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    What is the worse layout, that is possible?

    • Started by jag50
    • 16 Replies:
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    • Registered: 29-Jul-2007
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    I was wondering, just out of curiosity, what is the worse layout that is possible?

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,350

    Google is your friend:
    http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?tnwclr

    The vowel placements on that one is just delightful.

    Now let's see if SpeedMorph or someone else here can make a worse one!

    Last edited by DreymaR (27-Oct-2008 10:41:42)

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    DreymaR said:

    Google is your friend:
    http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?tnwclr

    The vowel placements on that one is just delightful.

    Now let's see if SpeedMorph or someone else here can make a worse one!

    I actually tried once. I thought it would be as simple as changing a single > to a < on my program*. It turned out to be more complicated, so I gave up after about five minutes of fiddling with it.

    *Because when it removes half the layouts, it removes the worse half with an if statement: "if the score is > (some score), remove the layout". Remember, higher scores are worse.

    I could always try again.

    It seems like since I took a leave of absence, I've suddenly become that guy who makes new keyboards all the time. :)

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    I reversed everything so that whenever something bad happens, instead of adding to the score, it subtracts. So it still tries to get the lowest score possible, but lower scores are worse, not better. So it was as simple as switching a number, I just had to find the right thing to switch.

    My Bad Keyboard

          12% 10%  4% 36%         14%  3%  2% 14%
    
           l   c   m   r   n   o   b   p   k   h 
           ;   ,   x   v   d   .   q   '   j   z 
           a   s   g   i   e   u   f   y   w   t

    Total keys pressed: 13362031

    Overall Score: 101.6
    Distance: 29875563 meters
    Same finger: 13.32%
    Same hand: 31.5%
    Same hand reverse direction: 2.98%
    Jumping over the home row: 14.14%

    Reversing direction on 1 hand: 2.98%
    Changing rows: 4.72%
    Reaching to center column: 10.87%
    Inward rolls: 5.04%
    Outward rolls: 1.31%


    ******
    Compared to QWERTY

    Overall Score: 50.3239174493758
    Distance: 23205684 meters
    Same finger: 3.24%
    Same hand: 24.61%
    Same hand reverse direction: 2.76%
    Jumping over the home row: 2.94%

    Reversing direction on 1 hand: 2.76%
    Changing rows: 10.34%
    Reaching to center column: 5.23%
    Inward rolls: 4.12%
    Outward rolls: 3.74%

    ******
    Compared to Colemak

    Overall Score: 16.4924114455355
    Distance: 9357811 meters
    Same finger: 0.6%
    Same hand: 22.0%
    Same hand reverse direction: 2.1%
    Jumping over the home row: 0.28%

    Reversing direction on 1 hand: 2.1%
    Changing rows: 8.64%
    Reaching to center column: 2.02%
    Inward rolls: 3.83%
    Outward rolls: 3.39%




    You can also systematically create a very bad keyboard. This can be better, because there are certain issues that only occur when they're heavily pronounced, so my program ignores them.

    Start with the worst position on the weaker hand on the weakest finger. Place E there. Then move more common keys on to that finger and hand, starting with the weakest keys and avoiding the home row. Pile as much weight on as few fingers as possible.

    Example:

    r l b y n d , c f h
    p ' ; x k . z q j w
    e s m i a v u g o t

    I made that by placing R and E on the pinky, which is not only stressful, but causes same finger. Then I put T and H on the other hand, which is also stressful and causes same finger. Then I put O and F on one finger, with O in a hard-to-reach position.

    Then I put N, I, and A on one finger because of the very common IN and AN digraphs.

