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    How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    • Started by MISTERCROW
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    • Registered: 10-Oct-2009
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    10-Oct-2009 14:42:54#1 How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    Hi all,
    I'm free for a  couple of months, so I thought I'd see just how quickly I can switch.
    This is my 3rd day, I've just about mastered the home row - progress is slow. Also I'm quite convinced that I will never pick up the new R and S layout.
    I'm going through the Typefaster lessons, although I use task manager to cover up the Typefaster onscreen keyboard - I find it hard not to cheat and look at it all the time.
    Got a pretty sweet setup at the moment, so I should be able to spend many hours a day at the keyboard -

    chairrc.th.jpg

    Also how about switching the scroll lock key for caps lock? ppl miss their ANGER CAPS :D

    Humanscale freedom chair is pretty cool.
    I was getting RSI in my right arm but now I'm using 2x cherry slimline keyboard (this keyboard is really nice), one for each hand. This means I can rest each arm on the armrest. Seems to have cured the RSI.
    Bullseye.

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    11-Oct-2009 13:16:48#2 Re: How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*
    MISTERCROW said:

    Hi all,
    I'm free for a  couple of months, so I thought I'd see just how quickly I can switch.
    This is my 3rd day, I've just about mastered the home row - progress is slow. Also I'm quite convinced that I will never pick up the new R and S layout.
    I'm going through the Typefaster lessons, although I use task manager to cover up the Typefaster onscreen keyboard - I find it hard not to cheat and look at it all the time.
    Got a pretty sweet setup at the moment, so I should be able to spend many hours a day at the keyboard -

    https://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4045/chairrc.th.jpg

    Also how about switching the scroll lock key for caps lock? ppl miss their ANGER CAPS :D

    Humanscale freedom chair is pretty cool.
    I was getting RSI in my right arm but now I'm using 2x cherry slimline keyboard (this keyboard is really nice), one for each hand. This means I can rest each arm on the armrest. Seems to have cured the RSI.
    Bullseye.

    Two months is luxurious amount of time to learn Colemak in.  I picked up enough Colemak cold turkey over an extended Fourth of July weekend.  It was frustrating during the weekend -- I was an adequate touch typist in QWERTY and felt hobbled -- but by the time I was back to work I was at a functional speed and accuracy.

    Are those Slimlines laptop-style boards?  I found Colemak a bit tiring on a laptop and at least for me leading to some minor left-hand pains, but it's quite pleasant on a mechanical-switch keyboard.   That's mildly surprising, since I remember Shai writing somewhere that he developed the layout on (and therefore presumably unconsciously *for*) a laptop scissor keyboard.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    12-Oct-2009 07:59:26#3 Re: How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    Many have problems with R vs. S in the start, but it's considered to be worth it ultimately.

    How fast you'll progress appears to be very individual. Some switch in a week or two, others struggle after months. A big part of it is focus and dedication I think.

    Best of luck - you've made a good choice and if you stick to it I'm pretty sure you'll be very happy with it!

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

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    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
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    15-Oct-2009 09:21:24#4 Re: How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    "Also I'm quite convinced that I will never pick up the new R and S layout. "

    I had that issue initially, but now I can't even remember what it was like to have that problem.  It's natural to underestimate how much change can happen from a little bit of daily effort consistently over time.

    http://DRCGH.com | http://texasiaido.com
    http://hi-games.net/profile/14

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    15-Oct-2009 11:28:59#5 Re: How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    Also I'm quite convinced that I will never pick up the new R and S layout.

    After three days? Way, way too early. Give it time...

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    17-Oct-2009 02:38:16#6 Re: How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    Haha okay I was joking about the R and S keyr - no psoblem anymose
    Okay so it's about a week later.. starting to like colemak, it's noticeably more comfortable than qwerty :). I'm rocking over 20 wpm now which I thought was quite good - until I saw Ryan Heise's thread. How the hell did he manage 25 wpm on day 2?

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    • From: New York, New York
    • Registered: 22-Nov-2008
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    17-Oct-2009 22:36:08#7 Re: How quickly can I learn Colemak? My switch. *PICS*

    Well, everyone learns at their own rate, though Ryan Heise is an excellent typist which made him quite adaptable to learning Colemak. If you practice you will get faster. After like a month I had 45 wpm maintained, but now exactly eleven months later today, I can type at 95 wpm and peak at 110 sometimes. You get better, though in QWERTY I never beat the 65 wpm even tho I went on typeracer everyday and used it for years.

    You just get better with time and training. Don't worry about it man. And the whole R and S thing, is more annoying when you go back to QWERTY at school or at a friends house and like you keep on typing D all the time when you don't want to. But the finger rolls that it produces are totally worth it.

    Keep at it, I got to 20 wpm after more than a week.

    Colemak typist

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