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    hunt and pecker learning touch typing using Colemak on a Macbook

    • Started by keyboard samurai
    • 18 Replies:
    • Reputation: 2
    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
    • Posts: 358

    Hey!

    My 19th day typing with colemak and I am starting to break past 20 WPM (according to Ktouch) without a remapping of the backspace key.  Pretty much I am completely switched from QWERTY except the occasional password and the fact that the OSX user account login window remains QWERTY regardless.   

    -----
    Summary my background ==
    I am using a macbook.  I have been using computers for decades but never learned touched typing in school or after.
    When I was in school touch typing was considered a vocational class for those destined to not go to college.
    I hunt and peck on a QWERTY keyboard at about 20-30 WPM (as well making good use of command histories and auto complete), but recently I decided enough of this.  I started learning the DVORAK layout simply because it was clearly more efficient and Mac OSX has the DVORAK-QWERTY option that allows use of the command key for normal cut and paste, etc. and I was able to find some useful online touch typing lesson programs.  DVORAK is okay but I have a bent bone from an old break in my right pinky that makes it annoying to have L and , where Dvorak placed them.  I got up to maybe about 20 WPM but was doing a lot of pivoting with my right wrist. Dvorak's placement of punctuation is really annoying.  I was training using Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor program.  I came across Colemak in my research of Dvorak and it intrigued me. I was not far along on dvorak so I thought I would try it.  That it's so new is a nice bonus in that I can't say I should have learned this years ago.
    --------


    It was very frustrating at first to use Colemak because of the confusion from Dvorak, so I did not go cold turkey.  I did stop using Dvorak and went back to QWERTY hunting and pecking.  I spent at least a couple of hours a day practicing slowly in Ktouch and playing some of the games.  In the games I ignored the score and worked on accuracy.  After a few days I started to climb above 5 WPM while still maintaining almost 100% accuracy.  More recently I have been using TuxTyp and TypingMaster for some variation even though the lessons are for QWERTY.  I can ignore the displayed layouts or just lay the MacOSX Keyboard Viewer on top which displays my Colemak settings and shows the key I hit.

    ------   

    Some observations so far. 

    Ktouch is nice but training set seems too limited. I miss some of the features of Ten Thumbs Typing such as being able to easily practice on any text you can't cut and paste. I emailed that asking for them to support Colemak but have not gotten any reply. 

    Some of the games are a pain since they don't recognize the "o" key. 

    In the Word game "tion" comes up a lot.

    I seemed to hit R a lot when I mean S when I get going a little too fast. 
    I tend to roll keys "ei" when I mean "ie".

    I also find a I have a tendency to hit the same finger of the opposite hand, "T" and "N", "A" and "O", "D" and "H" most commonly. 

    My hands at first felt sort of imprisoned on the home row.  Even now some times my fingers move off the home row almost as if there is a need to move my hands more than necessary.   I expect to move even less as I get better at some of the rolls such as "ar".   


    I hit the home row key instead sometimes when I a have a longer run that doesn't require much movement. 

    Seems a long way to the number row. 

    My impression is that I am using my left hand more than my right.  Perhaps there is bias in the games. 

    I am thinking about remapping the backspace key. 

    While practicing "gj" and "bkm" etc. I have been wondering lately why we still have staggered rows on keyboards.

    Wondering if I can get Colemak on a iPhone this summer.

    -----------

    on a Mac I use the Command keys "X C V N T W Q I"  most often.   "N" for new window, new file, new folder ; "T" for browsing tabbing ; "I" for info.    It's only "I" that I have to really had to relearn because "N" and "T" are on the keys with the raised bumps on them.   

    So even with OSX having the nifty DVORAK-QWERTY option, Colemak still beats DVORAK as a better computer keyboard layout.   


    Overall. I am loving Colemak even without the backspace key moved.   


    I will try to post an update once a month.

    Craig

    Last edited by keyboard samurai (23-Jan-2007 02:29:06)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    Happy hunting!  :)

    - Just use the games and progs that handle the "O" correctly. The ones that don't aren't that good anyway.
    - I use passwords that are the same for both layouts, to avoid trouble. That's much simpler with Colemak than it was with Dvorak.
    - All your misses look to me as minor things. They'll straighten themselves out soon enough, even without your effort.
    - Yes, it's a long way to the number row. I use the number pad if I'm entering a lot of numbers, but nowadays I also hit the number row easily. Playing "The Typing of the Dead" helped.

    *** 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: Saguenay Lac St-Jean
    • Registered: 29-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 24

    I also did not switch cold turkey. It's taking me more time to adapt to the new layout because of that... The thing is , i already type very fast with a qwerty layout. So, basically, since i want to do so many things at once, i could not tolerate to be slowed down.

