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    My experiences

    • Started by GipFace
    • 9 Replies:
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    • Registered: 04-Jul-2006
    • Posts: 4

    Trying out Colemak right now. I have used it for about a week, and while it does feel much nicer, I am not progressing as fast as I would have hoped. Here are my quips...

    1. QWFPGJL should be QWFJGLP
    "PT", while uncommon, is still seen in apt, opt, raptor, and rupture, among other words. A simple swap of P and J does not work, as that would cause a double type with "PH". My suggested change should solve this problem.

    2. The lessons are not good enough
    When new letters are introduced, I want a lesson dedicated to those new letters and nothing else in orter to retrain my muscle memory. However, the current batch of lessons throws you into the fray too quickly. I can hit 65 wpm on lesson one, but by lesson three, the wpm drops to 35. Twelve lessons is not enough.

    Your estimate of 200 people using this layout is probably a bit high right now... I'm willing to bet it is less than 50.

    It took me about seven minutes to type this message in Colemak.

    I'll add to this thread once typing no longer becomes a struggle...

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    • Shai
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    • Registered: 11-Dec-2005
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    1. The "Y" position in QWERTY requires a long reach, and therefore I put there the rare letter in J. You propose putting there a higher frequency letter there, which also hurts the layout in many other ways (increases same-finger, increases home-row-jumps, moves letters from hand to hand so it's more difficult to learn, hurts the finger balance, etc.). The "PT" digraph is less than 0.1%, and changing it would involve of digraphs that are much more frequent (note that in your entire message and mine, it doesn't appear not even once, besides the examples we mention). Nevertheless, I did take this specific digraph into account. It's "QWFPG" and not "QWFGP" in order to avoid same-finger diagonal movement. If you're typing "apt-get" frequently, you can simply create an alias for this specific command, but it doesn't warrant a change in the layout.

    2. The lessons are designed just to get you a basic level of typing. The lessons add just two letters at a time. You're not supposed to move to the next lesson until you feel you've feel comfortable with the new letters in the current lesson. I recommend not moving to the next level before reaching 30WPM with 96% accuracy. The first few lessons are a bit easier in order not to frustrate people right from the start, so it's normal that you achieve higher speeds in those lessons. Once you've completed all the lessons as indicated, I recommend using the games or typing tests in the Learn page to advance to higher speeds. Lessons that contain only the new letters will be very boring (e.g. ppp lll pl pl ppll llppp lp lp). Moreover, it's important to learn the keys within the context of their words.

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    • Registered: 04-Jul-2006
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    So... nearly three weeks in. Now I can type the entire keyboard regularly. Only at about 25 wpm or so, but that is still about five times faster than before. I have not attempted the typing lessons past lesson three, but I stand by my opinion that there should be more lessons for the uninitiated, especially for anyone who wants to learn this layout from scratch with no prior typing exprience.

    I have printed a miniature version of the layout and taped it on top of my monitor. I still have to look at it regularly. Most common typos are N -> K and S -> R. Oi.....

    Last edited by GipFace (16-Jul-2006 03:10:53)
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    • Registered: 04-Jul-2006
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    Officially converted!

    Until now, I kept QWERTY available as a secondary keyboard layout for all time-sensitive applications such as IRC. I just removed it from my computer entirely bacause now I have the confidence to type Colemak at an acceptable speed.

    I just finished lesson 12 at 40 wpm and can hit 85 wpm on lesson 1! Going to buy a natural keyboard in a week or two to see if that helps me improve even further!

    Wow... it only took four weeks for me to reach my old QWERTY speed, and I believe I can type even faster than before. So convert today! QWERTY sucks!

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    • Shai
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    • Registered: 11-Dec-2005
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    I'm glad you made it through the challenge!
    You'd might want to consider the Datadesk SmartBoard keyboard instead. I've heard good things about it.

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    • Registered: 04-Jul-2006
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    I am not paying $150 for a keyboard. That is highway robbery. The best gaming mouse money can buy only costs $60.

    Last edited by GipFace (25-Jul-2006 15:01:52)
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    • Registered: 04-May-2007
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    GipFace, you're cheating yourself with false economy if you reject a keyboard on price alone.  Your health is forever, and $150 is small potatoes compared to RSI surgery, and it's not even that expensive for an ergonomic keyboard.  Not that I use a super-expensive keyboard myself, but I did go to some effort to find a $40, 15-year-old used IBM Model M that I really like.  Indulge a little bit and get an input device that feels really comfy; it'll pay for itself in quality-of-life and health benefits many times over.

    Last edited by sparky (04-May-2007 06:16:16)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,360

    I find that there is a surprisingly small correlation between price and comfort. My current board is a cheap Chinese thing (Bzerk Blank) and it's just great. Maybe - just maybe! - you can feel confident you'll get quality if you pay up for it, but it's generally also available at a much lower cost these days. One has to be smart about looking though, and preferably try out the board in a shop if one doesn't want to gamble.

    Some people insist on a microswitch feel, but I don't find that necessary myself. In fact, as long as a board gives a clear feedback so you're in no doubt whether a key has been clicked or not, I prefer it to be a bit light. And I think an ergonomist might agree with that? (Microswitches are wonderfully both clear and light, don't get me wrong. But they are expensive, and I think they are needlessly so for my keyboard needs.)

    *** 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: NYC
    • Registered: 02-Feb-2007
    • Posts: 104

    I'm using the Microsoft ergonomic 4000 keyboard (the one that's split in 1/2 and is slanted). I love it. It's very soft, comfortable, etc. I got it for good price too, around $25 after rebate, while the retail price is $65.

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    • Registered: 17-Nov-2006
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    sparky wrote: GipFace, you're cheating yourself with false economy if you reject a keyboard on price alone.  Your health is forever, and $150 is small potatoes compared to RSI surgery, and it's not even that expensive for an ergonomic keyboard.

    There's no point in buying such an expensive keyboard when you get get a comfortable keyboard for way less than that. It's simply wasting money.

    I bought the same keyboard as AGK did, and it gets the job done very well. When I type on it, my fingers feel like they're moving on water. Its comfortability cannot be denied, and it's relatively inexpensive as AGK has pointed out.

    Last edited by Golden_Hammer (06-May-2007 22:52:01)
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