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    A programmer switching to Colemak.

    • Started by ksm123
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    • Registered: 09-Apr-2013
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    Lets start my tale of switching to Colemak.

    I started as a QWERTY touch-typist. My technique was book learned, the only peculiarity is using left thumb to press space (right thumb goes to AltGr, needed for Polish diacritics). I was quite slow typist, 60WPM average on typeracer, 78WPM record. I've learned to touch type on C-64 eighteen years ago.
    I'm also dyslectic and my hand to eye coordination is below average.
    Since last summer I am a keyboard enthusiast, there is Noppoo Choc Mini (mechanical, soft tactile, compact keyboard) under my fingers right now, and I've ordered an ErgoDox a few days ago.

    I started my switch on 28th March 2013, I went coldturkey.

    After two weeks of regular retraining, I still find it difficult to type on Colemak layout. My average on typeracer is 33WPM and my record is 40WPM. I had an average of 35WPM but I decided to go for accuracy.

    The biggest problem for now: thinking
    I used to be able to think about a word and simply type it. Now I have to think about the letters, and my fingers position. Today it is less pronounced than five days ago, but still it is annoying.

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    • Registered: 04-Nov-2011
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    @ksm123

    I switched to Colemak full-time when I reached over 30 wpm. The annoying factor will be reduced as you become more comfortable with Colemak.

    Debian GNU/Linux Jessie NitroType TypeTest

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    • Registered: 08-Dec-2010
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    The annoying feel will diminish in about another 4 weeks. It's time for you to use Colemak full time, which is essential for your brain and your muscle to do fine tuning.

    According to your current speed, your speed will reach your old Qwerty average in 3-4 months. So keep going, the hardest time is well past over.

    Last edited by Tony_VN (13-Apr-2013 07:03:24)
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    • Registered: 10-Apr-2013
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    Annoying is not so bad a state to be in, by the standards of changing keyboard layouts. You are, after all, doing something comparable to learning a new language. My transition to Dvorak from QWERTY was downright frustrating (as I'm a bit of a perfectionist). If you find yourself on the brink of sanity, or pushed up against a deadline for a paper you are writing, I recommend switching back to QWERTY momentarily so that you can go back to learning Colemak as soon as possible without failing to meet whatever is expected of you.

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    I'm already using Colemak layout full time, bulk of my work these days is maintenance of legacy Java EE code, which involves very little of writing new code, but a lots of unit testing. The system I'm responsible for is in two month stabilization period after feature enhancements, so I can afford drop in productivity.

    One strange thing:
    I spent yesterday away from computer, and today my average on typeracer jumped to 37WPM and I my record performance tops at 43WPM. I think I'm on the right way.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    If you're mainaining code I suspect you do a lot of text navigation and such. I recommend looking into the Extend layer (see my signature topic) for a very useful add-on to Colemak itself! You didn't state your platform(s), but it's currently implemented well under Windows/PKL and reasonably well under Linux/XKB.

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    My platforms are a strange mixture of Solaris and Windows servers but I access them mainly through ssh, XDMCP and Remote Desktop from a PC running Ubuntu Linux.

    I'll look into your version of multi layer keyboard, but I won't commit it into my memory just yet. I plan on building ErgoDox keyboard this year, it will have navigation layer done in firmware. I'm still looking into the most ergonomic way solve problem of multi layer navigation.

    Yesterday my average on typeracer climbed to 40WPM :-) its time to focus back on accuracy before attacking higher speeds :-)

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Yes, I saw you talk about ErgoDox. Oh well, at any rate you could use parts of the ErgoDox solution to modify mine; or reversely maybe let my solution inspire yours? :)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    Composing while using Colemak is still quite annoying.

    While my typeracer average climbed to 43WPM, I have a problem with typing "from top of my head" in Colemak. It still requires some of my brainpower to type in Colemak, and it seems that composing lines of code or forum comments temporarily swaps this skill out of my mind.

    I hope that my neural networks reprogramming will be mostly completed before the end of April.

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    • Registered: 08-Dec-2010
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    Typing test is just a simle translation of text into your muscle typing memory.

