Alternative keyboard layouts

[SpAc3man]

Let's get nerdy.

Is there anyone on the Escapist using an alternative to the Qwerty layout on their keyboard?
Most specifically Dvorak [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard] and Colemak [http://colemak.com/] as they seem to be a rather large improvement of the norm.
I am considering having a go at one of them for a bit of a nerdy thrill and to improve ergonomics which sounds like a good idea considering I spend a huge amount of time on the computer for recreation, study and work.

The issue I have with Dvorak is the commonly used shortcuts for cut-copy-paste and find are scattered and often require two hands which makes sense considering it was originally designed for typewriters which don't have those commands for some weird reason. Colemak solves this issue as it is more of an intermediate layout with more in common with Qwerty although this raises the concern that it would be more of a half-assed attempt at Dvorak. Colemak is also not natively supported by Windows whereas Dvorak is. But that shouldn't be a problem.

So thoughts everyone? Anyone else interested in trying out an alternative layout?

 

[Marter]

I knew someone who converted to Dvorak back in junior high school.

I would never try it myself. It would just be a pain on all keyboards but my own (public computers and such), and I'm very comfortable touch typing with Qwerty.

 

[DoPo]

So thoughts everyone? Anyone else interested in trying out an alternative layout?

Not really. I think getting used to it and having to constantly switch over to QWERTY, if using pretty much any other computer, negates most advantages a layout may have. Moreover, games may become weird, for example all shortcuts in DotA are in the left side of the keyboard, so you can comfortably reach them with your left hand.

 

[SpAc3man]

I would never try it myself. It would just be a pain on all keyboards but my own (public computers and such), and I'm very comfortable touch typing with Qwerty.

That was my initial thought but then I decided to ignore it and decided I would force myself to have to learn to touch-type. At uni I can use Ubuntu most of the time which supports both layouts. Hopefully I could change it in Windows at uni too. As for work I have my own workstation and admin access so that will be easy enough to setup.

Moreover, games may become weird, for example all shortcuts in DotA are in the left side of the keyboard, so you can comfortably reach them with your left hand.

I play DotA 2 which allows remapping hotkeys. It would be a pain for badly ported games that have little or no keymap options but I could always revert temporarily or find workarounds.

Valid points overall. I would be making some things more difficult for myself.

 

[DoPo]

Moreover, games may become weird, for example all shortcuts in DotA are in the left side of the keyboard, so you can comfortably reach them with your left hand.

I play DotA 2 which allows remapping hotkeys. It would be a pain for badly ported games that have little or no keymap options but I could always revert temporarily or find workarounds.

Yes, I used DotA just an example, but there are other games (if you consider DotA a game) that don't have the option of remapping shortcuts.

Also, it always confuses me if the screen says "Press S" and I have to mentally convert that to another key. Doubly confusing if I have to go "OK, it says S, what is this in Dvorak? Ah, it's O, now where is O again? Ah, it's where S is." I'm bad at mentally juggling those, Assassin's Creed 2 really confused me all the time with the icons instead of keys. That would be a problem for myself, if I do another rebind of the keys. And I'll need two different keyboards for QWERTY/Dvorak, too.

 

[Joccaren]

No, not really interested. Qwerty works perfectly fine for everything IMO, and I have no real problems with it. I can touch type on a keyboard without any key labeling reasonably fast these days, and there's not really any need for me to re-learn the layout of a new keyboard simply for sh*its and giggles. I know the qwerty layout subconsciously by heart, so you stick one infront of me and without even using any touch typing techniques that one teacher tried to make me use - like positioning your hands in certain places and remembering where all the keys were in relation to that - I can just make my fingers dance across the keyboard, one side the the other, without even a second thought that I might get something wrong.

So really, there's no need for me to swap keyboard layout, and no real advantage to it, so I'm quite happy as is for now.

 

[SpAc3man]

The Escapist community is not as nerdy as I had presumed. Is there really no one using Dvorak or Colemak or even considering giving one of them a go?

I may have to add a poll to get some answers.

EDIT: And there is no way to add a poll.

 

[Evil Smurf]

The Escapist community is not as nerdy as I had presumed. Is there really no one using Dvorak or Colemak or even considering giving one of them a go?

