# Dvorak, anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2000, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506 "2000-10-19T05:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baglady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Baglady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baglady)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/1 "2000-10-19T05:00:40Z")
Mr. Cynical’s [post about ergonomic keyboards](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42772) reminds me… is there anyone here who uses a [Dvorak-layout keyboard](http://www.thisistrue.com/dvorak.html) instead of the Qwerty keyboard? Care to share your experience in how long it took to learn/switch, how easy it is to type? How fast do you type now? Thanks! – Baglady, still qwertying. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/2 "2000-10-19T05:33:42Z")
Damn. I thought this topic was about the composer of the beautiful “New World Symphony.” Sorry. Carry on! ---
**Author:** ![La\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@La\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_King)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/3 "2000-10-19T05:50:36Z")
I had a similar switch of keyboards once. **I switched my keyboard once to full-aphabetical.** I used a foreign-language remapper and just moved the keys around. It was great! But they wouldn’t let me use it at work “because other people use your machine”. So I gave it up. But as far as picking it up, it took only one day of practice to become proficient, and my parents used the computer for the first time, so it was worth it! ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/4 "2000-10-19T09:02:15Z")
- - - Dvorak’s layout isn’t anything special. Reason magazine did a story once on the real deal, and basically, Dvorak owned the patent on his typwriter key arangement, and tried everything he could to get everybody to buy into it (including the US Army), which they didn’t. There was no keyboard standardization at the time, although most other smaller companies had gone out of business up against -uh, Smith-Corona? -and S-C just happened to use the QWERTY layout. Anyway, all these other companies just kinda threw the keys on there arranged any way that seemed convenient to the manufacturer, so every different brand of typewriter had a different key layout. - Dvorak’s reasoning doesn’t seem so silly, but more recent tests done around the world have shown that you can lay the keys out just about any way you want; the most significant factor is the amount of practice the typist gets. In his famous “US Army” tests (that he was in charge of, by the way), he put experienced Dvorak typists up against rookie QWERTY typists, so his did great in comparison. - MC ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/5 "2000-10-19T09:21:04Z")
I thought this was either gonna be about Dvorak the composer, or John Dvorak, that PC magazine columnist. Anyway… A couple months ago, I got curious about the Dvorak layout. It sounded good, so I decided to give it a shot. It was a bit odd at first, but in an hour or so I could feel my brain was slowly adjusting. Then a major typing task came up. As I typing away, I discovered that I just couldn’t type as quickly with the new layout. I worked for six months as a transcriber, and you learn to touch-type fairly well when you do that sort of thing… but I was stuck in qwerty mode. I’d start typing, and after a while I’d sorta forget that I’d changed the layout. When I’d look at what I typed, I’d see nothing but gibberish. I had to go back and retype it all again, slowly. It got frustrating. So I switched back to the qwerty layout, and I’ve left it there since. Switching can be done, and easily so if it’s something you really want to do, but make sure you give yourself time to learn it. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/6 "2000-10-19T13:25:10Z")
"Damn. I thought this topic was about the composer of the beautiful New World Symphony." —And I thought it was about Ann Dvorak. Wasn’t she great in “Scarface” and “Three On a Match?” ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/7 "2000-10-19T13:55:27Z")
Vladimir Qwerty is _my_ absolute favorite composer! ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2000, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/8 "2000-10-20T00:35:22Z")
[quasi-personal hijack] > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AudreyK \* > \*\*I thought this was either gonna be about Dvorak the composer, or John Dvorak, that PC magazine columnist. \*\* OOC, what are _you_ reading PC magazine (even the online version) for? Planning to convert? 🙂 > [@](#): > > \*\* > Then a major typing task came up. As I typing away, I discovered that I just couldn’t type as quickly with the new layout. I worked for six months as a transcriber, and you learn to touch-type fairly well when you do that sort of thing… but I was stuck in qwerty mode. I’d start typing, and after a while I’d sorta forget that I’d changed the layout. When I’d look at what I typed, I’d see nothing but gibberish. > \*\* Audrey, doesn’t pretty much _everything_ you type bear a strong resemblence to gibberish? (Heheh, just kidding. But that’s what you get for talking about my ass.) [/quasi-personal hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2000, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvorak-anyone/37506/9 "2000-10-20T03:38:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \* > **OOC, what are _you_ reading PC magazine (even the online version) for? Planning to convert? 🙂** Heavens, no. It’s just that he makes such an ass of himself that he gets mentioned in Mac circles. Actually, they really shouldn’t feed him. It’s too much of a compliment to get so much attention from the camp you’re ridiculing. > [@](#): > > \*\*Audrey, doesn’t pretty much _everything_ you type bear a strong resemblence to gibberish? > > (Heheh, just kidding. But that’s what you get for talking about my ass.)\*\* The difference is, I’m not the one who made the original remark (on email) about your ass being nice! To be honest, I’ve never even looked at your ass before… should I, when you come home for Christmas? 😛