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    Touch typing & Key distribution

    • Started by Chase
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    • Registered: 23-Dec-2007
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    Cutting this short: I'm wondering about how to touch-type best.

    First, I figured that the default distribution of keys is very uncomfortable to me. Some experimenting revealed, that I intuitively prefer this distribution: (b is hit by either index finger actually)
    colemaklayoutzonesir2.png
    I wonder if it diminishs the writing speed, if one finger is responsible for too many buttons. Pressing them is way more comfortable this way. I don't know if that's just for me, though.

    Thoughts?

    Last edited by Chase (20-Jan-2008 11:13:29)
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    • Registered: 23-Dec-2007
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    I'll dare to bump this :)

    No comments ??

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    • From: Hungary, Budapest
    • Registered: 21-Oct-2007
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    I send to you an email.

    Portable Keyboard Layout with Colemak support
    http://pkl.sourceforge.net/

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    Why so secretive Máté?  :)

    Me, I'd entrust the index finger with the P. It's strong, it can handle it, it's more consistent I feel.

    The rest is only what I've said about a hundred times now: Get a US International or other international keyboard, and you can use the fingering you're suggesting except you'll be using it on the keys you learnt before by moving ZXCVB one key to the left. On your figure it's quite obvious that your B is on dry land so put something rarer than the B there.

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

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    • Registered: 23-Dec-2007
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    @Máté: Thanks for your thoughts. Unfortunatly I'm using Dvorak atm, so I might consider those later.

    DreymaR said:

    Me, I'd entrust the index finger with the P.

    Well, I use different fingers according to the combination. As I use Dvorak, I'll "translate" this to Colemak:
    When typing TP/PT or DP/PD, i hit the P with my middle finger, while SP/PS and most other combinations are more comfortable using the index finger for P. On Dvorak this is a little less nitpicking, since pi pu up ip ep pe are way more common combinations.

    DreymaR said:

    The rest is only what I've said about a hundred times now: Get a US International or other international keyboard, and you can use the fingering you're suggesting except you'll be using it on the keys you learnt before by moving ZXCVB one key to the left. On your figure it's quite obvious that your B is on dry land so put something rarer than the B there.

    Living in Europe I always used a keyboard with a 102 key. It used to bother me, and I was longing for an American keyboard. Recently I made some good use of that key though, putting stuff like ! or ? there.
    Anyway, your idea seems great to me, I might move it to the left then, and place something else than a letter on the Colemak "B" position.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    The BRHS idea grew forth on this board; I don't remember whose it was originally anymore. I'm just its' primas.  :)

    How you reach the (Colemak) P key isn't a big issue I guess. I'm sure it'll be fine, especially since you're using Dvorak anyway so Shai most likely won't bombard you with all the nice digraphs you're messing up.  ;)

    I use the old B key for whatever used to sit on the vkey_102, naturally. Now that I've taken up Linux and started coding it actually feels better to have the <> key in the middle of the board rather than in the left-hand corner - maybe because it's closer to the other brackets there. Strange, that. It must be mostly psychological how I feel that both the ZXCVB and < ended up in better positions. As long as I'm happy with it, heh.

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

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    • Registered: 08-Mar-2008
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    That's what I used to do (B on right hand) until I started doing it right when I learned Dvorak. It seemed really awkward to reach sideways to hit Z, X, C, and V (QWERTY positions). B is equally distanced from both hands, so it isn't too hard. Also I hit spacebar with both thumbs, which I suppose is a waste of energy but it feels weird when I don't, and it's not like I'll be using my thumb for anything else.

    Looking at a keyboard, I think it would actually be easiest to hit B with the thumbs. N and V are also accessible by thumbs. But I don't want to re-train myself to use thumbs :D

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Not sure whether it would be an advantage to reach out with the thumbs since I think it'd involve a lot of wrist movement, but it is an interesting thought.

    Another issue is the number keys. I just found out that I like to distribute them 1-2-34-56 and 7-8-9-0 between the left and right hand. I used to think that I'd hit the number 6 with my right hand like some diagrams show, but then I saw a hinged keyboard that had the on the left half and realized that that's how i type too. Now it dawns on me that I like to use the middle left finger for both number 3 and 4, although I'm a bit confused there still.

    I wonder what this'll do to finger and hand balance (probably not so much since the number keys aren't all that common - I use the NumPad for any large number entries). I seem to remember that both Dvorak and Colemak use the right hand and especially its' index finger much, which won't be a great advantage for left-handed me I guess.

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

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    • From: Belgium
    • Registered: 26-Feb-2008
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    I also found it awkward to hit Z/X/C (esp. C) with the right finger, due to the unnatural position of my left wrist.  I'm trying to force myself to do it "correctly" though, and I found it easier to do so by moving the keyboard away a bit from my right hand (turning it 20 degrees or so counter-clockwise).  It feels more comfortable to my wrists this way.

    I think I'd prefer a non-staggered keyboard.  I wonder why these aren't more common, even for qwerty...

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    • Registered: 05-Apr-2011
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    Re-uploading the image from the OP here: 

    JxhVO6A.jpg

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