I may have to add a poll to get some answers.

EDIT: And there is no way to add a poll.

I am considering it. I may need a new keyboard though

 

[vun]

From what I've heard colemak is the better alternative, most of the people concerned with efficient typing I've met seems to prefer colemak.

Personally I've considered switching, but I don't type a lot so I haven't bothered yet.

The Escapist community is not as nerdy as I had presumed. Is there really no one using Dvorak or Colemak or even considering giving one of them a go?

I may have to add a poll to get some answers.

EDIT: And there is no way to add a poll.

I am considering it. I may need a new keyboard though

You don't need a new board, just buy a set of blank keycaps or get a set of Colemak caps from wasdkeyboards.
Edit: If you have a mechanical board... I've gotten so used to hanging about mechanical keyboard forums I've forgotten that not everyone has one. My bad.

 

[SpAc3man]

snip

I have a mechanical with Cherry switches so I will likely just order a set of keycaps. I have heard that not having a keyboard with the characters in the correct place is beneficial as it forces you to not look at the keyboard and instead learn to touch-type. Having a picture of the layout stuck to the top of your monitor helps with that too.

 

[Bestival]

I sometimes use the German layout for homework, it switches Z and Y around. Those 2 letters being different already drives me nuts, I would probably have a meltdown if I tried to relearn an entire keyboard!

 

[SpAc3man]

Well that didn't go anywhere...

 

[Angie7F]

For some reason in Japan, I occasionally come across keyboards that are arranged according to the alphabet.
it is so confusing and drive me crazy.
I am sure they do this for older people who are not accustomed to using computers.
We also have the Japanese character keyboard. i also suck at this and prefer to type in Japanese phonetically using the alphabet.
So I know that I am pretty happy with the keyboard I have now.
Hell even typing on a dumbphone drives me crazy these days....Thank god for smart phones.

 

[L0dest0ne]

My uncle gave me a Dvorak keyboard for christmas once. It is a bit more ergonomic and and the key layout is better, but I don't use it simply for the fact that I have spent my entire life learning the QWERTY keyboard. Not to mention it's a pain to have to reprogram all the hotkeys for every single game you play.

 

[CAPTCHA]

Pretty much what everyone slse is saying: to much effort ot relearn. I get confused when using american keyboards with the " and @ switched.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Pretty much what everyone slse is saying: to much effort ot relearn. I get confused when using american keyboards with the " and @ switched.

Yeah, why is that different? Seems a weird thing to have been changed crossing the Atlantic.

Every now and again my mother's computer mysteriously reverts to assuming an American keyboard, resulting in massive confusion.

I sometimes use the German layout for homework, it switches Z and Y around. Those 2 letters being different already drives me nuts, I would probably have a meltdown if I tried to relearn an entire keyboard!

Fun game you can play with shared/public computers: Prise off the 'm' and 'n' keys and swap them around. It sends heavy computer users (especially touch-typers) completely insane, but when they look down at the keyboard they struggle to tell what's wrong. (Without looking down, can you remember which way around they're supposed to be on a Qwerty keyboard?)

 

[DigitalSushi]

So thoughts everyone? Anyone else interested in trying out an alternative layout?

I'd be interested in using DVORAK but I already use QWERTY and AZERTY[footnote]thats the French Keyboard Layout[/footnote] keyboards in this household, it would tax my muscle memory too much to remember 4 different types of layouts and keyboard shortcuts.

Also I'd like to warn you if you thinking of getting a fondleslab tablet PC, I have a BlackBerry Playbook and the only settings on that is QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY

A quick check on Apple discussions states that the hardware version doesn't work, and the APP is difficult to find and wont work with the Email or text based third party apps, making it all but useless.

Android has a hardware keyboard I believe.

So be warned to change muscle memory when using your smartphone or fondleslab tablet PC

I'd like to use them, but until my pocket devices can do them flawlessly I see no point.

 

[RufusMcLaser]

I'm as stuck on QWERTY as the rest of us. It's my understanding that Dvorak has not been shown to have a clear speed benefit, although there may of course be an ergonomic one.