vjustin said:knightjp said:My experience with Colemak is going well. I like the layout and the feel. But since I was using Dvorak, I've got this feeling at the back of my mind that switching to Colemak means a step backwards; ergonomically.
What I mean is, I still have this nagging feeling that Dvorak is the better designed layout; even though the pseudoscience says otherwise.
On one hand anyone could say maybe you're the type of person who gets obsessed about layouts,.... someone has even gone as far as to ask you if you were spamming the forums....
.... But on the other hand,.... the gut feeling when using Colemak... trust your intuition..use your illusion..or keep trying Colemak... your call...
The thing that keeps me on Colemak is the memory of pasting all those texts into that layout site and seeing the result as Colemak. Another thing is the shortcuts. I use a fair bit of Adobe software at work too and keykoard shortcuts tend to make life easier. I mean you pretty much do quite a bit of one handed shortcuts while your hand is on the mouse. So that saying, Colemak seems to be the best bet.
But like I said, I've got this nagging feeling that by choosing Colemak, I'm missing something that will prove important later on. I hope that is not the case. Maybe its the near QWERTY layout. Perhaps something has been wired into my brain, after reading all those Dvorak articles, that QWERTY is the enemy of progress and that anything close to it, isn't a 100% total improvement.
At work they are talking of giving us new computers. If that happens, I know its not going to have Colemak installed, 'cuz Microsoft stupidly doesn't recognize it. I could ask the IT guys ot install it for me. But this needs to be done everytime. With Dvorak, its pre-installed with every single OS out there. So there is no issue. Just select it.
Typing on either one to me comes to just about the same. Shortcuts, is the tricky bit for me. With Colemak, the one handed shortcuts increase, rather than decrease. Ctrl+P for instance doesn't need two hands nor does it need me to take my hand off the mouse, like in QWERTY / Dvorak. Ctrl+T for tab browsing on Safari, Chrome & Firefox is about easier and less of stretch than on QWERTY, and doesn't need the two hands like on Dvorak.
But then again, using keyboard shortcuts, means that you are using both hands are on the keyboard all the time; unless you are a CAD & graphics professional.
If I'm completely honest, Dvorak was designed for typing in english; while reducing all carpal tunnel, RSI, etc & increasing accuracy and productivity. All in all a really great design. Comfortable, those who have never touch-typed before will find learning breeze. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Colemak on the other hand lends itself to better general use and computing. It follows similar, it not the same, rules as Dvorak to make typing in english easier than QWERTY, without sacrificing the other benefits that QWERTY users will enjoy.
Last edited by knightjp (05-Jan-2013 10:47:20)