Anyone use Dvorak?
~Lordbob
I used to, quite a bit. It seemed logical to improve my (mediocre) typing as much as possible if I was going to enjoy all that keyboard time to the max, and the DSK layout has a reputation for being better than QWERTY, everything else being equal.
So I made the effort and grew comfortable with DSK, to the point where I could sort-of touch type, at least as much as I can with QWERTY. The most painful thing, initially, was moving between machines, some of which I did not own/control, so I was finding myself continuously taxed by having to adapt to the keyboard in front of me. Oddly enough, within a few months that was no longer a problem. I found I could switch between DSK and QWERTY without even thinking about it all that much, the way that people who frequently travel learn to drive on both sides of the road without causing crashes most of the time.
Then I experienced something I didn't expect - I started to
favour QWERTY. Even though my WPM count was comparably unimpressive under both layouts (at 3fps, my brain is the limiting factor), DSK's emphasis on the right hand started putting me off. Even though I'm right-handed, I find that I frequently work the mouse with the right while continuing to type just a little with the left (not just "WASD" either
). DSK does not lend itself to that style.