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> I never understood this way of thinking about touch typing as a distinct skill from typing. Touch typing is a special technique. Typing and touch typing bein

by gwn7 5y ago

> I never understood this way of thinking about touch typing as a distinct skill from typing. Touch typing is a special technique. Typing and touch typing being distinct things isn't a "way of thinking", it's a clear fact. It's not open to interpretation. The keyboard is an instrument. Anyone can use it without learning the proper technique, but the technique helps a great deal. That's the whole point. It is greatly comparable to musical instruments. For instance you can learn how to play the guitar yourself, but if you know the proper technique, you'll have better mastery in a shorter time. This is why it needs to be teached, especially to knowledge workers, who type, type and type all day long. Maybe the skill you currently have is enough for you, but you shouldn't dismiss the proper technique, especially if you haven't tried it (you sound like you didn't really). Though if you can answer yes to all the questions below, then you probably don't need the technique: - Can you easily do 80+ wpm whether it is prose or code? - Do you have more than 95% accuracy at all times? - Do you never (no exceptions) look at the keyboard? These things all make a difference. Having less friction with the input instrument results in a higher stamina in a knowledge worker, which means more productivity per unit of time. Few realize this.

StavrosK 5y ago
I could easily do 120 wpm at 98% accuracy before I switched to touch typing years ago. Now I'm at 80wpm at 95%.
- gwn7 5y ago
  You are the exception, you know that right? There will always be outliers. What we should care about is what the technique can do for the majority of the people. But since you are an interesting exception, I'm curious of your take actually. Maybe please offer us some more information: - Why do you think you did slow down after the switch to touch typing? - Why did you feel the need to switch to touch typing if the skill you already had was so good? - Do you think there are any benefits of touch typing over your old technique? - Do you regret switching to touch typing? Why? - How many years did it take you to get to 120 wpm at 98%? - Is there anything you miss from your old technique (beside the higher stats)?
  - StavrosK 5y ago
    > You are the exception, you know that right? Sure, but I don't agree that touch typing is "the" technique and that it's impossible that someone else has come up with a better one independently. Touch typing is a good way to type well, but I don't think it's distinct from "typing", it's one way to type. Just like you can play the guitar even if you don't know the technique. > - Why do you think you did slow down after the switch to touch typing? I have no idea, the way to hit the keys just feels less convenient to me. For example, the x and c are harder to hit because my fingers don't like going there, I can't really explain it better. > - Why did you feel the need to switch to touch typing if the skill you already had was so good? Half because I got an ortho split keyboard and couldn't use my old technique with it, and half because everyone said touch typing is so much better. > - Do you regret switching to touch typing? Why? Yes, my old technique is much more comfortable and faster. I still type the "old" way on regular keyboards, but it's not such a big deal either way, since I'm usually limited by the speed of my brain rather than my hands, and I don't much mind the reduced accuracy either. I'm touch typing this on the split keyboard right now. > - How many years did it take you to get to 120 wpm at 98%? I've been typing that way for 20 years, so I can't really say. I definitely remember being pretty good around 4 years in, possibly long before that. > - Is there anything you miss from your old technique (beside the higher stats)? It just feels more comfortable, when I touch-type I feel a bit like I'm fighting the keyboard, or as if I'm wearing shoes half a size too small. With my old technique (e.g. on my laptop) I feel at home.
    - lostcolony 5y ago
