Dvorak's keyboard and QWERTY

The purpose of all existing keyboard layouts is to increase the speed and convenience of printing machine text. In this vein, Dvorak's layout was created, which we will discuss later.

Colemak layout, Dvorak keyboard and QWERTY

Briefly describe the three most popular layouts for today's keyboards:

• QWERTY. This is the layout known to most users, the name of which came from six of its first alphabetic Latin characters (similarly, some Russian users nicknamed it "YTSUKEN"). It was developed back in 1870 by Christopher Scholes, was used on his first commercial typewriter. The goal was to arrange the letters of frequently repeated syllables as far as possible from each other, which should prevent "sticking" of the buttons. It is widely believed that this principle significantly slows down the press today, since the "sticking" of buttons on modern keyboards is no longer relevant. However, it was for QWERTY that the "blind" printing method was invented back in 1888 , which is still relevant, as well as the layout itself, which most users prefer.

• Dvorak's keyboard is a layout that was patented in 1936 by Austrian scientists August Dvorak and William Dilli. It was created as an alternative to the usual "YTSUKEN". Its main advantage was the convenience for the typing text. Despite the fact that it is included in the standard layout of devices Mac, Windows, Linux, it enjoys a very small percentage of device owners.
• The Colemak layout. This is the "youngest" invention, which was patented in 2006 by S. Coleman. Its name is COLEMAN + Dvorak. It is not difficult to guess that some of the ergonomic solutions were borrowed from Dvorak. Its creator draws attention to the main advantages of his brainchild: because often the alternation of hands is used, and little fingers are not used, this layout is considered the fastest of all existing; Unlike Dvorak's keyboard, there are some similarities with QWERTY, which allows you to quickly master Colemak; Up to important combinations of keys-commands it is convenient to reach with one hand.

Principles of Dvorak's layout

The invention of the Austrian professor's main goal was to eliminate the fatigue of the hands from a long typing. The scientist, creating it, for a long time studied the physiology of the hands and the frequency of printing of certain letters. Therefore, the keyboard of Doraq is based on the following important principles:

• Frequent alternation of hands for typing, which significantly speeds up the writing speed;
• The most frequently used letters (70%) should be easiest to type, so the professor fixed them in the main row of the layout;
• Rarely used symbols (30%) were moved to the upper (15%) and lower (15%) rows;
• The load was shifted to the right, because Most users are right-handed;
• For a set of digraphs (a compound written sign of two symbols), it is more convenient to use keys that are far apart from each other.

By the way, the world record of high-speed printing was established in 1985 on the simplified layout of Dvorak. Barbara Blackburn for 50 minutes typed on her text with an average speed of 150 characters per minute (in some moments, the woman "accelerated" to 212 characters).

Special versions of Dvorak's keyboard

In addition to the standard version, Dvorak also invented versions of the layout for printing with one hand - left or right. This is very convenient for those who with one hand type text, and the other works with a mouse, for example, for graphic editors. The Dvorak keyboard is less popular - "Palette".

Option for programmers

There is also a separate version for programmers who write code in Java, Pascal, HTML, etc. It was invented by R. Kaufman. Here the letters are located in the same places as on the usual layout of Dvorak, but the special characters are moved:

• A large number of service marks "left" in the upper row;
• The numbers are not in ascending order;
• On the buttons "number / symbol" the first value appears when you press Shift, and not vice versa.

Dvorak's layout for other languages

When adapting the layout for other languages, some problems are identified. For example, the Dvorak Russian keyboard (the photo you will see below), like the variants for other alphabets, contains the same placement of Latin letters as in the standard English version. But this is not entirely convenient.

For today there are the following popular versions of the keyboard of the Austrian scientist:

• Svorak, Svdvorak (Swedish);
• Norsk Dvorak (Norwegian);
• Finnish;
• BRDK (Brazilian);
• German Type II (German);
• Spanish;
• French;
• Dvorak's Russian keyboard is a variant of DICTOR, which was not widely used (developer's site is closed).

Since the layout of Dvorak is among the standard for most operating systems, Russian users can always change the QWERTY to it.

How to move from QWERY to Dvoraka

Switch to this more ergonomic layout in the system settings of your device by going to "Language and Text", "Language, Language Settings". In the "Input Method" or "Input Source", select ANSI Dvorak. The next step is to buy special stickers of this layout, which can be pasted over the QWERTY buttons. Another option is the Dvorak keyboard in Russian, which can be ordered in many online stores.

