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    Key Timing Data

    • Started by SpeedMorph
    • 12 Replies:
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    • Registered: 08-Mar-2008
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    I am looking for free software for Mac OS Leopard that can tell me the amount of time it takes to press each key, and stuff like that. I want some concrete data for my keyboarding research. Does anyone know where I can get such a thing? A few Google searches turned up nothing substantial.

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    • From: Switzerland
    • Registered: 21-Aug-2007
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    I'd be interested in such an application myself. In absence of something better: The tutor Master Key I'm using can display "key WPM" after an exercise:

    master_key-key_wpm.png

    Last edited by boli (12-Aug-2008 23:32:33)
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    How do I upload an image?

    I took that test and it said I got over 90 minutes on each letter (it's off the chart). I think I will be able to get some good info, though.

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    I changed my goal to 80 WPM, and got over 160 WPM on every letter. I clearly did not.

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    • From: Switzerland
    • Registered: 21-Aug-2007
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    Not sure I got your post right. Are you saying Master Key reports bogus information for you? I just set my speed goal to 70 wpm and did another drill, which I managed at an average 72 wpm. The updated image above shows that for some keys I was quite a bit faster than 70 wpm, for other quite a bit slower. Overall it looks quite plausible that the average should be 72 wpm.

    How to post an image: see the BBCode link below any text entry field? Or better yet the img tag link right beside it?

    Last edited by boli (13-Aug-2008 08:00:05)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    By guided happenstance, I came across this today: http://www.informatics.no/TM_Help.htm

    Gabe's TypOmeter seems to have a lot of statistics beyond the ones displayed on the dial. It hasn't been updated since 2002, but at least it's free. Maybe it has what you're looking for?

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

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    DreymaR said:

    By guided happenstance, I came across this today: http://www.informatics.no/TM_Help.htm

    Gabe's TypOmeter seems to have a lot of statistics beyond the ones displayed on the dial. It hasn't been updated since 2002, but at least it's free. Maybe it has what you're looking for?

    It looks good, but doesn't work on Macs.

    key%20data.tiff

    ETA: I don't type that fast.

    Last edited by SpeedMorph (13-Aug-2008 21:03:05)
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    SpeedMorph said:

    [...pic...]

    ETA: I don't type that fast.

    Hmm, that looks like a bug worth submitting to the creators.

    Strange, I tried the same text and have partially the same problem.  As I'm a registered user I just sent in a bug report...
    master_key-key_wpm_2.png

    Are you using version 5.3 of Master Key in Mac OS X 10.5.4 as well?



    BTW, if I may say so, you might benefit from these tips about taking screenshots. I find the following especially handy:
    Command-Shift-4, then space, then click a window: Take a screenshot of a window and save it as a file on the desktop
    (Note: this works for other objects as well, like the Dock, the menu bar, open menus etc)

    Last edited by boli (13-Aug-2008 23:35:24)
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    The creator of Master Key responded to my bug report already. The problem is fixed - I tried out the new (private) beta, and it works.

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    • From: Switzerland
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    I was just notified that 5.3.1 is now public with the fix:
    https://macinmind.com/MasterKey/Download

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    boli said:

    I was just notified that 5.3.1 is now public with the fix:
    https://macinmind.com/MasterKey/Download

    Great! I will download it.

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    It looks like a program that runs in the background would be very difficult to set up. There's a lot of security preventing that, so people won't steal passwords and stuff like that. I might have to make a traditional typing test, which would be easier anyway.

    Also I collected some data on Master Key for 3 different layouts: QWERTY (which I can do 75 WPM on), my layout (65 WPM), and Colemak (20 WPM). I made a little diagram showing which areas were fastest. Lower numbers are better.

    QWERTY:
    ? 4 1 1 3 2 4 3 6 7
    1 4 2 3 6 1 5 5 5 8
    6 7 6 2 7 1 3 4 7 ?

    My layout:
    6 4 2 4 5 ? 6 3 4 5
    3 3 2 2 2 4 5 1 3 3
    6 5 7 4 7 2 5 6 7 ?

    Colemak:
    ? 6 6 5 6 2 5 1 4 ?
    4 4 5 3 5 2 1 1 4 3
    7 ? 7 1 7 4 5 3 4 ?

    I notice that in general, I'm fastest with the home row on the right side. But more than position, I'm faster with the more common letters. On QWERTY, I'm best with E and R, two common letters that are next to each other in an easy roll.

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    • Registered: 14-May-2008
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    dude, how come you're not using xev? have it running in the background with output piped to grep piped to a txt file. you can do formatting later on to see you deltas between 2 keys, 3 keys, words, phrases, etc.

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