Re: [NTLK] clie (OT)

From: Jon Glass (jonglass_at_usa.net)
Date: Thu Oct 24 2002 - 09:52:44 EDT


on 10/23/02 9:38 PM, Keith E. McComb at kinsfire_at_kinsfire.net wrote:

> Oddly enough, the reason they are laid out such that they won't jam is because
> ... wait for it ... it slows down the typist!

Have you ever seen or used an ancient typewriter? If you try to type two
letters that are right next to each other at the same time, or nearly the
same time, they will stick together right near the paper. You can type two
letters that are on opposite sides of the keyboard, however, and they will
not jam, because direction of travel is so different, that the only place
they can jam is right at their apex, at the platen. The purpose was not to
slow down the typist, but to prevent the jamming.

I _have_ seen studies, where different key layouts do not dramatically speed
up or slow down a typist. Once a typist gets used to a certain layout, their
speed pretty much levels off. I had a college friend who typed well over 90
wpm. I rated him at 90 wpm, based upon a paper he typed for me. It was
several pages long. I gave it to him; he started typing, and when he
finished, I compared the two times, and counted the number of words in the
document. My figure of 90+ wpm included time to change paper, and correct
errors. This kid could fly! He was not using Dvorak, but Qwerty. For the
record, I have learned Polish and the Polish keyboard layout (on the Mac)
which is QWERTZ, instead of QWERTY. There are also accented characters,
which require holding down two keys or typing keys that are not in the
QWERTY arrangement. After typing a few days, I did some rating of myself,
and discovered that I now type as fast in Polish as I do in English. I never
expected that, because I always felt (can't trust your feelings, can you)
that I would be slower in Polish, because I'm not that proficient in the
language, and because of the extra keys one has to strike, and the unusual
arrangement of the main keys. I was wrong.

None of this means that there isn't a "magical" keyboard layout that is
appreciably more efficient than all the rest, but that keyboard layout is
not that important, once one learns where the keys are. They real key, in my
opinion, is to spread your letters across both hands, and to put the most
frequently-used characters where your most powerful fingers are. But even in
this case, this is only going to benefit the most adept of us. The average
touch-typist, who types less than 50 wpm is not going to see much of an
improvement. Only the most adept will really improve. (That would be like me
using a Big Bertha driver. In my hands, a Big Bertha is no better than a $5
club from the local Goodwill Store.) :-)

-- 
-Jon Glass
Krakow, Poland
<mailto:jonglass_at_usa.net>
<mailto:glasshaus5_at_aol.com>
"[The] law established by the Creator, which has existed from the beginning,
extends over the whole globe, is everywhere and at all times binding upon
mankind. . . . and is paramount to all human control." --Rufus King, signer
of the Constitution

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