However, many practices of rapid printing advise not to modify the familiar "YTsUKEN", but learn how to print it blindly, despite your fingers. This method will help you when working on other PCs, where it is possible to switch layouts only in the system, and not to change the keys of the keyboard.

Tips for mastering the keyboard Dvorak

In order to quickly move from QWERTY to a new option, take into account the following recommendations:

• Use special programs, online simulators - on the web you can find many free versions. Be sure to spend every day for yourself a personal competition for the speed of printing, fix each result.
• As practice shows, many followers of Dvorak at the first stage experience difficulties with the set of passwords. Therefore, it is better to change the ciphers to digital ones, and also to introduce Latin "A" and "M" in them - in the new layout these symbols are located in the same places as in the old one.
• Some keyboards do not have to be replaced with special ones for the Dvorak version or they can buy stickers for them. If your input device allows this, you can simply rearrange the keys from the QWERTY order to the new format.
• A loving combination of hot keys awaits an additional difficulty - to get used to the new arrangement of favorite buttons.
• If you write codes, or for your activity you need frequent use of special symbols, then you should first of all learn how to get used to their new location.
• It is not recommended to use different layouts on different devices - it will be difficult for you to reorganize, and the speed of printing will decrease in both cases: both on the keyboard of Doraq and on "YTSUKEN".
• For a new layout of keys to be remembered more quickly, print out the picture with the layout of the Austrian inventor, attach it to a prominent place. You can also make it the background of the desktop - the main thing is that it "become familiar".
• Do not give up what you started. Perhaps the initial printing speed will disappoint you, and you again want to go back to QWERTY. Such a difficult phase of re-building a habit is simply inevitable. Help to overcome it will help only daily practice, but within reasonable limits.

Note!

When switching to a new layout, take into account the following important points:

• When you log in to your Windows account when you turn on the computer, the password is entered only on the QWERTY layout. And after you log in, Dvorak's keyboard takes over. Therefore, in order to bring the PC out of sleep mode, it is necessary to dial the PIN-code, focusing on a new layout, and not on "YTSUKEN".
• Many practitioners advise not to exceed the bar in 30 minutes for classes-adaptations to the layout of Dvorak, otherwise you can achieve exactly the opposite effect - a noticeable reduction in printing speed.
• If you constantly work on several PCs or share your computer with other users, then the application of the new option will be extremely problematic - it's better to stay on the old QWERTY.
• Dvorak's keyboard helps reduce fatigue when printing, but does not eliminate the problems that can arise in those whose work involves typing large amounts of text - for example, from carpal tunnel syndrome.
• In many, switching to a new layout is accompanied by pain in the muscles of the hands, as they initially give a new unusual load to the muscles. But over time, this phenomenon goes by itself, when the user has already adapted.
• As practice shows, switching to a new layout can negatively affect the operation of some office equipment. For example, a bar code scanner may start to "be capricious."

Dvorak's keyboard on "Android": MultiLing Keyboard

This add-on keyboard supports many languages, including Russian. In addition to the layout of Dvorak, you can also activate T9, phonetic Cyrillic, Neo, Azerty, Qwertz. You can also enable auto-correction, prompts for the correct words.

The Dvorak keyboard Android-version also allows:

• Change the skin of the buttons;
• Height and width of the touch keys;
• Apply split-mode.

Google-keyboard for "Android"

In addition to the standard layout for the smartphone, you can activate the mode Dvorak, Colemak, as well as the layout of the PC. Both the usual character input method and "svayp" are available.

Among the interesting additional options are:

• Intuitive auto-correction;
• Free installation;
• Possibility of choosing a topic;
• A wealth of choice of text input languages.

Minuum version for Android

The keyboard quickly switches between the standard and mini-format, occupying a narrow strip at the bottom of the screen. Very convenient here is a set of "svayp", available in both formats. Figures and symbols are typed with a gesture "finger up". Space is put here automatically, emoji, of course, are present.

With the Russian input language, in addition to the layout of Dvorak, there are 5 more options available. The keyboard, according to users' reviews, is also remarkable for its amazingly accurate autocorrection, the choice of one of several themes and the inclusion of an additional panel for copying-pasting and text search. One minus - the free version is only available one month.

Also includes the Dvorak keyboard "Android" -addings:

• Multiling;
• NextApp;
• SwiftKey.

The invention of Dvorak, therefore, has both an impressive number of pluses and minuses. The latter, as a rule, are associated with its low popularity among users. If the "Android" devices can switch to a new keyboard only by downloading a special add-on, then on the PC and laptops adapting to the new layout occurs at times more difficult.