dark-side said:Just a question at the risk of sounding stupid: is there an alternative layout superior to colemak in utilization of homerow and frequently used keys?
Colemak is concidered as the fastest layout. It's your turn to invent the superior one.
Already done. carpalx' QGMLWY. ^_^
]]>Um... what exactly is the modern alternative for text entry? Dasher? 8-pen? Swype? Dictation? Steno? ...
I was merely suggesting that there must be something better and easier to use than the existing crude rectangular arrays of switches.
]]>Basically, it means that no matter how much I like it I will always suck at Tekken I guess... ;)
My proclivities are to deliberation rather than to twitch reactions.
Finally get this. I thought you meant deliberate as in sudden!
]]>If you are a home row (or more precisely, home position) fanatic and in addition type exclusively in English then you may notice that not everything is completely optimal for you in Colemak. The H is relatively common and could've been moved in to the home position, and the A may be considered too common for the left pinky. But considering the most frequent letters in English are (more or less) ETAOIN SHRDLU, they have all gotten decent placements in this layout. And considering all the other factors you should consider, I'd say it's hard to beat Colemak for a balanced approach. Not impossible, but hard. Many have tried and are hardly heard of anymore.
All in all, there's probably always a layout or ten that's better for you since your preferences and needs will vary from others'. But it may be hard to find and probably isn't invented yet. So you could use an algorithm to try and find it? But I don't trust those algoritms because their underlying models are oversimplified and sometimes dead wrong because the assumptions of their makers are wrong. So the only good test would be to make a layout and use it for a long time and then wash rinse repeat - and that's not easy to do! Some have done it but there's always the question of what's a long enough trial period and how biased you are based on your prior knowledge and preferences etc etc. And in the end you'll end up with a layout that's best for you, but not necessarily for many others. Fun, huh? ;)
Colemak. It's damn good. It fits lots of people's needs. It doesn't require that you carry around your own keyboard. It's got good support and several technical solutions supplied by its user mass. And it's there already.
]]>Now backtracking a bit:
Would different layouts even be allowed competitively under some kind of draconian fast typing sports governance?
Read on the wikipedia site recently that "Some standardized exams will not allow test takers to use the Dvorak layout (e.g. Graduate Record Examination)". I'm assuming that they mean non-qwerty layouts. So, if you plan to save time and money by testing out of your classes (in the US), stick with qwerty.
the keyboard is such an archaic odd instrument it has practically no allure whatsoever for me - but each to their own...
Um... what exactly is the modern alternative for text entry? Dasher? 8-pen? Swype? Dictation? Steno? ...
]]>See this topic by me for a walkthrough of the cool things I've been able to do with PKL to customize my Windows typing with full portability!
]]>I put it on my USB or google "colemak.exe" to download it to other's computer, then remove it when I leave.
Default icon is H icon = Colemak. Right click - suspend script - S icon = Qwerty.
For Linux, Colemak is an option, so you can toggle between Colemak/Qwerty easily.
]]>And with that inner peace, you will type with less errors and your speed will certainly increase at its own pace. You don't have to try so hard.
]]>That's my firm impression at least.
]]>That's the competitive spirit! Stoked up by the olympics by any chance or watching Ron 'Typewriter' Mingo?
Well fast typing is a niche sport, so I'd say you've got a good chance at a moment of glory.
Would different layouts even be allowed competitively under some kind of draconian fast typing sports governance?
The question of will XYZ layout improve my speed comes up time and time again, have a search of the forum. I'd be inclined to agree with Dreymar's initial response.
I don't really get the obsession around ultra-fast typing speed (I dream of effortlessness), the keyboard is such an archaic odd instrument it has practically no allure whatsoever for me - but each to their own...
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