Dvorak

[sym]

I have been looking at moving to the Dvorak keyboard format. I just had a few questions:

1) How many people here use Dvorak?

2) How long did it take you to get use to it?

3) Do you find it significantly faster than QWERTY?

4) Do you find it less stressful on your hands and wrists than QWERTY?

5) In SuSE 7.2, where would I change my configuration?

Thanks!

[vhg119]

i read something somewhere about the qwerty keyboard being developed so that it can handicap the typer and slow him down. Back when the typewriter was invented people were typing so fast that the mechanical parts were always jamming. so... they jumbled the keys around which gave us the qwerty and that seemed to have fixed the jamming issue. Who'd would have thunk it that we would have electronic keyboards that dont jam.
but now we're all assed out because we're so use to qwerty and everyone has one.
Dvorak is suppose to place the most widely used keys under the strongest fingers. therefore, reducing the finger movements, thus, making the touch typist faster. Also, i've heard that with the dvorak keyboard, repetative stress syndromes (ie carpo tunnel syndrome) is significantly reduced if not totally prevented.

too bad :(

[gcb]

well then, let's do it!

[Whipping Boy]

Dvorak is the best composer of all time!

[camelrider]

Actually, QWERTY was designed to reduce the need to slow down. It allows type-bars of keys often used consecutively to approach from angles which reduce the chance of collision or jamming.

[knute]

Don't know if you use gnome or not, but there is an applet for gnome called gdk keyboard switcher.

Basically you can set up flags and such so that when you click on it, it will change your keyboard.

I've used it in the past, but other things came up so I've had to postpone learning dvorak.

[George Kilroy]

Is there a typing tutor specifically for learning DVORAK?

Is it easy to switch back and forth between QWERTY and DVORAK?

[spreelanka]

i just started learning dvorak(like yesterday), but i use gtypist, so far it's pretty good, plenty of lessons too, even lessons for foreign languages(assuming eng to be your primary).

http://www.gnu.org/software/gtypist/

About switching back and forth, so far I can without a big deal, but i've heard both yes and no about switching. I'd say yes, as long as you keep switching, as i plan to do, but stick with one for too long and you'll likely have to concentrate much harder to type the other.

oh yea, dunno if you have to use windows anywhere (especially with other users), but this could come in handy if you do, although i must confess i haven't booted windows since i decided to learn dvorak so i don't know how good it is.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvassist/