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    from Dvorak to colemak

    • Started by bombadil
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    • Registered: 06-Oct-2008
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    Hi all!

    I would like to share my experiences... and feelings. I've started to touch type 3 months ago, but I have chosen Dvorak, Colemak was too difficult to learn touch typing for the first time - I have never touch typed before. In the time I budit confdence with Dvorak, happy typing at 32-37 wpm. But... my dammn curiosity, I had to try Colemak. I have learned it in a week!!!! It finally feelt very comfortable!! A bit more comfortable than Dvorak. My speed was 32-34 wpm.

    Here is the key graph
    yaAeFJ53DIkNh7ow6X.jpg

    But on the other hand it was feeling that I was typing very fast, but still slower than Dvorak, so I have decided to go Dvorak again. It's second day I am trying to learn Dvorak... pain and no progress.... I am now at 20 wpm and I also feel it as fast finger typing.

    So I have screwd my speed anyway, than I have just decided to go Colemak - whitch I screwd either. Trying new things is a painfoul process, so I would like to say that if you are Dvorak typist either stick with it or go Colemak and forget Dvorak no metter what!

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    • Registered: 27-Apr-2008
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    Hi bombadil. I know what you mean about the indecision. Like many other people I've used Qwerty, Dvorak and Colemak. There is only one that I have been fully happy with.

    When I first started learning Colemak I thought that something would put me off - like the LS issue on Dvorak. Some small yet annoying design flaw that would allow me to avoid the hassle of committing to a new layout and ditching QWERTY. Well, that never happened. For me, Colemak is pretty much perfect.

    Edit: Don't obsess about speed. That will come with lots of typing. Lots and lots of typing.

    Last edited by simonh (06-Oct-2008 21:44:15)

    "It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in." - Earl of Chesterfield

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    Dvorak has better hand alternation and nice digraphs (for example th, ch, wh), and with Colemak the left little and ring fingers are used a little bit more than they should be in my oppinion. That's why I am learning Dvorak now and I like it so far, but it has higher same finger ratio. I wish there was one perfect layout, but I feel that Colemak couldn't be it because it's a compromise layout trying to stay close to QWERTY.

    Last edited by vVv (06-Oct-2008 22:55:31)
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    • From: Houston, Texas
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    I don't believe it's possible to have perfect layout because we are not all the same.  I very much disliked Dvorak after learning it for a month or so and when I came across Colemak at that time, I very much liked the shape and feel of Colemak and the thought behind it and the reasons for it. 

    I think it's wrong to view Colemak as a compromise layout while at the same time to view Dvorak as somehow not being one.   All layouts are full of compromises.   It's a matter of which compromises you prefer.

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    keyboard samurai said:

    It's a matter of which compromises you prefer.

    You are absolutely right, keyboard samurai.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    vVv said:

    Dvorak has better hand alternation and nice digraphs (for example th, ch, wh)

    While this is factually correct, I'd prefer a more informative formulation of it:
    - Dvorak emphasizes hand alternation more, whereas Colemak tones down this emphasis and prioritizes rolls instead
    - Dvorak and Colemak have nice digraphs; you particularly like the th ch wh ones in Dvorak

    ...for the sake of clarity in comparison.  :)  The point about choosing compromises is a well-made one indeed.

    Last edited by DreymaR (07-Oct-2008 07:57:49)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
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    I would say that Dvorak has designed easier left hand typing, the right hand is merely used at the same level of effort as with Colemak. The real difference is that with Colemak left hand would do harder job but the zxcvb stays on place. I also loved the hand alternation when I used to it.

    IMHO it was not worth messing with Colemak, but I did it...

    One more observation is that I regained my Colemak comfort in one day, so if I want to regain Dvorak speed I need to sacrifice the whole week for it (I just still type Colemak). The typing behaviour is too different to switch easly between Dvorak and Colemak.

    Last edited by bombadil (07-Oct-2008 19:55:16)
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    I'm not sure I understand where people get that the left hand is heavily used in dvorak...Since the vowels are on the left hand, and vowels aren't often used one after the next, should the right hand see more use on dvorak?

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    jdhaines said:

    I'm not sure I understand where people get that the left hand is heavily used in dvorak...Since the vowels are on the left hand, and vowels aren't often used one after the next, should the right hand see more use on dvorak?

    hmm, sorry, I ment to say that the left hand do the easiest job on Dvorak layout compared to others.

