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    Software Developer experiences

    • Started by dcstraw
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    • Registered: 06-Apr-2007
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    This is just my second day using the Colemak layout.  I have always been a QWERTY user, but three days ago I looked into alternate layouts due to a little hand pain.  I'm not so much interested in typing faster than I did using QWERTY as I am in finding a layout that will prevent RMI and Carpal Tunnel.  Being a software dev, I spend a large portion of my day typing.

    First I tried Dvorak, but two flaws became clear to me after one day at it: My right pinkie was already starting to hurt, and I found that I really missed my Ctrl+Z,X,C,V shortcuts.  More searching led me to Colemak.

    I type using QWERTY at around 70 WPM.  After two days with Colemak, TypeFaster is reporting I'm at around 17 WPM on lesson 7 with 98% actual accuracy.  So far it feels great on my hands.  I look forward to typing back at my original QWERTY speed with (hopefully) no pain.

    Right now I'm attempting cold turkey and I'm using it about 6 hours per day for work.  I hope not to lose QWERTY too much though, so I'll probably mix it up once Colemak starts to become mostly subconscious.

    dcstraw

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    • Registered: 17-Nov-2006
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    That's wonderful! I think you've made the right choice. Colemak is all about typing comfortably. Since you're coming from QWERTY, learning Colemak quickly shouldn't be a problem. I also see that you're putting in the effort. You'll get back to your QWERTY typing speed and surpass it in no time.

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    • Registered: 06-Apr-2007
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    <Colemak>
    It's been over a week now and I typically get about 30 WPM on lesson 3 of TypeFaster with a peak of 34 (100% accuracy with using backspace).  I no longer feel very encumbered while coding or writing E-mail because I'm usually able to finish typing a sentence/line before I lose my train of thought.

    I started out going for no mistakes (no backspaces), but I found that I got too frustrated with that.  Of course if I try to type too fast, I use the backspace much too often.  So I'm currently going for a happy medium where I do make several mistakes, but the resulting speed isn't painstakingly slow.  My "real accuracy" in TypeFaster is usually around 90%.
    </Colemak>

    <Qwerty>
    I can still type in qwerty decently well, but I keep trying to use the capslock as a backspace. :)  I might actually switch the backspace in all layouts because it's just so much better than its current position.
    </Qwerty>

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    • Registered: 05-Oct-2006
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    If you're worried about switching back and forth, neither are something that you ever just forget.

    It's not exactly like a switch either though...

    I'm trying to think of an analogy, and I think the best way to describe it is either a different language, or a accent/dialect. It takes a while to learn it, and even longer to become fluent in it. Given enough practice, though, you can switch back and forth.

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    That makes sense.  For now I'll keep my goal of being fluent in both eventually.

    After over two weeks, I'm not doing the typing tests quite as much because I can type fast enough that the speed isn't getting in the way much.  However, I can tell that my lack of good practice time has slowed my progress.  The last few tests I've done have averaged around 34 WPM on lesson 4 in TypeFaster.

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    It's been 4 weeks and I know I'll never go back to QWERTY.  In fact, I'm not bothering to stay good at it so much any more.  I generally have to look at the keyboard now to type in QWERTY, but it's still relatively fast.

    I can't seem to make it past the 40 WPM barrier.  I've been moving on in the lessons in TypeFaster, and I can pretty consistently get around 38 WPM on lesson 7 with 96%+ accuracy.  The progress I do notice is that after spending some time with each lesson, I get much better at the newly introduced letters.  I've never been very good at the bottom row (in either layout) so I'm curious to see how the lessons will go after that's introduced.

    I did go ahead and remap the capslock key in all layouts, though it's kind of a moot point now since I have only been using Colemak lately. :)

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    • Registered: 06-Apr-2007
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    After 6 weeks I can now consistently get over 40 WPM with 97%+ accuracy on all but lesson 12 in TypeFaster (z and x).  I have never used the correct fingers for z, x, and c before so I figured I'd start now.  In the past I always used my index finger for c in addition to v, and b, which resulted in many mistakes on those keys.

    I still have a while to go before I get back to my QWERTY speed, but I'm having fun with it and I know I'll get there eventually.

