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  • New user - Can I turn the Colemak layout on and off?

    New user - Can I turn the Colemak layout on and off?

    • Started by Gary Internet
    • 3 Replies:
    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 10-Feb-2021
    • Posts: 2

    Hi everyone. I am a new user on this forum and this is my first post. I didn't know where to post this query. I feel that it's technical in nature. I might be wrong. If that's the case I am happy for the moderators to move it to wherever they see fit.

    I'd like to download and install the Colemak layout on my personal/home laptop to begin going cold turkey where possible. Sadly, in the pandemic, I'm working from home on a work laptop all day and that is going to have to stay as Qwerty for the time being. I don't yet know if the IT department will let me download and install the Colemak layout. They probably will as we are a small company and people are really understanding about even the smallest of things. I think when I explain that I've made the switch to remain comfortable and pain free and avoid RSI in my left hand, they will be tripping over themselves to help. However, before I venture down that path, I'd like to try installing the layout on my personal laptop as something of a trial run.

    The question is, can I quickly turn they layout on and off so I can switch back to Qwerty if there is something urgent that I really need to do quickly? Or would I actually need to uninstall the Colemak layout entirely if I wanted to use Qwerty again?

    At the moment I am practicing on https://www.keybr.com/ and https://ditchqwerty.com/ each day for about an hour and I feel that I am making solid progress. However at the moment Colemak isn't usable outside of these two sites (which, conveniently don't need the layout installed in order to use them) because I am at the stage where I am stuck at 10 to 12 WPM as I work on accuracy, building that all important muscle memory and gradually expanding my typing vocabulary. Currently it takes me aeons to type even the most short and simple thing on Colemak so I feel like I do need the ability to switch back.

    If that's not an option then my plan is to keep learning Colemak until I can sustain about 30 to 35 WPM comfortably on Keybr and Ditchqwerty and then go cold turkey because at the point my lack of muscle memory won't have a massive negative impact on my ability to do my job.

    Thanks for any help and advice that is offered.

    Gary.

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    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343

    Firstly, on a company computer it may be easier to be allowed to run a program that doesn't need to be installed. I make a program like that, its name is EPKL.

    Turning off EPKL is simple and can be done in several ways:
    - You can turn it off or suspend it by menu or hotkey (default Ctrl+Shift+4 or backtick)
    - You can have it suspend or turn itself off after a certain idle time
    - You can have it suspend itself when certain programs/windows are active

    See the BigBag, link in my sig.

    Last edited by DreymaR (10-Feb-2021 11:33:56)

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

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    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 10-Feb-2021
    • Posts: 2

    Thanks DreymaR for the guidance. I've managed to get it working and have followed the instructions on GitHub and learned how to suspend the layout when I need to fall back to Qwerty.

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    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343

    Nice! Now you can go further and learn about Extend (on the Caps key).  ( のvの) c[_]

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

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