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    Introducing the ErnestGP (Vjustinak) Layout

    • Started by vjustin
    • 5 Replies:
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    • Registered: 16-Dec-2012
    • Posts: 75

    Edit: The layout turned out to be not good, some words are very uncomfortable to type, for example: "you". therefore this layout is inferior to Colemak, don't use it

    Edit: I am sorry people. It was a mistake saying that version was to be the final. That was silly.
    This is version 1.2 and hopefully the last:

    l    h    d    w    b    k    y    u    m    ;
    r    n    s    t    g    p    e    a    i    o
    z    x    c    v    q    j    f    ,    .    /

    Edit: The Final version of Vjustinak is this:
    Edit: version 1.1, don't use:

    h    l    d    w    b    k    y    m    u    ;
    r    n    s    t    g    p    e    i    a    o
    z    x    c    v    q    j    f    ,    .    /

    It fixes having A and E adjacent in inverse horizontal order to qwerty and R and S adjacent in inverse horizontal order to qwerty (see my post: https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php … 100#p11100  ) which IMO, and in my case, is a cause of typing mistakes.

    (If I ever create other layouts they won't be called Vjustinak, they will have their own name)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Edit: Added some stuff I had forgotten to write:
    Edit: I'd forgotten to mention that it's thanks to Loonster's post that I could figure out how to make the layout.

    Edit: The following version is deprecated (use the final version instead): 

    h    l    d    w    b    k    y    u    m    
    n    r    s    t    g    p    e    a    i    o
    z    x    c    v    q    j    f 

    Design principles:

    1. reduce the use of the two central keys of the home row:       
    vs. Colemak:  success (p instead of h)
    vs. Qwerty: success

    2. increase hand alternation:
    vs   Colemak: success
    vs. Qwerty: success
                                                     
    3. reduce same finger usage
    vs   Colemak: failure
    vs. Qwerty: success

    4. Keep zxcv and non-alphabet characters on the Colemak positions.
    success.

    5. Ignore factors such as: inside rolls, outside rolls, weaker fingers, combos, trigraphs, distance,...:
    success.

    Edit:6. I scored the positions on the keyboard this way, the smaller the number the better,:

    2  2  2  5   6   6    5  2  2  ;  
    1  1  1  1   3   3    1  1  1  1
    z  x  c  v   7   7    4  ;  ;  ; 


    - It's handcrafted. I only used a spreadsheet.
    - bigrams list from http://norvig.com/ngrams/ (count_2l.txt)
    - I didn't intend to keep RSTGIOU in the colemak positions, it just happened.

    Edit:

    Using this page as text: https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?id=324&p=1

    Finger Travel Distance       
           
    (andong)       
    Qwerty            1297   
    Dvorak            789   
    Workman            726   
    Colemak            706   
    ALLENAK 0.9 "Light"    699   
    Vjustinak        680   
           
    (patorjk)       
    QWERTY            1539.3   
    Simplified Dvorak    998.3   
    Allenak 9 light        951.3   
    Colemak            931.1   
    Justinak        927.1           
    -------------------------------------------------       
    Same finger use:       
           
    (andong)       
    % Keys typed with the same finger as the previous key       
    Qwerty            4.20%   
    ALLENAK 0.9 "Light"    3.80%   
    Vjustinak        2.80%   
    Workman            2.60%   
    Dvorak            2.30%   
    Colemak            2.00%   
           
    (patorjk)       
           
    QWERTY            4.30%   
    Allenak 9 light        3.80%   
    Justinak        2.80%   
    Simplified Dvorak    2.40%   
    Colemak            2.10%           
    -------------------------------
    Consecutive Hand Use       
           
    (andong)       
    ALLENAK 0.9 "Light"    33.40%   
    Qwerty            29.80%   
    Workman            29.00%   
    Colemak            27.10%   
    Vjustinak        24.80%   
    Dvorak            21.70%   
           
           
    (patorjk)       
    Allenak 9 light        31.40%   
    QWERTY            27.90%   
    Colemak            25.10%   
    Justinak        22.80%   
    Simplified Dvorak    19.80%           
    --------------------------------       
    Row Jumping with the same hand:       
           
    (andong)       
    Qwerty            8.60%   
    Workman            2.40%   
    Vjustinak        2.40%   
    Colemak            1.80%   
    Dvorak            1.60%   
    ALLENAK 0.9 "Light"    1.60%           
    -------------------------------
    Outward Rolls:       
           
    (andong)       
    Workman            15.60%   
    Colemak            14.20%   
    ALLENAK 0.9 "Light"    14.00%   
    Qwerty            13.90%   
    Vjustinak        12.60%   
    Dvorak            8.90%

    Last edited by vjustin (06-Jan-2013 00:31:48)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    Your scoring looks nice. Maybe I'd use 2 for the pinky home keys too.

    For me the most important single measure is probably same-finger, and I've heard others think the same way.

    You move a lot of keys around - maybe you should consider keeping a few more in place?

    Last edited by DreymaR (03-Jan-2013 10:15:27)

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    • From: Sofia, Bulgaria
    • Registered: 05-Mar-2011
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    I agree with your effort scale. Mine would probably look similar. Maybe slightly lesser number for the index finger top row (P and L on Colemak).

    What do you think about considering same hand row jumping? Otherwise I agree with your design principles.

