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    Another new user here

    • Started by lethalrocks
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    • Registered: 19-Dec-2008
    • Posts: 14
    19-Dec-2008 01:39:27#1 Another new user here

    Qwerty: 10 years or thereabouts. Whenever it was that I first used a computer.

    I've been using Typefaster to learn for a few weeks, although I haven't been using it every day.

    According to http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/, I get about 75-80 standard wpm (or 68-72 of their words) in qwerty. However, I don't type that fast normally, probably about 50 wpm if I'm thinking, or maybe 60-70 if I'm being dictated to. Nearly perfect accuracy, too. Especially when I'm at a normal/lower desk. With colemak right now, I'm highly error-prone, and really slow. Hopefully I should get it in time.

    I usually type qwerty with six fingers and only use the pinkies for shift for some reason. Also, my hands fly over the keyboard... even more so if I'm typing fast. With colemak, I'm also learning to touch-type properly, although I'll often hit b with my right index, because it usually seems easier. Some of that has actually fed back into qwerty; I seem to be using my left pinky and ring more. Has anyone else started typing faster or better in qwerty after learning a new layout?

    I actually like -ion and -hen, I thought I'd mention it since it seems that new users usually don't. I don't do same finger stuff well, even if there are 1-2 keys in between them (e.g. like).

    For learning, I would say IMing people with a layout image is a good way to learn once you're vaguely aware of where the keys are.
    hehe is definitely much nicer to type with colemak, for one.

    I probably won't be coding in it for a while, though. How long did it take you to re-learn keyboard shortcuts and passwords by the way?

    Also, I need a new keyboard (Current: Saitek Eclipse II). I want something British, with an insert key and at least 4 media keys. Still qwerty of course (I play a fair few games). I've heard that the g15 is a good keyboard for both work and play.

    (Sorry, I should really see if I have schizophrenia or ADHD or something, such is the disjointedness of this post. My thoughts are clearer. heh)

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    19-Dec-2008 04:08:34#2 Re: Another new user here

    Work on your accuracy, and the speed will come.

    And yes, I have noticed that my QWERTY is technically better than it was before I learned Colemak, even if it is a bit slower from lack of recent practice.

    Shortcuts are not too bad, since a good many of them stay in the same place. Even the ones that do move, as long as you think of them as Command (or Control) plus a letter they aren't that bad once you know where all the letters are. You can't rely on muscle memory anymore, but you can still use them. It's actually a good habit to get into, since it will allow you to use shortcuts reasonably well on both layouts.

    Similar thing with passwords -- if you think of them as a string of letters, you can type them as fast as you can type on both layouts. Also, for passwords that you type often but aren't as vital (logins for minor sites, local system passwords, etc), all-number passwords are always the same. And even for things that need to be a bit more secure, a good number of rare letters and all the punctuation but the ';' stays the same.

    Last edited by Korivak (19-Dec-2008 04:09:10)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    19-Dec-2008 11:05:22#3 Re: Another new user here

    I made a password that works in both QWERTY and Colemak. It's not that hard to do and still get a high strength - just abuse the letters that stay in place and the number row heavily.  :)

    If you're using Windows, you could get your Ins and media keys through using the transpose/extend functionality in PKL (Portable Keyboard Layout). I've put Browser_Back and Browser_Forward in mine for instance, and if you check out AutoHotKey's online documentation (on the 'Send' topic) you'll find a pretty extensive list of keys you can implement in this way. So I'll press CapsLock and then the BK keys to browse backwards and forwards for instance, or CapsLock XCV to use the Cut/Copy/Paste keys (that even work outside of an application's shortcuts - which admittedly usually involve Ctrl-XCV). If you still want CapsLock to work as a Backspace, you could map that to an extend key, to work on KeyUp instead of KeyDown or to work on Shift+CapsLock instead. PKL allows a lot of variants. It's getting so good that I want it to always be running on all machines I'm using.

    *** 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: 19-Dec-2008
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    19-Dec-2008 15:21:13#4 Re: Another new user here

    Thanks for the help and information. I think I'll leave changing my passwords until my accuracy and speed go up, by that time I'll know whether or not colemak is for me.

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    • Registered: 16-Dec-2008
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    19-Dec-2008 18:54:54#5 Re: Another new user here

    I noticed whether a password was terrible or great in colemak right away; one of mine is incredible because now it is all home row, but some others are terribly hard to type now.

    http://hi-games.net/profile/1596 (my 'colemak' profile)

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