    So i just decided to take Colemak learning like a game. When i get to at least 40 wpm with a lesson, i switch to the next one. And so on.

    I can practice anywhere with my USB stick.

    Steps (On any XP-like system)
    1. Connect your USB flash drive
    2. Install Colemak
    3. Using the window that pop outs, add the colemak layout to the list
    4. Run Typefaster from the stick (It's a portable app yeaaa)
    5. Shift+Control (fast switch to ColemaK)
    6. Play

    I already have the will to learn Colemak. But i didn't want to lose my productivity so...

    By the way, if you learn Colemak with the proper technique. It's just about practicing the lessons over and over.
    You need a strong will :P It needs to be stronger than a temporary geek excitement. So, learning the layout until the end is something that a few have achieved on this forum. And i can understand why!

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    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
    • Posts: 358

    about a month later.  I feel like I have progressed but tests say I frustratingly stuck around 30 WPM.
    (comment from May 9th, 2007 - looking back at this comment - 30 WPM here is more like my best score at that time than my average, it was difficult for me then to achieve that using  http://labs.jphantom.com/wpm/)


    I don't know how fast to expect to progess since I didn't touch type before. 

    Doesn't seem much better than two fingers. 

    It seems tough to accelerate since my fingers kind of lose place especially in games or on the typing tests.

    Want to be able to go much faster.

    Last edited by keyboard samurai (09-May-2007 18:24:55)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    I want to go faster too, and sometimes I feel too slow. But it's a bit like learning the piano: Periods of slow progress and hardship, then suddenly a leap forward as something "clicks into place". Once you pass 45ish WPM, you'll not be annoyed at your speed anymore if you are like me - and from there the rest is gravy as they say.

    If you haven't touch typed before and manage 30 WPM after a month only, that sounds pretty decent to me. Don't fret about the people who reach insane speeds in no time - this isn't a competition (I hope), and people learn differently.

    I've also found that people test their speed differently. I only run the 3 minute test at TypingMaster to assess my own speed, because I feel that a sustained speed typing real text with punctuation and whatnot is the best measurement of my actual performance. If I were to measure in some games, my speed might look better.. although what would it mean? Not much to me.

    Remember to feel for the bumps on the index finger keys at all times. If you get used to feeling them, you won't lose your position anymore.

    Take care to use your touch typing technique at all times, even if hunting-pecking seems just as effective in a pressed situation. You want to leave that behind, so do it.

    *** 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: 17-Nov-2006
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    Yeah, as DreymaR has said, this isn't a competition. The only reason why I've progressed very quickly is because I already knew how to type pretty fast on Dvorak already, so it didn't take me too long to get adjusted to that.

    I'm not sure what to expect from your progress since you've never touch typed before, but I think you should just go at your own pace. Everyone obtains their speed with time, so there's no need to hurry! You'll achieve your dream speed sooner than you think!

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    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
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    Ok,  now for a bit of fun. 

    I have VMWare Fusion installed on my Macbook with Windows XP virtual machine in it. 

    Works nice. Even with debugging set on it's a lot, ... a lot!,  speedier than Virtual PC was on my Powebook. 

    The Colemak Windows install.exe failed to install properly or somehow is being bypassed.

    However the AutoHotKey config works great !!!!  No problems including CapsLock Backspace switch. Works fine.   I also installed TypeFaster and

    It works fine to do Colemak lessons in TypeFaster in Windows XP in VMWare Fusion on OS X 10.4.8 on a macbook !

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    • From: Houston, Texas
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    I broke the 30 WPM barrier now. 

    a couple things on a mac that I am experiencing

    for any of the mac people out there ...
     
    now that I use Colemak layout for everything, I am noticing an annoying feature of OS X.
    Even though under International Preference Pane I have set to "Use one input source for all documents" on,
    I still often find times like in iCal that the layout is reset back to U.S. Standard and I have to change
    back to Colemak.  Is anyone else noticed this and what am I missing ?  In several programs no matter how many times I have set it I will still find times where I discover this by all of sudden writing becoming nonsense.

    also
    I noticed that AutoHotKey in the VMWare boxed Windows XP works beautifully with the backspace nicely functional if I have fkeys not activated on my OS X side.  Having fkeys activated seems to mess things up.
    Another reason to only activate fkeys for "this session".  Always better to have things that are reversible.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    If I remember correctly, the Mac has a similar feature to Windows in that you can use a hotkey combination to switch layouts. And like in Windows, it's too easy to hit that combo inadvertently. I think it may have been Cmd-Space by default? I managed to find and deactivate it, and things went smoother from 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: 05-Sep-2006
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    I have the exact same problem Keyboard Samurai.

