Phooey on those stories. This is the real deal. Anyone can come and talk with me directly if they want proof.
I was a computer instructor for Packard Bell back in their hey-day around 1993. I was moved into their training department to train new computer technicians. I found myself typing a ton of technical documents but could never get more than about 10 words a minute no matter how hard I tried.
I resorted to using the old Mavis Beacon teaches typing program to try and speed up but could still never get very good at typing.
In the back of the Mavis Beacon book was the story of the typewriters getting jammed and the result being the QWERTY keyboard. It also spoke of the DVORAK keyboard so I set out to see if I could use it.
Fortunately for me, back then even DOS 4/5 and Windows 3 had the option to install a DVORAK driver.
I created a template on paper and placed in front of my keyboard. Within several weeks I was touch typing without looking at the template. After about 3 months or so, I was actually typing 60 words a minute. Sometimes you can type entire words without leaving the home row.
The DVORAK keyboard is much more comfortable to type with . . . I am still in the computer industry and STILL swear by the DVORAK layout. It truly is 70% more efficient. Plus it is fun when someone comes up to my computer at work to play a joke or something and the joke is on them because THEY can’t type . . . . not knowing that the layout is not the same as what they see on the keyboard, except the A and M keys, those are the same.
One last note, the biggest problem I have found that causes a slowdown in typing is looking at what you are typing. You should always look away even if you are typing on a computer screen. If you are reading a sheet of paper as you type, practice not looking back to the screen or the keyboard but focus on the paper.
Sincerely,
Michael McKinney
Network Administrator/Computer Instructor - 17+ Years on the DVORAK
