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Why you shouldn't switch: This reminds me of when I tried to switch to a Dvorak keyboard. The trouble was, I don't use one computer. I use all ki

Why you shouldn't switch: This reminds me of when I tried to switch to a Dvorak keyboard. The trouble was, I don't use one computer. I use all kinds of computers. I use other people's computers. I use three computers fairly regularly at home and three at work. I use computers in the test lab at work. The trouble with customizing your environment is that it just doesn't propagate, so it's not even worth the trouble. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059.... Which is my experience too. Dvorak would need to be at least 2-3 times faster than Qwerty to outweigh the disadvantages, a "possibly 10% faster" doesn't cut it.

tome 16y ago
I hear this so often as an anti-Dvorak argument, and I cannot understand it. It seems like a complete non-objection to me. If I need to use an unfamiliar computer, I can revert to hunt-and-peck Qwerty. If I use that computer so often that hunt-and-peck significantly slows me down, I can afford to spend two minutes to switch the keymap to Dvorak. [FWIW: I use Dvorak to prevent repetitive strain injury. "Time saving" is hardly an issue.]
- rimantas 16y ago
  I use Dvorak to prevent repetitive strain injury. Do you have any evidence that it helps? ("I don't have RSI" does not count. I don't have it either, and I don't use dvorak).
  - niels_bom 16y ago
    Two individuals' experiences is hardly what I call evidence :) And even if there are studies, I suspect it will probably depend on the individual as well, as do a lot of health-issues.
  - tome 16y ago
    I don't know any links to hard data, but from what I recall there are a few studies. If it's useful to you, then my personal experience is as follows: * I used to have RSI badly. * I read stuff on the internet about RSI. * One of the suggestions was to use Dvorak. * I started using Dvorak. * I took some other mitigating actions like getting a different chair, tilting my keyboard back and taking more typing breaks. * I noted that touch typing Dvorak was much more comfortable than touch tying Qwerty. * I haven't had RSI for ten years. The cause and effect is not directly obvious, but I'm certain that Dvorak helped me to some extent. The downside is: three weeks of frustration whilst trying to learn it, and occasionally having to switch keymap on an unfamiliar computer.
    - ent 16y ago
      I actually had a similar reason for switching to das, a layout optimized for the finnish language. I was starting to get wrist pain while typing, started to take notice of my posture and switched to typing with das. Typing feels more natural and I can notice a huge difference to typing with qwerty (which I can still almost touch type). Again, I can't really say anything definite about the cause and effect but I can recommend giving a better keyboard layout a try.
famousactress 16y ago
As silly as it sounds to say... At this point it's iPad support and not other people's computers that would get in my way. Has anyone had success keeping _both_ layouts in their brains?
- commodoretaco 16y ago
  I used to write all my prose with dvorak and all my code in qwerty. Now that I write significantly more code than prose, I hardly ever switch over to dvorak. My dvorak speed has regressed a ton so it's not really worth it. It's sometimes fun, though. I wrote this using dvorak.

tome 16y ago

I hear this so often as an anti-Dvorak argument, and I cannot understand it. It seems like a complete non-objection to me. If I need to use an unfamiliar computer, I can revert to hunt-and-peck Qwerty. If I use that computer so often that hunt-and-peck significantly slows me down, I can afford to spend two minutes to switch the keymap to Dvorak. [FWIW: I use Dvorak to prevent repetitive strain injury. "Time saving" is hardly an issue.]

rimantas 16y ago
I use Dvorak to prevent repetitive strain injury. Do you have any evidence that it helps? ("I don't have RSI" does not count. I don't have it either, and I don't use dvorak).
- niels_bom 16y ago
  Two individuals' experiences is hardly what I call evidence :) And even if there are studies, I suspect it will probably depend on the individual as well, as do a lot of health-issues.
- tome 16y ago
  I don't know any links to hard data, but from what I recall there are a few studies. If it's useful to you, then my personal experience is as follows: * I used to have RSI badly. * I read stuff on the internet about RSI. * One of the suggestions was to use Dvorak. * I started using Dvorak. * I took some other mitigating actions like getting a different chair, tilting my keyboard back and taking more typing breaks. * I noted that touch typing Dvorak was much more comfortable than touch tying Qwerty. * I haven't had RSI for ten years. The cause and effect is not directly obvious, but I'm certain that Dvorak helped me to some extent. The downside is: three weeks of frustration whilst trying to learn it, and occasionally having to switch keymap on an unfamiliar computer.
  - ent 16y ago
    I actually had a similar reason for switching to das, a layout optimized for the finnish language. I was starting to get wrist pain while typing, started to take notice of my posture and switched to typing with das. Typing feels more natural and I can notice a huge difference to typing with qwerty (which I can still almost touch type). Again, I can't really say anything definite about the cause and effect but I can recommend giving a better keyboard layout a try.

famousactress 16y ago

As silly as it sounds to say... At this point it's iPad support and not other people's computers that would get in my way. Has anyone had success keeping _both_ layouts in their brains?

commodoretaco 16y ago
I used to write all my prose with dvorak and all my code in qwerty. Now that I write significantly more code than prose, I hardly ever switch over to dvorak. My dvorak speed has regressed a ton so it's not really worth it. It's sometimes fun, though. I wrote this using dvorak.