    Anyway to the continuation of this thread, I am forcing myself to use Dvorak for the whole week. I hope I will get it once again.

    The reasons are:
    1. Dvorak hardly uses the most difficult to reach keys (on typical keyboard e.g. laptop') zxcb
    2. Dvorak is already implemented on most operating systems
    3. I prefere to alternate hands instead play tricks on home row like "start" on Colemak

    But all in all both layouts are much the same in terms of ergonomy. As noted in p.3 hard tricks - for the right hand are pretty the same on both layouts.

    So lets see, Dvorak is my choice but I will not pay the effort of 2 months to relearn it. I hope it will cost me no more than a week.

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    Hi I am back again ;)

    So I did relearned Dvorak - my previous speed, easyness and all. But after a while I see that I much prefere Colemak although I am a bit slower on Colemak. The speed is not a big deal, more important is how it feels.

    Small note for others (dvorakers) willing to try Colemak: do not try pressing more than a 2 keys at a time!

    I do not know, maybe its only me but I heard about the rolls (3 letters) and I have tried to utilize them... that is why I chosed Dvorak.  Now when I see 3 letters roll I try to make only 2 letter roll and than the 3rd letter, for example st+ar+t. In fact the pause almost do not exist but thinking of it makes it easy whilst when I think of typing st+art I feel strain. It should be intuitive to me but having heard lots about the famous rolls I overlooked the easy way of typing during my first experience.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    I can see that "start" may be a bit tricky. While it is an inward roll, it involves the two weakest fingers which is likely to cause distress unless you're working out your fingers regularly. I feel it too.

    Some words are better in one layout, others in another and some words are probably best in QWERTY, even. But the important thing would be the overall feel of course, like you say.

    *** 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: 22-Aug-2008
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    I personally dislike Colemak "was" -- and this is the 12th most common word in English according to some sources. Anyway, after a month I still couldn't like Colemak, so I am happy I switched. I think that maybe Colemak requires less effort, but Dvorak is more fun.

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    Yes, 'wa' is not easy as well the placement of comma and full stop makes often top-to-bottom jumps (lots of sentences ends with 'y'). I think that maybe when I had a Dvorak keyboard with all the keycaps on place I would prefere it over Colemak, but when occassionally swithing to qwerty I like most of the keys being where I look for them.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Judging layouts based on specific words is a grave mistake. Even if it's the 12th most common word. The brain will tend to amplify the annoyance of the offending words once you start paying attention to them, overplaying their importance to your overall typing efficiency.

    As for "was", I'm sure that any Colemak expert will find a smooth way of typing it. I don't think it's too bad myself: First the left hand moves ever so slightly to the left to accomodate the 'wa' digraph, and then it returns for the finish. These hand movements have to be minimal of course, but they help the flow I feel.

    Bombadil: You're free to make a Colemak board - I have a bunch of them and it's fun to do. Scroll down this topic for a few images and instructions:
    https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?id=188

    Last edited by DreymaR (13-Oct-2008 20:35:17)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
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    I've been typing with nothing but Colemak for around 6 months now I believe.  I have never even noticed was being anything but easy to type.  If was is the 12th most used word in the English language then I am actually surprised.  Typing on QWERTY was is MUCH harder to type.  The thing I still find amazing is that I typed well over 100 wpm on qwerty before switching.  I tried Dvorak and it did nothing but ruin my speed in qwerty and annoy me to NO end.  It took me less than a week to be proficient with Colemak and 6 or so months down the road I don't even notice that it's not any different, except that now I don't deal with the repetitive stress symptoms that I had with qwerty...

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    Hmm, switching from Dworak the 'wa' had probably killed me :( It's a serious issue, I think of posting a new thread.

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    I hope you can find a solution for your wa problem.

    I am going to try Colemak again because in Dvorak the right hand has to leave the home row much too often.

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    vVv I disagree, I never left home row on Dvorak though on large keyboards reaching F needs stretching.

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    Hi I just wanted to say hello again to all colemak users, I am back.

    That is because I strenghtened my left hand, as I just explained in this post https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?pid=4131#p4131

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Welcome back!

    Bombadil is a merry fellow.
    Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
    We wept when he left because his left was in pain,
    Then he trained, lost the pain, and we're merry once again!  ;)

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

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    Awesome rhyme!

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