    For the rest, I was basically just placing by letter frequency. This gives you a very frustrating layout which will murder your pinkies.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Fun, fun fun. Make sure you also maximize the lovely ring-pinky-ring antirolls while you're at it! [/joking]

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
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    DreymaR said:

    Fun, fun fun. Make sure you also maximize the lovely ring-pinky-ring antirolls while you're at it! [/joking]

    I have LAS and SAL, but that's about it. Sorry to disappoint you. :(

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    • Registered: 17-Dec-2008
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    Here's a purposely bad layout my algorithm came up with:

    eouai ywj,c
    hmpgd ;qzx/
    tsrln .vkbf

    Hey look!  It's Dvorak's evil twin!  All the vowels are on the top-left row and all the most used consonants are on the bottom-left row; this was apparently done primarily to maximize top/bottom row jumping.  Other highlights include the bulk of typing occurring on the left hand, and the left pinky being responsible for roughly 25% of all typing.  The right pinky gets a fair bit of workout as well.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Nice one. You should also encourage alternative fingering: The middle finger on each hand should rest over the bumps, so the pinkies get a little more exercise. The lazy buggers need to get a real workout if they are to be whipped into shape.

    Then try typing 'themes' 100 times.  ;)

    Crazy idea: Maybe layouts like that one could be used for training your weak fingers? I know that Daniel Chen recommended active motor training of the weak fingers. But people would probably not care much for the hassle of using another layout.

    Last edited by DreymaR (18-Dec-2008 08:44:50)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
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    DreymaR said:

    Nice one. You should also encourage alternative fingering: The middle finger on each hand should rest over the bumps, so the pinkies get a little more exercise. The lazy buggers need to get a real workout if they are to be whipped into shape.

    While you're at it, make the entire keyboard be typed with your left pinky.

    Then try typing 'themes' 100 times.  ;)

    I think I'll pass.

    Crazy idea: Maybe layouts like that one could be used for training your weak fingers? I know that Daniel Chen recommended active motor training of the weak fingers. But people would probably not care much for the hassle of using another layout.

    That sounds like a good idea. It would be difficult, and painful at first, but it could be helpful.

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    DreymaR said:

    Nice one. You should also encourage alternative fingering: The middle finger on each hand should rest over the bumps, so the pinkies get a little more exercise. The lazy buggers need to get a real workout if they are to be whipped into shape.

    Heh!  I hadn't even thought of that.  The evil twin was even eviller than I thought!  :)

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    [quote=The Devil
    ]e   h   g    ¹   w   £   Ħ   k   x   j   q   z   i   o   a                                 
          m   [   {   }  #   -   đ  ×   <  Þ   d   g   f   n                                                 
            s   ħ   €   ª   ¡   º   ¹   ÷   þ   ’   p  b
               t   ”   %   +   *   &   *   `   ^   r

    Useful for training the pinky.  =D
    Needs to remap backspace to "a"

    Last edited by vocket (25-Jan-2009 00:29:39)
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    Heh.  I suppose you could also randomly assign unshifted letters to be upper or lower case, then put the only shift key on Pause/Break.  :P

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    Here is one of the least stressful, but slowest keyboards.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faEbTXXCJro

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    I ran my new algorithm and got this:

    i . , h a  l f w m r
    g ' z x k  b q j ; v
    n s d c t  o u y p e

    ER/RE and IN both look hard, but I think the hardest here is TH. It requires a long-distance movement by a single finger. It's brilliant. Who said computers weren't smart? =P

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    Is has the same period and comma placement as Dvorak!  :o

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
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    I tried typing on it for a little while, and my left index finger was seriously hurting.

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    DreymaR said:

    Google is your friend:
    http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?tnwclr
    The vowel placements on that one is just delightful.

    The link for the worst layout, as determined by carpalx, has changed to

    http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?worst_layout

    TNWMLCBPRH
    SGXJFKQZV;
    EADIOYU,./

    What makes it bad?

    home row usage 13%
    bottom row usage 45%
    hand asymmetry (left-right) 0.51 (left hand is hammered)

    finger frequency
    pinky 34%
    ring 24%
    middle 9%
    index 34%

    same-row runs
    35% of top row key strokes followed by another top row key

    same-finger runs
    18% of keystrokes followed by same finger (compare this with 11% for QWERTY and 7% for Colemak).

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