVORAK, then stick to that.

[Hambone]

Dvorak was a composer you sillies!

But yeah, I've always used qwerty, nothing else.

[Samuraid]

I've seen someone actually use a Dvorak keyboard in computer science classes before.

That said, I'm just too lazy to switch off of qwerty. :p

[blackmage_nuke]

It probably would be easier to use DVORAK considering how QWERTY was originally designed with the intention of purposefully slowing down typers (or so im told). However typing isnt in your fingers or keyboard layout. It's in your heart.

[The Unknown Guru]

I've never even heard of Dvorak. Plus, qwerty is just more fun to say.

[Cz]

QWERTY may be institutionalised inefficiency, but we've long since passed the point of no return for changing to another layout. I don't doubt that Dvorak is a more sensible layout, but it's not worth the hassle of relearning how to type, so I'll stick with what I know.

[Levian]

People who think they are too good for qwerty disgust me. disgussssssssssst.

[Rye]

To me, if I can type or text (since my phone has one too) on a qwerty keyboard with my eyes closed, I don't need to change. My brain has learned it just fine. :jess:

[blackmage_nuke]

Oh and about alternate keyboard layouts i think the mose awesome thing ever would be a device similar to a ddr mat but with all the keys on a mobile phone which is used in the same style of texting but with feet.

[Jess]

I know qwerty off by heart, and can type without looking and quickly - so why would I ever change? :jess:

[Blue Harvest]

I thought this was about some member I haven't heard of and qwertyxsora.

[Iceglow]

The Dvorak layout was designed to address the problems of inefficiency and fatigue which characterized the QWERTY keyboard layout. The QWERTY layout was introduced in the 1860s, being used on the first commercially-successful typewriter, the machine invented by Christopher Sholes. The QWERTY layout was designed so that successive keystrokes would alternate between sides of the keyboard so as to avoid jams. Improvements in typewriter design made key jams less of a problem, but the introduction of the electric typewriter in the 1930s made typist fatigue more of a problem, leading to increased interest in the Dvorak layout.

That is what the QWERTY keyboard layout was designed to do blackmage_nuke. QWERTY was designed to stop people jamming type writers up with the key strokes. This isn't a problem today as it was then. The funny thing is I looked at the below image and thought omg DVORAK is horrible!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/KB_United_States_Dvorak.svg/800px-KB_United_States_Dvorak.svg.png

Taking more time to look at the DVORAK keyboard layout I can definitely see the appeal for coders and the like who use colons and semi-colons regulary but to be honest I have coded minor things and prefer QWERTY to the idea of the DVORAK keyboard. DVORAK would feel both unnatural and wrong for me it'd be like setting my keyboard to chineese and trying to use it by looking at the keys, it'd just be horrible. I'm also a left hander too so I'd hate using DVORAK since it's designed for the right handed person.

Overall I'm not going to bother attempting to re-learn typing for DVORAK I'm happy with the QWERTY keyboard layout as has every person typing professionally since the 1860's. Some people believe that some skills become genetically passable to future generations in which case we are all born with the ability to look at a QWERTY keyboard and figure out how to get atleast 30wpm typing speeds.

[demondude]

The DVORAK keyboard looks weird, I'll stick to QWERTY thank you.

[Madame Adequate]

I'd use Dvorak if I could find a Dvorak keyboard. As it stands I stick with QWERTY.

[blackmage_nuke]

I think there should be some kind of feature to easily swap individual keys so to learn Dvorak it only takes you to change one key at a time from qwerty and should only take a few months with no real hindrance on your typing ability. It can be done with hotkeys and a screw driver but that takes a while.

Or you know that makes no sense at all

[Brennan]

I'm too lazy to find out what Dvorak is, so I'm staying with QWERTY

[Momiji]

I'm too lazy to find out what Dvorak is, so I'm staying with QWERTY

The answer to that lies four posts above yours. :rolleyes2

[Randgris]

I thought this was about some member I haven't heard of and qwertyxsora.

I thought there was a showdown... Bleh! :eep:

QWERTY using a typewriter, 10+ years ago. Still using QWERTY... Too lazy to learn new keyboard stuff...

[Bahamut2000X]

I had a teacher named Dvorak. :monster

But I'm far too lazy to learn how to type differently.

[Yar]

I had heard of Dvorak before this, but I wasn't really sure what it was. It sounds like a lot of you prefer the QWERTY.

[scrumpleberry]

I've never used Dvorak, I'm used to qwerty. Also qwerty is a fantastic word :)

[rubah]

You should try colemac

[Zeldy]

The Dvorak keyboard only looks "weird" as it's not what you're used to. The QWERTY keyboard layout is pretty weird too, if you actually look it. I think it's weird how you manage to know where the keys are, when the keys are not ordered or anything, or are they? :p it just looks like the keys have all been put in any old place to me.

I really want to try that new keyboard now, it'd be interesting.

[qwertysaur]

I thought this was about me too.

Yeah, I use QWERTY. Never even seen a Dvorak keyboard. :p

[Jiro]

I'll stick to QWERTY, but Dvorak does seem to help people who do a lot of programming. But whatever floats your boat, I don't care at all :D

[Initial Fantasy]

If you really spend so much time sitting on your computer typing some http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif rather than having a life, by all means I'm sure learning Dvorak would be a great investment of time.

