Anyone else use Dvorak Keyboards?
 

I "built" myself one by buying a cheap keyboard at Frys and re-arranging the letters to conform with the Dvorak standard (most operating systems have the Dvorak layout built-in as a keyboard choice). Although it's tough, I'm teaching myself to use it and it's clear to me after a few weeks that it's MUCH more efficient and effective.

For those that don't know the history, the standard "QWERTY" keyboard was invented in the 1860s with the deliberate intention of slowing down typists and alternating left/right keyboard strokes for most words to avoid jams in mechanical typewriters (remember those with the "arms" that would be mechanically connected to each key?) Dvorak is based on ergonomics and letter frequency alone. The world record (212 wpm) was set on one - I can see why.

Just curious if anyone else here uses it or has plans to...

who invented the Dvorak system? do you know?

The reason I ask is about 15 years ago I was on a flight from HI and sat near this guy who claimed to have invented such a thing. He was a Prof from the U of HI and he told me all sorts of weird, but cool things. My wife and I were taken back by the guy.

He also told me not to drink from plastic bottles?

From Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard

Hmm, I thought it was invented in the 1920s or 1930s, so I'd suspect the guy you met didn't actually invent it... Possible I guess. Or maybe he worked on a variant of it. Dunno.

No troubles, the guy was definately eccentric and explained it in detail amongst other topics. He was a facinating individual, the inventing part might just be my imbelishing memory gland?
Thanks.

I should give that a go.
Self taught to type at about age 30.

I've went a slightly different route.

http://impostor.files.wordpress.com/...ainmachine.jpg

What's the wife think of that?

No plans to. Even with my mediocre skills on a QWERTY, I can type as fast as I can compose text to type. And there are plenty of devices that aren't Dvorak-enabled - iPhones for one (yeah, there is a complicated hack). But, it is interesting, so if the Dvorak k/b works for you, go for it.

a big problem for me to adopt this layout is that the only machine that i use, out of several, that would have it is the one i use at home.

yeh - to both the posts right above...

What I do wish is that it was the std. and I'd learned to type on it instead of the QWERTY.

I think his son, John D., is the computer writer.

plastic bottles - at least many of them - have a chemical that leaches out into the water -- bunch of news stories on it recently