Hey Steve:
For me as a programmer, I find it beneficial to have my hands centered on the keyboard. It makes the numbers easier to reach.
I find that N is close and easy. I find the biggest challenge in stretching down to C and X, but these are not tremendously common letters.
The nastiest bigram is likely E-S. One way to deal with this is to use alternate fingering for that bigram. I'm considering training myself to use my pinky on the S whenever the E-S bigram shows up. For now, my comfort is good enough.
]]>Also, if you were also willing to do an N-J swap, and maybe a T-F swap for good measure, you'd have a very good home row with only 4 changes.
]]>Fixing the wrist angle problem is a great benefit.
Also: Kudos for good thinking, again! :-)
]]>I developed this technique because it is not practical to setup every computer I use for Colemak. I work on several different computers each day, including multiple virtual machines. I also do a lot of work in the terminal on under-powered embedded devices. I don't want to haul around a special keyboard with me. I want to rock it out on whatever keyboard is available. This technique makes those keyboards more comfortable.
]]>The home row consists of the keys A E R F J I O ; (thus the name Aerf Jio). The right hand fingers have different home positions while maintaining the same duties as for standard touch typing. The big change is with the left hand, which is angled to substantially reduce wrist strain. See the diagram below:
q w /(e)/(r)/ t \ y u \(i)\(o)\ p
(a)/ s / d /(f) g \ h (j)\ k \ l \(;)
shift / z / x / c v b \ n m \ , \ . \ /
/ and \ show the separations between fingers
() shows the home finger locations
Angling the left hand makes typing much more comfortable at the expense of a more finger travel in a comfortable direction. The home row finger positions are more comfortable than the standard home row. In addition, these fingers are over more commonly used keys, further reducing finger motion.
I have been using this typing method for a year and a half and it feels fantastic compared to the standard method of typing Qwerty. It works especially well on laptops and compact keyboards.
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