You have to use and memorize one of the keyboard layouts. I use some variant of the "Union" keyboard layout: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4

You have to use and memorize one of the keyboard layouts. I use some variant of the "Union" keyboard layout: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/GNU_APL_keyboard_layout.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/GNU_APL_... (some keys might be a little different; I had trouble finding a good source for APL Union keyboard). I develop on Linux, using a plain text editor, so I have an .xmodmap file that lets me press the keys in the picture above while holding a modifier (right alt) to input the appropriate unicode code points. I am sure an IDE like what comes with dyalog will do this for you. As far as learning the keyboard, it's not too hard; just keep a picture of the layout printed out for a day or two and you'll get it. There's some sort of pattern: for instance, the "ρ" (rho) character is on the R key, and "ι" (iota) is on the I key. It's like learning to type, except much faster because you've learned it once before.