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I feel like an idiot. I always thought the Dvorak keyboard was a product of *John* Dvorak. Hence, I've always rejected it outright.
Freakonomics Blog » QWERTY vs. Dvorak
Seeded on Wed May 30, 2007 11:19 AM EDT
Article Source: freakonomics.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (14)
I am a bit ashamed to say that I never took a typing/keyboarding class.
- 3 votes
#1 - Wed May 30, 2007 12:16 PM EDTI too have never taken a typing class. But I did use typing programs to teach myself, so I can type at about 40 wpm.
I'd LOVE to use Dvorak. But most people don't use Dvorak. So I don't want to lose my knowledge of QWERTY. And by using Dvorak, I'll probably lose QWERTY. I DON'T want that to happen.
- 3 votes
#2 - Wed May 30, 2007 1:21 PM EDT
I don't remember who posted it before but after that article I switched to Dvorak, just to try it out. I stuck with it and now I've almost completely unlearned QWERTY.
I'm not sure how much faster I can actually type with Dvorak, I have yet to take a test (plus I still randomly reach for QWERTY letters). I can tell you that I have to move my fingers less often that I needed to before. I like it, I'm not going back.
- 5 votes
#3 - Wed May 30, 2007 4:46 PM EDTI feel like an idiot. I always thought the Dvorak keyboard was a product of *John* Dvorak. Hence, I've always rejected it outright.
Idiot is right. John C. Dvorak couldn't invent a keyboard if his life depended on it. The only thing he's really any good at is griping about things before flip-flopping and then adopting them as if he invented them. Case in point: blogging.
*grinning*
- 5 votes
#4 - Wed May 30, 2007 11:13 PM EDTNot only did I take a typing class but I led a rebellion of sorts. I think I wrote a piece about it here. In short I figured out that if I put on a walkman playing punk songs I could type super fast - and accurate too. Other students followed suit.
Soon we all were typing faster but the teacher seemed a bit chagrined that nobody was listening to anything he was saying.
- 3 votes
#5 - Thu May 31, 2007 11:09 PM EDTScott that's funny and so different from years ago when an eight track tape was cutting edge. One semester of typing was mandatory when we were in school and we did it with the old Underwoods and proper use of correction fluid was included. One type over per piece was allowed and my final grade was a pass for producing error free copy at an 11 wpm rate. I've managed to hold steady there and do it with far fewer fingers, reduced to almost at half. Now there's efficiency on any keyboard.
- 2 votes
#6 - Fri Jun 1, 2007 9:42 AM EDTThanks,Pamela.
I can type 80 plus wpm but my style is type fast the go back and fix the typos.
Which works well usually.
But one day - and I rue this day - after five years of trying to get onto the daily paper I grew up reading, and three years of working for weekly newspapers it owned... I finally was invited for an interview.
But first I just needed to pass a basic typing test.
Just one problem: It was a typewriter without a correction key.
So for each mistake they took off 5 wpm.
So I probably typed 75 wpm but after 10 errors that made me - 25 wpm.
No interview, no job, nada.
Damn typewriter.
- 3 votes
I learned on the old Underwoods and Royals, too. No correction key, no correction tape, nada,... and yes, it was -5wpm for every error. Fastest I ever scored back in high school was 55wpm on a manual typewriter. I can type probably somewhere between 80-90wpm now (not including errors but those are easy to back up and correct now), and today's keyboards make things a lot quicker.
- 3 votes
I tell myself I'd like to use Dyvork, but it's never gona happen.
- 2 votes
#7 - Fri Jun 1, 2007 1:53 PM EDTWell, since you spelled it wrong maybe that's a good thing. wouldn't want you to adopt a system you can't spell:)
- 2 votes
Actually, I didn't spell it wrong, that's nothing close to Dvorak, but for some reason I learned to call it Dyvork.
- 3 votes
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