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Hey, Professor Touchscreen, keep your fingers off our Qwerty keyboards
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and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Apr 26, 2013, 6:04:32 PM4/26/13
to
Hey, Professor Touchscreen, keep your fingers off our
Qwerty keyboards
Apparently we'd all type a lot faster if the alphabet on
our smartphones was rearranged. But is it too late to
teach old dogs new tricks?
The Qwerty typewriter keyboard was designed to stop keys
jamming�Photo: Alamy
By Harry Wallop
The Telegraph
April 25, 2013
There aren�t many inventions from the 19th century that
remain in daily use across the world, completely
unmodified. The flushing loo, the ballpoint pen and the
safety match merit a mention. But one is so ubiquitous
that most of us take it for granted: the Qwerty keyboard.
Ever since it was first produced in 1873, we have stuck
with it. First on clunky, mechanical typewriters with
their pleasing chika-chip-cha-chip-DING-ziiiiiiiip, then
with electronic word processors and computers. Even now,
touchscreen smartphones and iPads all boast the
distinctive layout, despite the fact that very few of us
are dexterous enough to touch-type on a device smaller
than a cigarette packet.
Even the most digitally supple teenager tends to use a
hot-thumb shuffle to bang out their texts.
And so researchers have created a new keyboard that they
claim is designed for people using two thumbs on a
touchscreen device. Instead of Qwerty, they have come up
with KALQ. Dr Per Ola Kristensson � possibly because he
has a very difficult name to type (as I�ve just
discovered) � says that the traditional layout has
trapped users in �suboptimal text entry interfaces�.
He and his colleagues at St Andrews University calculate
that the standard keys on a touchscreen device limits
typing to about 20 words a minute. With their funky new
KALQ board, which has all the vowels on the right-hand
side, users were able to get up to 37 words a minute.
This is an obvious improvement. But it is not that
surprising, because many difficult-to-spell pointy-headed
academics, think the Qwerty keyboard is one of the least
efficient pieces of kit ever invented.
Indeed, if we believe them, it is a miracle that this
article ever made it on to the page. It would be quicker
to scratch out my words using a stylus and wax tablet,
and shout the finished article through a cup attached to
a piece of string, than type it using a standard
keyboard.
But the reason for Qwerty�s inefficiency is also the
reason for its success.
Typewriters were invented by Christopher Sholes, a
Wisconsin senator and newspaper editor. His first
attempt, logically, placed all the keys in alphabetical
order. But this meant that the mechanical levers,
attached to the keys, became jammed if someone typed too
quickly. So, after many experiments, he moved the most
commonly used keys apart.
Thus the Qwerty was born. In fact, it was originally
Qwe.ty � but then Remington, famous for its sewing
machines and guns, and which produced Sholes�s
typewriter, moved the R to a more prominent position.
There is no proof that Sholes wanted to slow down typing;
he just wanted to stop his machine from becoming a ball
of jumbled metal. But the effect was the same � typing
using a Qwerty just isn�t very quick. Also, the spacing
out of common pairings of letters is responsible for
millions of people developing repetitive strain injury.
There are many other machines that allow people to type
more swiftly and safely, most notably the Dvo?r�k board
(invented by a distant cousin of the Czech composer),
developed in the Thirties. Crucially, this version allows
your fingers to jump and stretch less and your left hand
and right hand are used equally � with a Qwerty, your
left hand does well over half the work. The world record
for typing on this version is more than 200 words a
minute, a speed that would cause snapped fingers with a
Qwerty board.
And if it�s supersonic typing you are after, you should
have seen the old stenographers at work at the Old
Bailey, who used strange machines that worked like pianos
� they struck chords that produced phonetic sounds like
�th� and �sh� and could type more than 300 words a
minute.
Qwerty has survived for the simple reason that it got
there first and provided a machine for a world that
craved standardisation. This was the era when a nut
produced in Manchester would not fit a bolt manufactured
in London.
As Professor Doron Swade, a computer historian, says:
�The big lesson of Qwerty was the fact that it was
standard; it wasn�t the most efficient or the most
ergonomically sound.�
To anyone who touch-types, using Qwerty is as automatic
as handwriting.