      I'm the same way, and the reason is simple - I played MUDs as a kid. I can hit > 100 wpm easily if my brain can keep up. Occasionally something will throw me; a weird bit of punctuation, like the shift + number keys, but that's about it. I've tried to learn to touch type, but the drop in speed, and the promise of ending up basically where I am now means I just don't care. The way I move my hands and wrists and such probably also helps avoid carpal tunnel, though I have nothing other than my own suspicions (and the 20+ years I've been typing without issue or concern over posture/wrist rests/etc) to base that on.
Izkata 5y ago
You're referring to things like home-row touch-typing. My experience matches GP, which is touch-typing, but not home-row.
- gwn7 5y ago
  The OP was referring to "home-row touch-typing" as simply "touch typing", as nearly everybody does, so I didn't feel the need to clarify. I don't see how pedanticism helps here.
  - Izkata 5y ago
    The first response was not, then your response to that jumped back to home row without distinguishing non-home-row touch-typing from just typing. It's not just being pedantic when the meaning actually changes. The first response, as well as myself, went from hunt-and-peck typing to non-home-row touch-typing. The first response was confused about why people have to put effort into "touch-typing" when it's something that comes naturally over time, like it did for us. It's not useful to conflate the two. "Touch-typing" means "not hunt-and-peck", not "home-row touch-typing".
yesenadam 5y ago
I'm not sure why one system of typing gets to call itself "the proper technique". Someone made up a system and to promote it called it "the proper technique", I guess. Also, I don't think that on guitar there is any such thing as "the proper technique". (Musician here.) Different people play the instrument very differently—even within genres, let alone between them. But perhaps guitar was a bad example.
- gwn7 5y ago
  Please see my latest relevant comment about this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27171906 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27171906 The reason I call touch typing the proper technique is that it does very good in terms of both wpm, accuracy, comfort, teachability and time of mastery. That's why it is more popular than all other nameless techniques. So until there is a technique that does better in all those terms on average, I think it's not the biggest crime to call it "the proper technique". If you don't like it, call it mainstream, popular, whatever.[1] It's the technique every ambitious typist needs to start with at this age (Unless they are already very good). Because as far as I know there is no better technique that is teachable at this time. As to the guitar comment; there are so many guitar methods. Everybody picks one or another. People who try to learn the thing without help from any techniques / methods won't have high chances of being successful in a reasonable amount of time. (I'm a musician too.) If we agree on the benefit of a technique, when we apply this to typing we naturally come to touch typing. Because as far as I know it is the only documented and teachable typing technique. I'll be happy to be proven wrong. I've been looking for an alternative technique, but couldn't find any until now. Everybody likes to bash touch typing saying that they have their own special technique they developed over the years that outperform touch typing, but I don't see how this is relevant. We cannot expect everybody to develop their own perfect typing technique over the years when there is already a tried & tested technique available. In short, what I'm saying is, name a "more proper" technique, and I will shut up. Personal and obscure "techniques" that are not teachable don't count. [1] And your philosophical argument doesn't really make sense. Yes, touch typing is a human construct. If we can't call it "proper" just because it was invented by humans, then we are in trouble. I didn't call it "proper" because I was implying that it was a gift from the gods. I called it that because there are a lot of indicators that it is the most proper thing that we have available at the moment.

