Why do we use QWERTY keyboards
By spiderman05
@spiderman05 (851)
Canada
February 9, 2007 7:52am CST
Here is a funny anecdote that explains why is everyone stuck to QWERTY keyboards. Most people think, including myself, that QWERTY keyboards were designed to allow people type faster. Though this is not true.
In 1873 an engineer named Christopher Scholes designed the QWERTY keyboard to slow typists down. The typewriting machines at that time tended to jam if the typists went too fast.
Then, Remington Sewing company mass-produced a typewriter with the QWERTY keyboard. This meant that many people started to learn how to type on QWERTY keyboards. This also led smaller typewriting machines to adapt this emerging de facto standard.
So, we use QWERTY keyboards, not because they allow us type faster, but because they allow us type slower. Ironic, isn't?
2 people like this
6 responses
@darshakk (2141)
• India
9 Feb 07
initially we had typewriters and the letter A is the most used.In the QWERTY keyboard(typewriter),a is on the xtreme left so that it took time for typers to type A and thus to reduce the speed.....so as to avoid jam...
Now in keyboard , the pattern is so famous and used to that it has become a habit to use it!!!!!
@123bart (303)
•
10 Feb 07
one prob that comes to mind with the qwerty is that you have the two strongest fingers sitting on the J and K and you neve use them. The letter C is in the worse place considering how often you use it, so is the P and (sin!) the O.
The little fingers are always running! Here's more on it http://blog.charlescarroll.com/chazblog/?p=4
2 people like this
@123bart (303)
•
9 Feb 07
well, we USED to use the qwerty layout to slow us down when keyboard were mechanical, the reason why we use them NOW is that the layout has taken such a strong foothold that it will be impossible to retrain everyone.
Personally I started to use the dvorak layout one day this last october, I was using the keyboard so much, and using just two fingers they where beginning to hurt quite a lot so I decided to learn how to type properly and after doing a little bit of research I descovered DVORAK and thought I might as well start with the right foot, so after buying an ergonomic keyboard and some sticky labels for the keys, I set my PC to dvorak and now I am almost back to my old 2 fingers speed while using all fingers, perhaps I am already faster. In a year or two I expect to be faster than most qwerty typists, professional and not..
My fingers barely move, it's only a matter of practice now as the keys are in the best place they can be.
If interested, here is the page I used to type at first, http://www.powertyping.com/dvorak/typing.html after reaching a score of 21 on most of the exercizes I now just type freely on my lot and earn a little bit of money in the process.
2 people like this
@spiderman05 (851)
• Canada
9 Feb 07
Thanks for the info about the DVORAK keyboard. I am not familiar of this layout. I have another computer with an AZERTY keyboard (mostly used in Europe). I wonder now, what is the story behind the AZERTY layout?
2 people like this
@123bart (303)
•
10 Feb 07
I am not sure about the story behind the Azerty, just that it is the French way and it is even worse than the qwerty as the letter A is swapped with the Q which means there's yet another very important letter away from the home row.
There are other letter swaps but this is the one that make it worse.
But in the french language they might not use the A as much as the rest, I am not sure.
I just advice everyone who is thinking of learning how to type to switch to dvorak, if using a flat keyboard you can just swap the keys.
1 person likes this
@istanto (8548)
• Indonesia
12 Feb 07
HAHAHA!! It make me laugh when read on the reason why people make qwerty keyboard as standard design.
really I'm not joke this is first time I know why my keyboard show qwerty word hahaha.. thanks for sharing this I will tell my friends this they will like it.
2 people like this
@spiderman05 (851)
• Canada
12 Feb 07
I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I was not aware of this fact too until a few days ago. We use a lot of technology everyday without even suspecting for a minute the circumstances that led to that technology. I am pretty sure that there are plenty of other anecdotes about products we use.
1 person likes this
@Stunner_rocks (458)
• India
9 Feb 07
hey this is interesting...but the type writers might hav jammed then what abt the computers lol
@spiderman05 (851)
• Canada
9 Feb 07
Exactly,
the problem of paper jam disappeared by the use of computers, but qwerty keybords are pervasive now, so it is impossible to switch to a better layout.
2 people like this
@unusualsuspect (2601)
• United States
10 Feb 07
I read that quite a while back. Old technologies seem to hang on in one form or another even when they've outlived their usefullness. Even after years of typing, I'm still a lousy typist, and have to look at the keyboard for numbers, and for symbols that I don't use frequently. Poor memory, including body memory. I thought about trying Dvorak, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Since I'm not that well coordinated anyway, I probably wouldn't benefit from the change.
