3 ms·

I've used Dvorak for 10 years, and I'm here to tell you it's not all that (2019)

2 points by clouddrover 3y ago

nwah1 3y ago
Using alternative keyboards is a nice way to discourage family members and roommates from trying to use your devices. I'm not so convinced that it provides significant speed or ergonomic advantages. At the population level, minor improvements can add up. But the cost of switching is high, also. Thus, overall, the rosiest theoretical benefit is low.
daedalus_j 3y ago
"only works if you learn to touch type" So... "typing is only improved if you actually learn to type"? This "article" is a whiny blog post with exactly the same empty content that is always repeated and absolutely nothing new or of any substance. Total drivel. And yes, I'm a 2-decade Dvorak touch typer. If there were something better I'd use that instead, but haven't found it yet.
dulakian 3y ago
I can't speak for anyone else but switching to Dvorak saved my wrists. As a systems engineer most of my day is typing. About 15 years ago I started having pain in my wrists that got almost to the point I seriously considered changing professions away from IT. A friend convinced me to try dvorak first as he had good results with his RSI. I tried it, hated it, but persevered because I actually loved my job. It paid off, after about a month, I learned dvorak well enough to get things done at a reasonable speed. My wrists hurt less and less as time went on, and eventually stopped. I still type as much as I ever did really, probably more because I have to write so much more prose as my career has progressed. I credit switching to Dvorak for saving my career. Obviously YMMV, but the finger travel distance is less, and I could feel the difference. I now type about as fast as I did with qwerty, and haven't had an issue switching any os I use a keyboard with to dvorak for at least 10 years. If you have RSI, I highly recommend pushing through the hard learning curve and seeing if it helps. I do still have qwerty on my cell, but there I type with my thumbs, not my fingers, and the speed isn't comparable anyways.

2 points by clouddrover 3y ago

Using alternative keyboards is a nice way to discourage family members and roommates from trying to use your devices. I'm not so convinced that it provides significant speed or ergonomic advantages. At the population level, minor improvements can add up. But the cost of switching is high, also. Thus, overall, the rosiest theoretical benefit is low.

daedalus_j 3y ago

"only works if you learn to touch type" So... "typing is only improved if you actually learn to type"? This "article" is a whiny blog post with exactly the same empty content that is always repeated and absolutely nothing new or of any substance. Total drivel. And yes, I'm a 2-decade Dvorak touch typer. If there were something better I'd use that instead, but haven't found it yet.

dulakian 3y ago

I can't speak for anyone else but switching to Dvorak saved my wrists. As a systems engineer most of my day is typing. About 15 years ago I started having pain in my wrists that got almost to the point I seriously considered changing professions away from IT. A friend convinced me to try dvorak first as he had good results with his RSI. I tried it, hated it, but persevered because I actually loved my job. It paid off, after about a month, I learned dvorak well enough to get things done at a reasonable speed. My wrists hurt less and less as time went on, and eventually stopped. I still type as much as I ever did really, probably more because I have to write so much more prose as my career has progressed. I credit switching to Dvorak for saving my career. Obviously YMMV, but the finger travel distance is less, and I could feel the difference. I now type about as fast as I did with qwerty, and haven't had an issue switching any os I use a keyboard with to dvorak for at least 10 years. If you have RSI, I highly recommend pushing through the hard learning curve and seeing if it helps. I do still have qwerty on my cell, but there I type with my thumbs, not my fingers, and the speed isn't comparable anyways.