• Re: why reliable linux hasn't gained more market share? [Dvorak]

    From Russell L. Harris@21:1/5 to hlyg on Sun Jul 21 19:40:01 2024
    On Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 04:48:19PM +0800, hlyg wrote:

    On 7/21/24 02:33, Russell L. Harris wrote:
    The same reasons the standard typewriter keyboard is QWERTY rather
    than Dvorak:

    = The precedent set by the first to market is powerful.

    = The influence of advertising upon a populace lacking in discernment
    and addicted to novelty is deadly.

    Add to that extortion and bribes and a compromised legal system.

    The QWERTY system was designed to slow down typists so as to reduce
    the problem of jamming of keys of a poorly-designed mechanism.

    is it possible to remap keyboard to??Dvorak in X Window? does anyone
    use it to speed up typing?


    ISO published a Dvorak standard, but it was compromised, for the top
    (numeric) rows of keys were in the order 1234567890 . Dvorak has the
    keys in the order 7531902468 .

    For several years now, Debian has offered both the bastardized ISO
    mapping ("US > Dvorak") and the original Dvorak arrangement ("US >
    Dvorak Classic").

    IBM manufactured a Selectric with the ISO Dvorak keyboard. This was
    the original Selectric, not the Correcting Selectric II.

    Back when I ran Window$, one or two keyboard manufacturers (I seem to
    recall the name "Northgate") made Dvorak keyboards and even included a
    set of Dvorak keycaps.

    For me, a Macintosh guru changed the key mapping on a MacClassic to
    Dvorak.

    And long ago in Debian, with a bit of help, I managed to change the
    key mapping file to Dvorak.

    When in High School (A.D. 1963) I learned to type (QWERTY), the
    typewriters in the classroom had blank keycaps. A layout chart was
    hung on the wall in the front of the room. We learned to "touch
    type," and were able to reach 95 words per minute.

    I switched to Dvorak circa A.D. 1985, when I was given a project which
    required much typing. I made learning Dvorak a matter of "swim or
    sink." The first couple of weeks were painful, but within a month all
    was well.

    And when touch-typing, the labels on the keycaps do not matter. All
    my keyboards are standard QWERTY.

    In an office environment, the guy using Dvorak with a keyboard labeled
    QWERTY has no worries about others messing with his computer.

    RLH

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  • From Russell L. Harris@21:1/5 to Shawn Jefferds on Mon Jul 22 04:50:01 2024
    On Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 07:55:29PM -0600, Shawn Jefferds wrote:
    Your final statement makes me curious about learning Dvorak.

    Shawn Jefferds
    ??n ??f?rdz
    Noli fovere canem ardentum

    Vote Vader 2024!

    On Sun, Jul 21, 2024, 11:37 Russell L. Harris <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 04:48:19PM +0800, hlyg wrote:
    >
    >On 7/21/24 02:33, Russell L. Harris wrote:
    >>The same reasons the standard typewriter keyboard is QWERTY rather
    >>than Dvorak:
    >>
    >>= The precedent set by the first to market is powerful.
    >>
    >>= The influence of advertising upon a populace lacking in discernment
    >>and addicted to novelty is deadly.
    >>
    >>Add to that extortion and bribes and a compromised legal system.
    >>
    >>The QWERTY system was designed to slow down typists so as to reduce
    >>the problem of jamming of keys of a poorly-designed mechanism.
    >>
    >is it possible to remap keyboard to??Dvorak in X Window? does anyone
    >use it to speed up typing?
    >

    ISO published a Dvorak standard, but it was compromised, for the top
    (numeric) rows of keys were in the order 1234567890 . Dvorak has the
    keys in the order 7531902468 .

    For several years now, Debian has offered both the bastardized ISO
    mapping ("US > Dvorak") and the original Dvorak arrangement ("US >
    Dvorak Classic").

    IBM manufactured a Selectric with the ISO Dvorak keyboard. This was
    the original Selectric, not the Correcting Selectric II.

    Back when I ran Window$, one or two keyboard manufacturers (I seem to
    recall the name "Northgate") made Dvorak keyboards and even included a
    set of Dvorak keycaps.

    For me, a Macintosh guru changed the key mapping on a MacClassic to
    Dvorak.

    And long ago in Debian, with a bit of help, I managed to change the
    key mapping file to Dvorak.

    When in High School (A.D. 1963) I learned to type (QWERTY), the
    typewriters in the classroom had blank keycaps. A layout chart was
    hung on the wall in the front of the room. We learned to "touch
    type," and were able to reach 95 words per minute.

    I switched to Dvorak circa A.D. 1985, when I was given a project which
    required much typing. I made learning Dvorak a matter of "swim or
    sink." The first couple of weeks were painful, but within a month all
    was well.

    And when touch-typing, the labels on the keycaps do not matter. All
    my keyboards are standard QWERTY.

    In an office environment, the guy using Dvorak with a keyboard labeled
    QWERTY has no worries about others messing with his computer.

    RLH


    I always was a good typist, but before switching to Dvorak, I hated to
    type numeric material. But with the original Dvorak layout (in
    Debian, Dvorak Classic) numbers are a joy.

    Of course, with recent Debian systems, the keyboard mapping can
    automatically change depending on the user, in which case the login
    screen ought to be QWERTY; see SETTINGS MANAGER > KEYBOARD.

    RLH

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  • From songbird@21:1/5 to Russell L. Harris on Mon Jul 22 13:20:02 2024
    Russell L. Harris wrote:
    ...
    When in High School (A.D. 1963) I learned to type (QWERTY), the
    typewriters in the classroom had blank keycaps. A layout chart was
    hung on the wall in the front of the room. We learned to "touch
    type," and were able to reach 95 words per minute.

    i flunked typing in Jr. High school, i had a problem with
    the teacher but also hated manual typewriters. little did i
    know that a handful of years later i'd be spending many hours
    in a computer lab typing on keypunches and other layouts.

    i ended up learning how to touch type, but it did take some
    time. but i did learn. i'm sure i've got my ten thousand
    hours or more by now.


    ...
    And when touch-typing, the labels on the keycaps do not matter. All
    my keyboards are standard QWERTY.

    true, i'm typing on a keyboard that has no visible labels
    on the keys unless i turn on the LED lights which shine
    through the keys to light them up. it helps that there are
    the bumps on the home row keys and the number 5 on the
    number pad.


    In an office environment, the guy using Dvorak with a keyboard labeled
    QWERTY has no worries about others messing with his computer.

    :)


    songbird

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