Marco Peereboom wrote:
dvorak is make belief benefit.
It's debatable whether the Dvorak layout is any faster, but what is not
in doubt is the reduction in key travel.
Not only are the frequently used keys closer together but the keyboard
is also arranged so that alternate hands are used to type subsequent
letters.
The only disadvantages are if you're left handed (in the standard layout
more emphasis is placed on the right hand), and that even official
Dvorak keyboards and layouts within operating systems do not use
Dvorak's original number layout.
I started with software remapping of a standard keyboard and now use a
hard wired 'Dvorak UK' buckling spring keyboard from Unicomp. It's a
lovely piece of kit, albeit lighter than the IBM Model M and not exactly
cheap on shipping. I can't say whether the Dvorak number layout is an
improvement because I never bothered learning that part (neither can I
properly touchtype on the number pad on QWERTY), but the standard
keyboard layout is lovely to use and feels much better in operation,
never mind the likely reduction in RSI.
It's a bit of a pain in the arse in vi or Wordstar/joe, though..
PK
