I've noticed that it requires much less effort to reach with the index fingers from N to L than from N to H (and from T to P than from T to D). Reaching D or H from the home position requires moving the whole hand. So why, taking into account the frequency of the letters, are they placed where they are?
Colemak forum
Forum for the Colemak keyboard layout.
- You are not logged in.
- Topics:
- Active
- Unanswered
- Index ›
- Experiences ›
- Why are H,L,D,P placed where they are?
Why are H,L,D,P placed where they are?
- Started by Wiesniak
- 5 Replies:
Offline
- 0
Because Shai liked it.
My fastest typing records http://hi-games.net/profile/4314
My switching experience https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?id=970
Offline
- 0
It's not always about pure frequencies.
• Could be that the LN digraph is more common than the HN one for instance.
• Also, the H is kept in its QWERTY position rather than moving it to gain little benefit (as is the A for instance).
• Also, it's nice for people from other countries that the H is kept on the home row because it's quite common.
• Also, it may be that your effort is higher than others' for these stretches. Do you have short fingers? Do you keep your wrists straight while typing?
H and D are the least common of the home row characters along with R. L and U are of similar frequency as them. Their frequency differences alone aren't so different that placement should be based on that alone.
And yeah, Shai is the one to ask for the full story. ;)
*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***
Offline
- 0
Wiesniak said:
I've noticed that it requires much less effort to reach with the index fingers from N to L than from N to H (and from T to P than from T to D). Reaching D or H from the home position requires moving the whole hand. So why, taking into account the frequency of the letters, are they placed where they are?
This is not exactly true for everyone. I actually find using DH more comfortable than PL. But then again, I also find G much easier than J, and occasionally I would even use my left hand to hit J. So really, there are some individual biases at this level, and it comes down to which is more preferred (and just how many prefer the opposite). And unfortunately, Colemak's development is rather "closed source," so you can't really tell how specific things were chosen without being told directly from Shai.
Colemak (start 11.5.12): ~80 WPM.
QWERTY: ~90 WPM.
Offline
- 0
Yes, I also think DH are easier to press than P and L. It depends on your keyboard and typing technique.
And G is easier to press than J on common keyboards, since the upper row is slightly shifted to the left, compared to the middle. So G is closer.
Hi-games profile: http://hi-games.net/profile/4663
TypeRacer profile: http://data.typeracer.com/pit/profile?user=patcm
Offline
- 0
'HE' is a very common digraph. It's hard for the index and middle finger to make a jump against the curvature of the hand. 'HE/EH' is more common than 'EL/LE'.
('EL/LE' is also common. I have no explanation on why L may be in the position that it is...)
Offline
- 0
- Index ›
- Experiences ›
- Why are H,L,D,P placed where they are?