Dvorak How I ditched QWERTY
The Dvorak Keyboard or, how I learned to ditch QWERTY and type easier
1
Contents •Comparison between QWERTY and Dvorak.
•Why I wanted to use Dvorak. •How I taught myself to type again.
•Pros and cons. 2
Comparison
3
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
4
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
£ 3
W
A ~ `
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
Left Hand
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
Right Hand 5
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
“TYPEWRITER” ON THE TOP ROW 6
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
7
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
8
Dvorak
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
9
Dvorak
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
10
Dvorak
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
11
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Vowels all together (alternate hands). • 70% of words written from the home row. (30% for QWERTY).
• Commoner letters closer to the centre. • Inward rotation of the hands. • Punctuation pushed to the outside. 12
Why? • Dvorak is said to be more efficient that QWERTY. • I’m a geek. Efficiency is my Omega Particle. • I sometimes felt tension in my wrists and forearms.
• I’ve been touch typing since the early ‘80s but not getting any faster.
• I work for myself – A unique opportunity to retool.
• It’s hip and cool!
13
Learning
14
Setup • I didn’t change the physical keys. • I turned off keyboard backlighting. • I turned on the keyboard viewer. • I went all out with the DV setting rather than the DQ.
15
Initial steps • I did drills. Lots of drills. • Started with the home row. • Moved to the top and then the bottom row.
• learned the numbers and symbols.
16
Advanced steps • I had to slow down to speed up. • Di- and tri-graphs need to be relearned.
• Accuracy more important than speed. • I had to stick with Dvorak.
17
Growing Pains • It feels like losing a sense. • Cut off from IM and Twitter. • Forget about email. • Like using Regular Expressions – now I had two problems.
18
Tips • Slow down. Accuracy first and the speed will come.
• Dont. Look. At. The. Keyboard. • Have a rest after intensive practice. • Teach the lizard the layout, don’t try to remember it yourself.
• Use the OS support for secure entry fields. 19
Pros & Cons
20
Pros • Typing is easier, if not faster, but I am
improving (50-60 wpm in copy tests).
• But, typing out of my head is faster, especially in bursts.
• No more pains! (Anecdotal evidence – YMMV).
21
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Forget about typing with one hand.
22
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Have to relearn the ⌘/⌤ combinations (or use the DQ layout rather than DV).
23
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Not as efficient for other languages as for English.
24
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C
R
T M
) 0
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• If you frequently have to use other machines it can be difficult.
• Screensharing can be fun! 25
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
F
I K
& 7
D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Depending on what you use – coding can be difficult.
• There are swings and roundabouts. 26
Thank You! ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
DVZine.org 27
1
Contents •Comparison between QWERTY and Dvorak.
•Why I wanted to use Dvorak. •How I taught myself to type again.
•Pros and cons. 2
Comparison
3
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
4
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
£ 3
W
A ~ `
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
Left Hand
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
Right Hand 5
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
“TYPEWRITER” ON THE TOP ROW 6
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
7
QWERTY
! 1
@ 2
Q
W
A ~ `
£ 3
S Z
$ 4
E
R
D X
% 5
T
F C
^ 6
G V
& 7
Y
U
H B
* 8
J N
( 9
I
O
K M
) 0
+ = { [
P : ;
L < ,
_ -
> .
} ] “ ‘
| \
? /
8
Dvorak
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
9
Dvorak
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
10
Dvorak
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
11
! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Vowels all together (alternate hands). • 70% of words written from the home row. (30% for QWERTY).
• Commoner letters closer to the centre. • Inward rotation of the hands. • Punctuation pushed to the outside. 12
Why? • Dvorak is said to be more efficient that QWERTY. • I’m a geek. Efficiency is my Omega Particle. • I sometimes felt tension in my wrists and forearms.
• I’ve been touch typing since the early ‘80s but not getting any faster.
• I work for myself – A unique opportunity to retool.
• It’s hip and cool!
13
Learning
14
Setup • I didn’t change the physical keys. • I turned off keyboard backlighting. • I turned on the keyboard viewer. • I went all out with the DV setting rather than the DQ.
15
Initial steps • I did drills. Lots of drills. • Started with the home row. • Moved to the top and then the bottom row.
• learned the numbers and symbols.
16
Advanced steps • I had to slow down to speed up. • Di- and tri-graphs need to be relearned.
• Accuracy more important than speed. • I had to stick with Dvorak.
17
Growing Pains • It feels like losing a sense. • Cut off from IM and Twitter. • Forget about email. • Like using Regular Expressions – now I had two problems.
18
Tips • Slow down. Accuracy first and the speed will come.
• Dont. Look. At. The. Keyboard. • Have a rest after intensive practice. • Teach the lizard the layout, don’t try to remember it yourself.
• Use the OS support for secure entry fields. 19
Pros & Cons
20
Pros • Typing is easier, if not faster, but I am
improving (50-60 wpm in copy tests).
• But, typing out of my head is faster, especially in bursts.
• No more pains! (Anecdotal evidence – YMMV).
21
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Forget about typing with one hand.
22
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Have to relearn the ⌘/⌤ combinations (or use the DQ layout rather than DV).
23
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Not as efficient for other languages as for English.
24
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C
R
T M
) 0
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• If you frequently have to use other machines it can be difficult.
• Screensharing can be fun! 25
Cons ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
F
I K
& 7
D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
• Depending on what you use – coding can be difficult.
• There are swings and roundabouts. 26
Thank You! ! 1
@ 2 “ ‘
< ,
A ~ `
£ 3
$ 4 > .
O : ;
P E
Q
% 5
Y
U J
^ 6
I K
& 7
F D X
* 8
G H B
( 9
C T M
) 0
R
L
N W
{ [
} ] ? / _ -
S V
+ = | \
Z
DVZine.org 27