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    • From: Houston, Texas
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    keep it up!   

    if an old hunt and pecker like me can get over 45 WPM at 98%+ accuracy then there is hope for anyone.

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    I had an interesting experience today using Colemak.  I was using an applet to connect to a remote system, and I had Colemak as the default on both my local system and the remote system.  I started typing on the remote system, and the words came out garbled.  Naturally, I figured I wasn't on Colemak for some reason, so I started typing in QWERTY, but the words were still garbled.  It then occurred to me that the applet didn't account for different local keyboards, so Colemak was actually getting applied twice!

    For instance if I typed an "F" on my QWERTY keyboard, it would be converted to a "T" on my local system, and then a "G" on the remote system.  I realized I could simply switch to QWERTY on the remote system to type in Colemak, but I had some fun with it and stretched my brain to try to do the conversion as I typed.  Needless to say I didn't type very quickly. :)

    Of course, this would happen with any alternate keyboard layout, and it's really just a bug in the applet I was using.

    Last edited by dcstraw (18-Nov-2010 19:04:27)
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    Well as far as statistics go, I'm nearly back up to my QWERTY speed.  Using a similar measure to the one that told me that my QWERTY speed was 70 WPM, I now get an average of around 60 WPM on Colemak.  As far as a more standardized test goes, I typically get a net speed of around 50 WPM on a 3-minute test on typingtest.com with 97-99% accuracy.

    Although I'm not quite there yet, I'm not at all disappointed.  My hands continue to feel MUCH more comfortable than they did before my switch to Colemak.  Also, I would expect it to take a while to catch up with 11 or so years of touch typing on QWERTY.

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    Just figured I'd update this post now that I've been using Colemak for over 3 years. It's definitely still my layout of choice, and I use it every day for coding and everything else. Haven't done any typing tests in a long time, but Colemak feels completely natural to me.

    Also I don't have much of an issue switching back to QWERTY when I need to. Mostly I just have to glance at the keyboard every few seconds. I don't even really have to think about it anymore. If I happen to start typing assuming the incorrect layout, I can just delete the gibberish and start again.

    Aside from the ergonomic benefits, it sure makes an interesting topic of conversation. ("You use a different keyboard layout? That's crazy! How did you learn that?")

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    • Registered: 21-Apr-2010
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    @dcstraw did you come at Colemak from touch typing with Qwerty?

    Interested in knowing the point where it becomes totally normal/natural.  Is that the 3 year mark?

    --
    Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.

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    • Registered: 19-Nov-2010
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    @pinkyache I switched two months ago and I'm already feeling more at home in Colemak. I now have a qwerty speed of ~30wpm and a Colemak speed ~55wpm (And still increasing weekly). I switched cold turkey and I haven't been practising qwerty since the switch. I expect I'll be at my former qwerty speed (~70wpm) in the next month. I prefer typing in Colemak now for a few reasons:

    1) I now touchtype correctly: I used to just use two fingers on each hand, now I use them all. I hope that this means that eventually I'll end up typing faster and sharing the load between my fingers better than in qwerty.
    2) I never need to glance down at the keyboard, except when using a few unusual symbols that I wouldn't have known in qwerty anyway.
    3) It's more comfy! I got a little bit of pain in my little fingers at first, as I never used them for typing previously, but after resting and easing myself into it I feel that my fingers are less fatigued overall as they share the load a lot more. Check out this video I took of myself typing at 58wpm (And at 97.7% accuracy) in Colemak and look at how little my fingers jump around the keyboard! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE_9dYeKrng

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    @dcstraw - apologies, I missed the beginning of the thread!  Which clearly states you were moving over from Qwerty.

    I really like the journal/diary nature of this thread - it was nice reading from the start.  Thanks for the 3 year update!

    @incognito - it seems a lot of typists cut corners until they type blindly.  Your video shows an interesting quirk where your ring finger reaches for the backspace (caps lock).  Though it's not consistent.

    Be nice to have a separate thread with videos of typing style.

    --
    Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.

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    @ pinkyache - it's funny you should mention that, as I had never realised until I watched myself type! I only noticed myself yesterday when reviewing the video. It's something I am now consciously going to try and avoid! I think it depends on which letter I make the typo on. I may consider recording from a different perspective to make sure that I am using the correct fingers on all of the other keys.

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