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    My colemak experiences

    • Started by Dark Apostrophe
    • 11 Replies:
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    • Registered: 14-Jan-2007
    • Posts: 22

    I've posted a blog post about my first 2 days with Colemak here: http://technetium.wordpress.com/2007/02 … k-day-1-2/
    I'll try to do regular posts on the subject, and keep you guys posted, if you wish me to do so.

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    • From: Saguenay Lac St-Jean
    • Registered: 29-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 24

    Great, one more guy in the team.
    Let's see how fast you can learn it. Will you switch cold turkey or will you keep using qwerty while doing colemak lessons every day? That's what i've been doing for a month now. I think everyone should learn it at their own pace.

    Whatever path you take, i wish you good luck.

    Edit : With a keyboard like that, i think you'll learn it fast....

    Last edited by ChaperonNoir (06-Feb-2007 18:54:53)
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    • Registered: 17-Nov-2006
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    Learning cold turkey can be difficult for some because it might be necessary to switch to qwerty from time-to-time, but if you're content with hunting and pecking for the keys on public computers, then learning Colemak will be much easier and much faster. I was typing at 60wpm in about a month with some intense practicing. I guess I could have done better if I practiced a bit more, but I didn't because I didn't want to overwork my fingers.

    But yeah, keep at it!! You'll definitely increase your typing speed eventually!

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    • Registered: 14-Jan-2007
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    I'm noticing slight speed increases, but I have to use school computers with QWERTY daily, which are screwing it up for me. Also,  my QWERTY speed and accuracy plummeted :/. By the way,  the location of Y, I and L confuse me a bit quite often... QWERTY habit I suppose.

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    • Registered: 14-Jan-2007
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,360

    Hmmm... your CapsLock key is still CapsLock? I mean, I set it up to be Backspace but CapsLock with the AltGr down - but is it now both at the same time? That's odd, really.

    *** 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: 14-Jan-2007
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    Yeah, basically.

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    • Registered: 14-Jan-2007
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    Okay, it's now been about a month and a half I think, and I'm still using Colemak. While I'm touch-typing this post at a moderate speed, but I still often find myself looking at the keyboard, especially when typing passwords... However, I've recently gotten a job where I use a computer, and as you can guess, it has QWERTY, and I noticed that my QWERTY skills were practically annulled... Kinda annoying, but it's too late to go back on that choice. Aside from that, everything's going pretty well. I occasionally have trouble reaching j, l, u and y (I end up trying half the top row until I find the key I need), but aside from that, all's going well. It would be nice to have the caps lock key *either* be caps lock or backspace, not both.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    Would you be allowed to insert a USB drive in that work computer? Is it a Windows computer? If so, you could use Colemak through the AutoHotKey method. CapsLock and all.

    J is supposed to be hard to reach. The others aren't. I guess you've gone and gotten your motor memory tangled up a bit. I'd try untangling one key at a time, starting with the L. Make sure you know your L, ignoring the others up there for now. Then when that's nailed down work on another one. Just a suggestion.

    Really sorry, but I have no idea whatsoever how to fix your CapsLock trouble. Did you try a file with all four CapsLock states set to Backspace? That shouldn't be the problem but maybe just in case. And ask some gurus.

    *** 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: 14-Jan-2007
    • Posts: 22

    I'm not going to mess about with those computers in any way, shape or form, since there are lots of other users...

    And why is J supposed to be hard to reach?

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    • Registered: 17-Nov-2006
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    DA, it's like this, if you want to use Colemak on public computers, you have to go the USB stick route. It's safe; don't worry so much. You're not going to mess up the computer. That's how I use Colemak on my _school's_ computer. And many people use that, don't they?

    I haven't noticed J as being hard to reach. Maybe it's because I have a Microsoft Natural keyboard, but I can reach any of the letters on the keyboard with little to no problem. When I use my laptop, I don't experience that either.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,360

    Well... technically, you may not be allowed to do it depending on your workplace's policy. I work at a hospital where the rules are pretty strict for instance (but when it comes to USB drives I do cross those rules now and then). Ask whether you're allowed to use a USB drive in it and run a keyboard utility program from the drive – an innocent enough question – and if the answer is yes then you're good to go. You should mention that the program runs completely off the drive and doesn't write any data whatsoever to the computer's disks nor does it read any data from the computer. If they're tech savvy you could show them the script of course, but that probably won't be necessary either way.

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

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