    Typing what you think is another link from muscle typing memory to another thinking part of your brain. It is harder for two different parts of your brain to work together.

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    • Registered: 19-May-2012
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    ksm: what you're going through is completely normal.

    I've been using Colemak for almost 1 year now. I was a 90 - 100 wpm range QWERTY typist before the switch. When I made the switch, had to consciously *think* about what finger should push which key until somewhere around 60wpm. Focusing on accuracy and not speed is what will get you over that challenge. All of a sudden, you'll find yourself typing whole words (or parts of words like "ion" and "ing") instead of individual keys - that's when your speed will jump again. Think of this "jump" as the difference between learning to spell and learning to read :)

    My progress looked something like this:
    1st Month: 40wpm
    2nd Month: 55 wpm
    3rd Month: 55 wpm (I was frustrated and went back to qwerty part time)
    4th Month: 65 wpm
    5th Month: 70 wpm
    6th Month: 75 wpm
    currently my average hovers right between 80 - 85 wpm and I'm happy with that speed so I don't practice a lot anymore. The biggest thing I notice is how comfortable my hands feel typing. What made me a very fast qwerty typist was that I had a former job that required a lot of note taking during meetings. My current job doesn't require that, so a slower speed is ok. Above 50-60wpm, you'll be fine writing software because you'll do more thinking than typing.

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    • Registered: 04-Apr-2013
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    I'm facing a similar problem, despite that my typeracing is at the point I don't really have to think about most of my typing.  If I already know the next few words, it's fine (which I suppose makes sense, since that's rather like copying), but if I have to compose-type the words, I'm very error-prone.

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    That's odd.  When I started out, I felt more comfortable free typing, rather than transcribing.

    --
    Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.

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    23 April 2013, I've hit average of 47WPM. This point is important for me.

    In September 2012 I've switched to mechanical keyboard and learned about not bottoming out my keys. This was the lowest my typing speed got when I was learning to type gently.

    @dietsche: I've learned to type most common digraphs and trigraphs with quick rolls in first two weeks of layout switch. You are right it speeds up things a lot. I hope in next few days I'll start to type most common words this way.

    Update:
    30 April 2013, I've managed to type my way to 52WPM average on TypeRacer, but I still am not comfortable with typing in Colemak. I'm have to think about the letters I type to keep my accuracy above 98%. If I am composing, or let my mind wonder my accuracy, and as a result my speed plummets down.

    Update:
    10 May 2013, I'm stuck at around 50WPM average.

    Update:
    17 May 2013, I've managed to hit 55WPM average, my best race is still 58WPM, but my accuracy is getting much better.

    Update:

    01 June 2013, finally  after two months and a few days after the switch I'm as comfortable with this layout as I used to  be with QWERTY. My speed (57WPM average, 64WPM best) still is a little short of speeds I used to achieve back when I was typing on QWERTY, but I'm back to typing whole short words without thinking about letters there are composed of.

    17 June 2013: I've built myself an ErgoDox keyboard. I've programmed it with Colemak layout "softwired" in  keyboard firmware. This way I lost access to international input methods, but now I can use my keyboard with any computer I choose, without worrying about layouts and drivers.
    This keyboard seems to be very ergonomic (at a first glance), but its layout is different enough from "standard" staggered keyboard, that it requires some relearning.

    25 June 2013: I've been using ErgoDox for about a week, I've given up Colemak mapping done in computer software, and use Colemak mapping in keyboard firmware with "Polish (programmer's)" layout on computer. It gives up access to all those additional symbols I never use, but all Polish diacrtitics are much easier to access. Today I've managed to bump my top Colemak performance to 72WPM its just 4wpm lower then my top performance before the switch.

    29 November 2013: It's eight months since initial decision. My speed is still in around 60WPM. I've stopped doing typing tests. The problems with thinking about keys are long gone. Over all I'm happy with the switch.

    09 December 2013: Just a quick test I've taken today:
    70_349_0_0_70_0_86.02_12766_91302

    Last edited by ksm123 (09-Dec-2013 11:04:43)
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