On Fri, 14 Jun 2002 02:28:31 -0600, FemmeFatale <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Sridhar Dhanapalan wrote: > > > > On Thu, 13 Jun 2002 23:06:29 -0600, Miark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Looking back, I can only bow my head in self-disgust. But > > > the lesson is a valuable one: Thinking that DOS/Win is > > > any more logical, intuitive, or superior than any other > > > OS is a mental prison. > > > > > > 'Course, when I figured this out, I bucked the whole > > > establishment, learning Linux and the Dvorak keyboard > > > layout :-) > > > > > > Miark > > > > > > P.S. Want added security on your workstation? Learn > > > the Dvorak layout. Nobody will be able to do squat > > > on your machine :-D > > > > I'm curious, is the Dvorak layout really any better than QWERTY? It sounds > > great in theory, but I don't know of anyone who can personally attest to > > that. Take a look at these articles: > > > > http://home.earthlink.net/~dcrehr/whyqwert.html > > http://wwwpub.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/keys1.html > > > > They seem to be of the opinion that the Dvorak layout isn't necessary, and > > is perhaps even flawed. I've been thinking of trying Dvorak out for some > > time, but these two articles have made me think again. > > > > -- > > Sridhar Dhanapalan > > > > If I may say: > > I'm a professionally trained touch typist. If it makes Any difference > to you heres a bit of info for your trivia brain. > > Qwerty keybaords setup was created on purpose to make sure typists COULD > NOT reach speeds exceeding 75-85 WPM *words per minute*. Seems > counter-intuitive doesn't it? > > Well heres teh rub: Back in the early 1910's or 20's, typewriters were > made with *GASP!* real metal keys that hit *GASP* Paper! *shock faints* > ;) > > As a result, if you went faster than 75 wpm you got the keys stuck to > one another...which of course ruined those darned expensive > contraptions! > > So...the QWERTY keyboard layout was born. Until then, keys were laid > out haphazardly across. With each different model a different Key layout > was around. Some genius got the bright idea to use the Qwerty Method > after seeing a similar method in Europe * I believe * used on their > typewriters. Thus the trend was born, & Underwood Typewriters made the > first QWERTY keyboards availabe in the US.
One of the links I gave above, http://home.earthlink.net/~dcrehr/whyqwert.html, states that typing speed had nothing to do with it: "When Sholes built his first model in 1868, the keys were arranged alphabetically in two rows. At the time, Milwaukee was a backwoods town. The crude machine shop tools available there could hardly produce a finely-honed instrument that worked with precision. Yes, the first typewriter was sluggish. Yes, it did clash and jam when someone tried to type with it. But Sholes was able to figure out a way around the problem simply by rearranging the letters." More can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~dcrehr/myths.html. -- Sridhar Dhanapalan "I care about the fact that our internal design has to be robust. It doesn't have to make everybody happy, but it has to be clean both conceptually and from a pure implementation standpoint. I don't want a "hack that works."" -- Linus Torvalds
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