• You are not logged in.

Guinea Pig: First Tarmac User

  • Started by ezuk
  • 36 Replies:
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 06-Oct-2008
  • Posts: 71

All the productivity .... bullshit !!!! However fast I produce code, how much I do it doesn't matter, still my boss would expect more! The only true measure of how much productivity I need at work is how much I must do to avoid being fired ;)  Since doing more than others in the team doesn't means to be better paid than the rest of the team I can afford myself to be less productive as usual because I invest in my health and comfort by learning a new keyboard. 

Think of it. Is it really that you have to be so "productive" or is it just your boss who discovered that you can be more squeezed like an orange to produce more juice!

Anyway my way to be happy at work is to type as slowly as possible! The slower I am the more interesting and challenging task I am given because I can cope with solving difficult problems, learning new things, researching. Those who type fast stick with typing, bug fixing and so on ... dull tasks. This is not only my preference to the type of spending day but also those "typists" are treated as a labour however high their education is because they only do typing so can be easily replaced with a cheaper ones. IMHO fast typing spoils the carrier path, so invest in your health and comfort but think of what you're trying to achieve in the office!

Last edited by bombadil (08-Nov-2008 20:23:21)
Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76

I beg to differ. For some reason, you assume I'm a coder. But I'm not.

My job actually involves writing. I am expected to be eloquent, clear, and yes -- quick.

Perhaps it's not a career choice you'd make (or maybe you even consider it to be lowly, for some reason) -- but it's a choice I made, and I'm happy with it. And Colemak is helping me become even happier :)

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76

OK -- so, the project is almost over, and now I can attempt the switch to full Colemak again.

Wish me luck :)

I wanted to write more but it is too slow :)

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • From: Rockland, Wyoming
  • Registered: 13-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 7

Hey, good luck !

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76

DreymaR, I hope you are reading this... because at this point, I can attest to Tarmac being a total success!!!

This is amazing! After only a few days with the full Colemak, I feel at ease. I still have lots of mistypes (only on the left side, of course...) but what previously seemed almost impossible to me (a whole new layout?!) has now been reduced to 7 keys I need to remember. I can actually remember all of their positions by heart -- I just need to think for a moment and go "oh right, g is there".

I don't feel the sense of disorientation I felt when trying the full Colemak from scratch. And I did not feel this confusion (or horrible drop to 10-15wpm) at any point during my Tarmac experience.

To me, Tarmac is one of the strongest features of Colemak and definitely needs to be promoted!

Next month I expect to get a new version of my site up, and I will include a Tarmac section there. This can be the homepage for Tarmac (http://ezuk.org/tarmac, or something like that).

DreymaR - thank you for this brilliant learning system!

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 210
  • From: Viken, Norway
  • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
  • Posts: 5,343

Wow, gee, I feel kinda smart now. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll pass.  ;)  Thanks - that post made my day!

Congratulations on making the last step successfully. All the steps, by the way. Before you, this way just a thought construct; now, it's a method. Let's hope it can benefit some others too. I'm not sure it'd be the best way for everyone, but I have a feeling it could be useful to many if they see the point to it like you did.

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

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76

Absolutely, DreymaR. I will show you the part dedicated to it on my new website when it's up, some time next month.

And I'm glad you feel smart! :) It is not without cause. ;)

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76

Just checking in to tell you I did the Enchanted Typewriter test and scored a net 63 wpm, on full Colemak.

My actual WPM is a bit higher, I feel, but I tend to become stressed in typing tests. :)

That may not be super-high, but I'm very comfortable with it. I feel great about Colemak! :)

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 06-Oct-2008
  • Posts: 71

ezuk, congratulation!

I see I left my last post without reply, probably I was "away", but I wanted to say I am sorry. I didn't meant that the coder job is vip or anything like that. Yes, I am a coder and all the people I know which bother themselves with typing efficiency are coders - but really, shouldn't the authors concern more about the keyboarding? ;-)

great to see your success!

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76
bombadil said:

but really, shouldn't the authors concern more about the keyboarding? ;-)

great to see your success!

Thanks, Bombadil! :)

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 0
  • Registered: 12-Jul-2008
  • Posts: 76

Just checking in, after about a year, to say that Colemak is now an inseparable part of my computing experience.

I have it both on my desktop and on my laptop, and I no longer even think about it. I can also easily switch between Colemak and QWERTY. I make very few typos, and am generally very happy with the layout. :)

Thanks again Shai and DreymaR (for Tarmac).

Offline
  • 0
  • Reputation: 210
  • From: Viken, Norway
  • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
  • Posts: 5,343

Update: I just found a really nice blog post by Ezuk describing his Tarmak experience! That's cool.

Yeah, he used the early version (LUI aka the 'I loop' first, then the whole right hand) while I now recommend the more result-focused version (E loop for the right hand and T loop for the left hand early on, and only then the O and I loops) I describe in the main Tarmak topic. Maybe it'd been even nicer that way - who knows? :)

I'm so glad he got on his wings and is happily typing Colemak today, helped in the process by Tarmak. Yay!

Last edited by DreymaR (03-Aug-2012 14:15:13)

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

Offline
  • 0