    Have you done any testing? When I was designing a layout for my mother language, I noticed that some layouts, which were performing well on paper, were not very comfortable when using.

    And just one more thought: using your pinkies as much as the other fingers is not a problem but using them more can make the layout feel bad. Maybe you should consider finger balance just as much so it's not too biased to the pinkies? I haven't checked the stats, so the layout could be fine in that respect.

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    • Registered: 16-Dec-2012
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    A main motivation for creating it is trying to reduce a little the use of the two central columns and the use of 'R' and 'U' qwerty locations ( for people having difficulty reaching P and L in Colemak and people wanting to reduce the infamous lateral movement of HE EH in Colemak)

    The layout has some defects: same finger, row jumping,'A' and 'E' in inverse horizontal order to qwerty (https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php … 100#p11100)....

    The stats for finger usage:

    (patorjk) (same input text)
                    Left Pinky   Left Ring    Left Middle   Left Index   Right Index    Right Middle    Right Ring    Right Pinky
    QWERTY  8.6%            6.3%          13.0%       17.3%          13.9%         6.8%             9.7%        8.0%   
    Dvorak      9.5%            7.1%          9.6%        11.8%          12.3%         11.3%        9.7%       12.4%   
    Colemak    8.6%          6.2%      8.2%        15.3%          13.9%         11.1%            7.9%       12.4%   
    Capewell    9.1%         10.4%     8.1%        11.5%          13.7%         10.6%            7.8%       12.4%   
    Justinak    10.5%         7.5%      9.1%        13.2%          14.4%         8.5%                8.2%       12.2%


    I am switching to it to test it for a while. I will try to improve it with a program I would write.

    Also I have other effort scoring models I want to try:

    for people having difficulty reaching P and L in Colemak and people wanting to reduce the infamous lateral movement - 
    of HE EH in Colemak
    
    the smaller the number the better:
    
    Vjustinak: 
     trying to reduce a bit the use of the two central columns and the use of R and U qwerty locations:
    2  2  2  5   6   6    5  2  2  ;  
    1  1  1  1   3   3    1  1  1  1
    z  x  c  v   7   7    4  ,  .  / 
    
     trying to reduce a bit the use of the two central columns and avoiding the freezing of the hands on the home row,-
     by having 'em moving each all over the top and home rows of their half of the keyboard:
    1  1  1  1   4   4    1  1  1  ;  
    1  1  1  1   2   2    1  1  1  1
    z  x  c  v   5   5    3  ,  .  /
    
    Just avoiding the freezing of the hands on the home row, by having 'em moving all over the top and home rows of the keyboard:
    1  1  1  1   1   1    1  1  1  ;  
    1  1  1  1   1   1    1  1  1  1
    z  x  c  v   3   3    2  ,  .  /
    Last edited by vjustin (03-Jan-2013 22:43:50)
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    Edit:This is the final version of Vjustinak:
    Alternative version:  1.1
    Edit: it is just version 1.1 (use version 1.2 instead)

    h    l    d    w    b    k    y    m    u    ;
    r    n    s    t    g    p    e    i    a    o
    z    x    c    v    q    j    f    ,    .    /

    Swapped R and N, M and U, and I and A to avoid having A and E adjacent in inverse horizontal order to qwerty and R and S adjacent in inverse horizontal order to qwerty (see my post: https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php … 100#p11100  ) which IMO, and in my case, is cause of typing mistakes.

    Last edited by vjustin (05-Jan-2013 21:57:00)
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    Oh, I thought I had indirectly answered (it's a bad habit I have and need to change) the questions asked, but I realize I didn't . So I'll answer them directly, even if I am incurring on the sin of  triple posting.

    DreymaR said:

    Your scoring looks nice. Maybe I'd use 2 for the pinky home keys too.

    Thanks, I wouldn't use 2 for the pinky home keys because I don't have first hand experience with pinky ache (no pun intended) but maybe it would be a good idea to prevent injuries to the pinkies, maybe for a future layout.

    DreymaR said:

    For me the most important single measure is probably same-finger, and I've heard others think the same way.

    Yes I think so too. But I also value hand alternation (I totally buy into Dvorak's ideas)

    DreymaR said:

    You move a lot of keys around - maybe you should consider keeping a few more in place?

    Yes, this layout is final and l can't change it, but it is a good idea I'll use for future layouts.


    pafkata90 said:

    I agree with your effort scale. Mine would probably look similar. Maybe slightly lesser number for the index finger top row (P and L on Colemak).

    True, it's another possibility.

    pafkata90 said:

    What do you think about considering same hand row jumping? Otherwise I agree with your design principles.

    l did not consider it, I'll try to consider it for future layout designs too.

    pafkata90 said:

    Have you done any testing? When I was designing a layout for my mother language, I noticed that some layouts, which were performing well on paper, were not very comfortable when using.

    Totally agree, has already happened to me. So the sensible thing for me to do is to first switch to it myself completely until I find problems with it.

    pafkata90 said:

    And just one more thought: using your pinkies as much as the other fingers is not a problem but using them more can make the layout feel bad. Maybe you should consider finger balance just as much so it's not too biased to the pinkies? I haven't checked the stats, so the layout could be fine in that respect.

    Yes, looking at the stats I posted above it doesn't look too good, but neither too bad.

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