Hello, so as you can see, my screen name is "Dvorak." That's because I've been a loyal Dvorak user for the last 3 and a half years. It doesn't sound like much, but I was only touch typing on Qwerty for about 3 years before that. Now I have learned about Colemak and I'm in the process of learning it. I almost don't want to do it because I've been promoting Dvorak for quite some time and even have the keys on my laptop rearranged to Dvorak. Not only that, but I filed down the ridges on the J and F keys and put drops of clear nail polish on the U and H keys to serve the purpose that the ridges on the J and F keys served. But the evidence shows that it's a better design, so I might as well try it. I am not yet doing normal typing with Colemak; I've only done some drills. With a lot of errors and at a somewhat slow speed, I can type a,r,s,t,h,n,e,i,o, and, f. My method of switching is different from when I learned Dvorak. With Dvorak, I dropped Qwerty all together one day and only typed in Dvorak after that. So we'll see where this takes me. The thing I'm worried about the most is being able to use it on other computers since it's something you have to download.... Maybe I'll be able to retain my Dvorak skills enough that I can use that on other computers, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that... The fact that I lost my QWERTY skills long ago is the reason Colemak is so hard for me to learn.
Colemak forum
- You are not logged in.
- Topics:
- Active
- Unanswered
- Index ›
- Experiences ›
- Hello, I'm in the process of switching.
Hello, I'm in the process of switching.
- Started by Dvorak
- 6 Replies:
- 0
Honestly, go cold turkey again. You'll pick it up very quickly, 1-2 weeks. Practice for a bit and within a month yóu'll be able to switch seamlessly.
- 0
I almost don't want to do it because I've been promoting Dvorak for quite some time and even have the keys on my laptop rearranged to Dvorak. Not only that, but I filed down the ridges on the J and F keys and put drops of clear nail polish on the U and H keys to serve the purpose that the ridges on the J and F keys served.
Well, then don't. Have you scanned the Colemak FAQ ?
to quote directly from the FAQ... "If you're generally happy with Dvorak, you should probably stick with it."
But the evidence shows that it's a better design, so I might as well try it. I am not yet doing normal typing with Colemak; I've only done some drills. ... The fact that I lost my QWERTY skills long ago is the reason Colemak is so hard for me to learn.
The evidence is debatable. I was trying Dvorak for a second time and remembering why I hated Dvorak and stopped using it the first time, when I discovered Colemak. Love at first sight. There is no reason to expect someone that is happy with Dvorak to find Colemak better. Some have and I would guess many haven't. There is no reason to think there is a universal best design. Colemak exists for a world dominated by Qwerty and shouldn't. Dvorak exists for a world where there is no layout bias for the young.
You are welcome to learn Colemak, but don't do it with unrealistic expectations.
- 0
I just finished rearranging the keys on my keyboard. Now when I do the drills, my urge to look at the keys might be helpful and once I go through all the drills and start trying to actually type with Colemak, my glances at the keyboard will actually help. So, other than needing to fix the finger ridges, my keyboard is ready to go, and I just need to go through the drills for the upper and lower rows of keys. Then I'll make the switch :D
- 0
Now when I do the drills, my urge to look at the keys might be helpful (...)
It has been said that one should use a layout printout by the screen, and never look at the keyboard.
- 0
Try it out if you wish - it could be a fun ride. But as Samurai said, don't expect too much.
I switched from Dvorak and it wasn't too easy. Much of the learning advantage of keeping keys in their QWERTY positions is lost on a Dvorak typist, and parts of it felt quite tricky. But after the dust settled, I'm very happy with Colemak all in all. And I do enjoy less confusion when having to type on QWERTY boards.
Look at the keys or look at a printout or use a small onscreen image if you wish, as long as you learn them. I don't think it's too important since it's just a transitional phase. My work keyboard is unmarked and I'm planning to paint over the keys of another once I get hold of the right paint for it. But I also like moving keys around, if for nothing else then so other people can see a real Colemak keyboard! And it can be helpful when typing passwords before you're fully accustomed to the layout.
*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***
- 0
Dvorak said:Now when I do the drills, my urge to look at the keys might be helpful (...)
It has been said that one should use a layout printout by the screen, and never look at the keyboard.
This is less practical with a laptop.
- 0
- Index ›
- Experiences ›
- Hello, I'm in the process of switching.