Otherwise, why the hell would you even consider wasting your time learning something so pointless.

[blackmage_nuke]

If you really spend so much time sitting on your computer typing some http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif rather than having a life, by all means I'm sure learning Dvorak would be a great investment of time.

Otherwise, why the hell would you even consider wasting your time learning something so pointless. It sounds insane but some people use computers to make a living.

[Cloudane]

Isn't Dvorak some nut job who makes crazy predictions about Apple?

Okay, I know what you mean really. I tried Dvorak once, but it drove me insane typing like a n00b again so I returned to my rapid Qwerty performance.

It took years to get my Qwerty skills up to the level it eventually stabilised at... I figured that spending another 5 years getting Dvorak up to the same standard so that I can eventually type 0.01% faster is not a worthwhile time investment.

[demondude]

If you really spend so much time sitting on your computer typing some :skull::skull::skull::skull: rather than having a life, by all means I'm sure learning Dvorak would be a great investment of time.

Otherwise, why the hell would you even consider wasting your time learning something so pointless.

Coming from someone who wastes their time bitching about keyboard settings on an internet forum. xD

[Initial Fantasy]

I spend alot of time on my computer. I already know two keyboard layouts without looking.

Besides that,

I'm sure learning a new keyboard layout would hardly help someone who posts messages online a few times a day.

[bipper]

It's not so much more efficient that it's worth the time to relearn it, for the things I need it for.

It's like buying a $10,000 heating system to save $15/month on electricity.

But if that one heating system became industry standard, you would be saving a 15 dollar exponential amount over time as new generations grasped the new layout. Sides, it only takes an average of 28 days to change a habbit. And yes, virginia, typing has actually been considered habitual once someone has had a moderate level of experience.

Personally, I like querty better.

[KH-Cloudy]

To switch off to Dvorak is like learning another language, except not as tedious. I've tried before, but I failed >.>


QWERTY ftw!

[Roto13]

If you really spend so much time sitting on your computer typing some http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif rather than having a life, by all means I'm sure learning Dvorak would be a great investment of time.

Believe it or not, learning how to type a different way doesn't require you to do nothing but practice all day every day for the rest of your life.

You certainly like to accuse people of not having lives. I'm sure that says more about you than anyone else.

[champagne supernova]

I think in the speed-typing contests, contestants generally use Dvorak, as it allows for quicker typing.

Qwerty keyboards are definitely inefficient. They're used in Economics as an example of Lock-In - because once you've learnt how to use it, it becomes costly to change to something new, even it is better.

[Iceglow]

In my opinion having read a lot about it now and studied the image I posted a lot, only a right handed person would be faster using DVORAK. A left hander would probably be faster using QWERTY because QWERTY makes the left hand do over 50% of the typing. Being left handed this makes me naturally faster than you Right handers, and btw, I use my mouse right handed so QWERTY for me is truly a natural way of typing.

[camkreme]

There can't be the best keyboard layout, if you agree with me? We all have the comfort zone on what layout to use. Now in addition to it, through the verge of the new technologies, smartphone are commonly using qwerty layout and would be much more uncomfortable to use when you're in a hurry on attending some message to reply that takes more than a minute to create and need thorough proof reading for typo.

With this new innovative technology arises that make our life easy and fun! Like those free android apps that we could use as an alternative qwerty (http://www.textwithdextr.com/) layout and even lefties like me can use. Thanks to Android! They make my life easier and fun!

[Old Manus]

camkreme, you misunderstand.

I posted a right handed person would be much more than a lot about it becomes costly to change to use my mouse right handed person would be faster than you Right handers, and fun! I think in addition to use it, through the verge of the verge of typing. There can't be much more uncomfortable to use Dvorak, as an example of Lock-In - because QWERTY for quicker typing.

Qwerty keyboards are definitely inefficient. They're used in addition to something new, even it allows for quicker typing. There can't be the verge of the left hander would be easier.

[blackmage_nuke]

If you really spend so much time sitting on your computer typing some http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif rather than having a life, by all means I'm sure learning Dvorak would be a great investment of time.

Otherwise, why the hell would you even consider wasting your time learning something so pointless. It sounds insane but some people use computers to make a living.

Oh man what happened to you nuke, you use to be so witty

[rubah]

just to prove a point, I typed this post in colemak.

I haven't used it in forever, but I still have enough muscle memory to be able to do it.

[Iceglow]

Wow talk about thread necromancy 2008 is a long time ago. Feels weird to see my old posts back then again. Well I'm still going to say the same thing as I did back then. For me learning Dvorak or another keyboard layout would be pointless. The only thing I think would be beneficial for me to master is to memorize the full american variant of QWERTY and also the Apple/Mac variant of QWERTY and these are mostly for work or for when I'm travelling around since most countries rely heavily on the American settings of QWERTY for their character positions.

[Jiro]

Oh man what happened to you nuke, you use to be so witty

You're still pretty witty bro

[ReloadPsi]

It's not so much more efficient that it's worth the time to relearn it, for the things I need it for.

It's like buying a $10,000 heating system to save $15/month on electricity.

This is also my view on it. Screw dvorak.

[Laddy]

QWERTY is your god. Dvorak is like a false idol.

So yeah, QWERTY.