I don't use the traditional approach to touch typing, instead having my hands at a wider angle and never using my little finger. This is a style that I've just made up over the years. A quick test on an online speed tester shows I manage about 70wpm. I mostly use my computer for programming.
Is it worth me trying to learn Colemak? I'm not sure I'd be happy to use it with my hands in the traditional position, so is it likely to be able to give me a quicker speed?
Cheers,
X.
Do you have a 102-key board? I have that, and use a wider angle for the hands by using the lower left-hand key for Z and moving the others up to B after. It's not a real split-board or ergo board, but it sure is more comfy than the traditional way! If you want to hold your hands better (and it is a good thing!) you could also get a real ergo board like the hinged or curved ones - or the really really good ones which aren't row staggered like the Kinesis Advantage or TypeMatrix.
I can't tell you whether you'll be happy switching: Some are very happy indeed and some not. I think it depends a lot on whether you're curious and patient enough to endure some hardship. I've played the piano for years so I'm used to learning pieces - wasn't too hard to learn the Colemak and in fact it feels a bit like learning a piano piece.
It could give you quicker speed... eventually. If it makes you use two more fingers and also gives the comfort benefits that we know Colemak (and Dvorak) gives I think it should. But if you type QWERTY at 70 WPM today you shouldn't expect to beat that in a while. As I said, it depends mostly on your patience. Think about how many years of QWERTY training lies behind that 70 WPM, even if most or all of it wasn't conscious training.
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No, I have a regular (UK) keyboard. I have to use lots of different keyboards in my work, including laptop ones, so using a special one like that isn't possible.
I guess my real question is is it worth using Colemak if you're not going to use regular finger assignments? Will it still give any benefits?
Cheers,
x.
To use Colemak you have to use standard fingering. I too used to type in a non-conventional way at about 70 wpm before switching and I am happy I made the effort. It took me about six months to regain that speed.
To use Colemak you have to use standard fingering.
I agree...
instead having my hands at a wider angle and never using my little finger
So that makes your hands move extra as opposed to the standard way in order to type characters the characters that your pinkies have to press.
xorsyst said:instead having my hands at a wider angle and never using my little finger
So that makes your hands move extra as opposed to the standard way in order to type characters the characters that your pinkies have to press.
Yes, but in the normal fingering my wrists feel strained when I'm not typing anything, it just feels very odd and wrong. I think it's because the wrists are bent all the time in normal fingering, but when I type they are mostly straight in line with my arms.
As for the pinkies, with my method the pinkies are never over any key I might want to press, the angle just means they aren't ever in position. Except for right shift, which my right pinky does use.
I'm prepare to learn the normal method if everyone thinks it's a good idea, and in doing so I might as well learn colemak, but am I likely to increase my chance of getting rsi?
My wrists are straight. I much enjoy the straightness of my wrists when typing. Before I moved ZXCVB, I didn't hold them straight and was annoyed. The left pinky easily stretches up and left to reach the Q but gets a straight stretch instead of a crooked one down to Z which is very comfortable. Shai once suggested that the G (QWERTY T) stretch would be a bit more work but that isn't the case I think - should be to the contrary really. I think it's just the added comfort of everything else that contrasts with the still not-so-comfortable G stretch.
There's no good reason to underuse the pinkies, just as there's no good reason to overuse them! The weak fingers just really need to be kept from awkward sideways stretches as far as possible. Straight is good, both for wrists and weak fingers.
*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***