    I am not sure if this is a OS X bug or if it has anything to do with the .keyboard file, but I think it is actually a fault somewhere in the OS.

    Hopefully this issue will be fixed when Leopard is released..


    Btw, you should always look at the screen (or anywhere else but your keyboard) when typing, so I guess you don't write to much gibberish whenever the change of keyboard layout occurs!

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    • From: Houston, Texas
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    struggling to break past 40 wpm. 

    I think I spent a little too much time playing games rather than practicing.

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    what was your original QWERTY speed?

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    • From: NYC
    • Registered: 02-Feb-2007
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    padde said:

    what was your original QWERTY speed?

    I stumbled upon this quote in his 1st post, "I hunt and peck on a QWERTY keyboard at about 20-30 WPM"

    Last edited by AGK (11-Apr-2007 16:30:52)
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    Keep at it! Since you weren't a touch typist before it might take a bit longer, but you've already passed your QWERTY speed. It's only a matter of time before you get faster!

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    • From: Houston, Texas
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    Actually taking these typing tests, I think my original estimate of my hunt and peck speed was a tad optimistic. 
    Probably typical was 20 wpm on a good day as a top speed.  I liked shells like tcsh because it was easy to re-use and edit the history.  Also autocomplete was a must.  Now sometimes I get irritated with autocomplete because it doesn't let me practice !  :-)

    Anyway I hope this old dog can learn a new trick and I can get upto to 60 wpm as a minimum!   

    thanks.

    Last edited by keyboard samurai (12-Apr-2007 04:10:09)
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    well a milestone of sorts,

    i just broke 200 score for the first time on the Words game which I had not done before even without deducting for mistypes and I did it with 100% accuracy.  yah
    http://2addicted.com/words

    Last edited by keyboard samurai (03-May-2007 19:46:56)
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    I am now clocking around 45 WPM on  http://labs.jphantom.com/wpm/ 

    though sometimes I am cruising and my hand spazs out and I hit ie instead ei and
    freeze for moment and end up in the thirty something wpm to be honest.  Sometimes I feel if I try too quickly to correct I end up taking longer than if I stop and slowly speed up again. 

    I had the interesting experience today of typing some pages from a book I am reading.  I did it only looking at the book page and not at what I was typing.  I felt myself actually speed up that way over glancing at what I was typing. I could start to appreciate the genius of this layout more also because so many times I felt I was cruising along barely moving my fingers and often my fingers felt like they were just over the right key.  The intelligence of the layout was helping me to type better. Only had few errors to fix after I was done so that was nice.  This seems to be a good exercise for me as a former non touch typist.

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    • From: Houston, Texas
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    Well, it's been a while since I have reported on my experiences with Colemak.  My experience is that my speed is erratic.  By some measures I have had I will have bursts over 60 wpm, but I have a very hard time with consistency.  Usually I will often start out cruising for a few lines and then I realize I have not made any mistakes, and then I get conscious about my typing, and blamo, a string of mistakes.  My mistakes mainly seem to be of the variety of correct finger - wrong key,  or I didn't press hard enough on one key when doing a combination, or thinking of the next letter too soon and hitting that key instead. 

    It feels like I go faster now when I have no image of the keyboard in my mind and just type.  I start making mistakes and slowing down when I think of the location of keys.  It's a weird feeling.   I can't sustain it for the length of the two minutes of Ryan's typing test.  Once I fall out of that zone it's hard to get it back with the clock ticking. 

    The problem with improvement at this point is I now type usually plenty fast for my uses so I am not working so hard on practice as I was or should probably.  The challenge seems to be rhythm and keeping fingers in the right sequence.  I guess this is where not having been a touch typists really shows.  Seems like I will be on  on a plateau for while.

    Last edited by keyboard samurai (07-May-2008 19:36:39)
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    ChaperonNoir said:

    By the way, if you learn Colemak with the proper technique. It's just about practicing the lessons over and over.
    You need a strong will :P It needs to be stronger than a temporary geek excitement. So, learning the layout until the end is something that a few have achieved on this forum. And i can understand why!

    For me, it didn't require all that much will power. I had previously tried, but I had tried when I couldn't afford to lose productivity. This time, I switched right before going on a trip on which I would not be typing much. So, when I got back, I hadn't typed qwerty much for a week or so. I fairly quickly got to a workable 30-40 wpm, and can now type at around 61wpm, in colemak. That's faster than my old qwerty speed.

    So if you fail once, don't give up.

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