by gwn7 5y ago

StavrosK 5y ago

I could easily do 120 wpm at 98% accuracy before I switched to touch typing years ago. Now I'm at 80wpm at 95%.

gwn7 5y ago
You are the exception, you know that right? There will always be outliers. What we should care about is what the technique can do for the majority of the people. But since you are an interesting exception, I'm curious of your take actually. Maybe please offer us some more information: - Why do you think you did slow down after the switch to touch typing? - Why did you feel the need to switch to touch typing if the skill you already had was so good? - Do you think there are any benefits of touch typing over your old technique? - Do you regret switching to touch typing? Why? - How many years did it take you to get to 120 wpm at 98%? - Is there anything you miss from your old technique (beside the higher stats)?
- StavrosK 5y ago
  > You are the exception, you know that right? Sure, but I don't agree that touch typing is "the" technique and that it's impossible that someone else has come up with a better one independently. Touch typing is a good way to type well, but I don't think it's distinct from "typing", it's one way to type. Just like you can play the guitar even if you don't know the technique. > - Why do you think you did slow down after the switch to touch typing? I have no idea, the way to hit the keys just feels less convenient to me. For example, the x and c are harder to hit because my fingers don't like going there, I can't really explain it better. > - Why did you feel the need to switch to touch typing if the skill you already had was so good? Half because I got an ortho split keyboard and couldn't use my old technique with it, and half because everyone said touch typing is so much better. > - Do you regret switching to touch typing? Why? Yes, my old technique is much more comfortable and faster. I still type the "old" way on regular keyboards, but it's not such a big deal either way, since I'm usually limited by the speed of my brain rather than my hands, and I don't much mind the reduced accuracy either. I'm touch typing this on the split keyboard right now. > - How many years did it take you to get to 120 wpm at 98%? I've been typing that way for 20 years, so I can't really say. I definitely remember being pretty good around 4 years in, possibly long before that. > - Is there anything you miss from your old technique (beside the higher stats)? It just feels more comfortable, when I touch-type I feel a bit like I'm fighting the keyboard, or as if I'm wearing shoes half a size too small. With my old technique (e.g. on my laptop) I feel at home.
  - lostcolony 5y ago
    I'm the same way, and the reason is simple - I played MUDs as a kid. I can hit > 100 wpm easily if my brain can keep up. Occasionally something will throw me; a weird bit of punctuation, like the shift + number keys, but that's about it. I've tried to learn to touch type, but the drop in speed, and the promise of ending up basically where I am now means I just don't care. The way I move my hands and wrists and such probably also helps avoid carpal tunnel, though I have nothing other than my own suspicions (and the 20+ years I've been typing without issue or concern over posture/wrist rests/etc) to base that on.

Izkata 5y ago

You're referring to things like home-row touch-typing. My experience matches GP, which is touch-typing, but not home-row.

gwn7 5y ago
The OP was referring to "home-row touch-typing" as simply "touch typing", as nearly everybody does, so I didn't feel the need to clarify. I don't see how pedanticism helps here.
- Izkata 5y ago
  The first response was not, then your response to that jumped back to home row without distinguishing non-home-row touch-typing from just typing. It's not just being pedantic when the meaning actually changes. The first response, as well as myself, went from hunt-and-peck typing to non-home-row touch-typing. The first response was confused about why people have to put effort into "touch-typing" when it's something that comes naturally over time, like it did for us. It's not useful to conflate the two. "Touch-typing" means "not hunt-and-peck", not "home-row touch-typing".

yesenadam 5y ago

I'm not sure why one system of typing gets to call itself "the proper technique". Someone made up a system and to promote it called it "the proper technique", I guess. Also, I don't think that on guitar there is any such thing as "the proper technique". (Musician here.) Different people play the instrument very differently—even within genres, let alone between them. But perhaps guitar was a bad example.

gwn7 5y ago
Please see my latest relevant comment about this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27171906 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27171906 The reason I call touch typing the proper technique is that it does very good in terms of both wpm, accuracy, comfort, teachability and time of mastery. That's why it is more popular than all other nameless techniques. So until there is a technique that does better in all those terms on average, I think it's not the biggest crime to call it "the proper technique". If you don't like it, call it mainstream, popular, whatever.[1] It's the technique every ambitious typist needs to start with at this age (Unless they are already very good). Because as far as I know there is no better technique that is teachable at this time. As to the guitar comment; there are so many guitar methods. Everybody picks one or another. People who try to learn the thing without help from any techniques / methods won't have high chances of being successful in a reasonable amount of time. (I'm a musician too.) If we agree on the benefit of a technique, when we apply this to typing we naturally come to touch typing. Because as far as I know it is the only documented and teachable typing technique. I'll be happy to be proven wrong. I've been looking for an alternative technique, but couldn't find any until now. Everybody likes to bash touch typing saying that they have their own special technique they developed over the years that outperform touch typing, but I don't see how this is relevant. We cannot expect everybody to develop their own perfect typing technique over the years when there is already a tried & tested technique available. In short, what I'm saying is, name a "more proper" technique, and I will shut up. Personal and obscure "techniques" that are not teachable don't count. [1] And your philosophical argument doesn't really make sense. Yes, touch typing is a human construct. If we can't call it "proper" just because it was invented by humans, then we are in trouble. I didn't call it "proper" because I was implying that it was a gift from the gods. I called it that because there are a lot of indicators that it is the most proper thing that we have available at the moment.