That is why, despite its myriad faults, Qwerty must stay.
It is hard-wired into our brains; to create two separate
keyboards for different devices would cause a major short
circuit.
Related Articles
Typists urged to abandon qwerty 25 Apr 2013
BlackBerry's new keyboard phone: Q10 pre-orders open 05
Apr 2013
Britain's 'last typewriter' produced 20 Nov 2012
Swiftkey Android app knows what you're typing before you
do 11 Feb 2011
Why using a mobile is contagious 24 Apr 2013
More at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/10017975/Hey-Professor-Touchscreen-keep-your-fingers-off-our-Qwerty-keyboards.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
Qwerty keyboards
Apparently we'd all type a lot faster if the alphabet on
our smartphones was rearranged. But is it too late to
teach old dogs new tricks?
The Qwerty typewriter keyboard was designed to stop keys
jamming�Photo: Alamy
By Harry Wallop
The Telegraph
April 25, 2013
There aren�t many inventions from the 19th century that
remain in daily use across the world, completely
unmodified. The flushing loo, the ballpoint pen and the
safety match merit a mention. But one is so ubiquitous
that most of us take it for granted: the Qwerty keyboard.
Ever since it was first produced in 1873, we have stuck
with it. First on clunky, mechanical typewriters with
their pleasing chika-chip-cha-chip-DING-ziiiiiiiip, then
with electronic word processors and computers. Even now,
touchscreen smartphones and iPads all boast the
distinctive layout, despite the fact that very few of us
are dexterous enough to touch-type on a device smaller
than a cigarette packet.
Even the most digitally supple teenager tends to use a
hot-thumb shuffle to bang out their texts.
And so researchers have created a new keyboard that they
claim is designed for people using two thumbs on a
touchscreen device. Instead of Qwerty, they have come up
with KALQ. Dr Per Ola Kristensson � possibly because he
has a very difficult name to type (as I�ve just
discovered) � says that the traditional layout has
trapped users in �suboptimal text entry interfaces�.
He and his colleagues at St Andrews University calculate
that the standard keys on a touchscreen device limits
typing to about 20 words a minute. With their funky new
KALQ board, which has all the vowels on the right-hand
side, users were able to get up to 37 words a minute.
This is an obvious improvement. But it is not that
surprising, because many difficult-to-spell pointy-headed
academics, think the Qwerty keyboard is one of the least
efficient pieces of kit ever invented.
Indeed, if we believe them, it is a miracle that this
article ever made it on to the page. It would be quicker
to scratch out my words using a stylus and wax tablet,
and shout the finished article through a cup attached to
a piece of string, than type it using a standard
keyboard.
But the reason for Qwerty�s inefficiency is also the
reason for its success.
Typewriters were invented by Christopher Sholes, a
Wisconsin senator and newspaper editor. His first
attempt, logically, placed all the keys in alphabetical
order. But this meant that the mechanical levers,
attached to the keys, became jammed if someone typed too
quickly. So, after many experiments, he moved the most
commonly used keys apart.
Thus the Qwerty was born. In fact, it was originally
Qwe.ty � but then Remington, famous for its sewing
machines and guns, and which produced Sholes�s
typewriter, moved the R to a more prominent position.
There is no proof that Sholes wanted to slow down typing;
he just wanted to stop his machine from becoming a ball
of jumbled metal. But the effect was the same � typing
using a Qwerty just isn�t very quick. Also, the spacing
out of common pairings of letters is responsible for
millions of people developing repetitive strain injury.
There are many other machines that allow people to type
more swiftly and safely, most notably the Dvo?r�k board
(invented by a distant cousin of the Czech composer),
developed in the Thirties. Crucially, this version allows
your fingers to jump and stretch less and your left hand
and right hand are used equally � with a Qwerty, your
left hand does well over half the work. The world record
for typing on this version is more than 200 words a
minute, a speed that would cause snapped fingers with a
Qwerty board.
And if it�s supersonic typing you are after, you should
have seen the old stenographers at work at the Old
Bailey, who used strange machines that worked like pianos
� they struck chords that produced phonetic sounds like
�th� and �sh� and could type more than 300 words a
minute.
Qwerty has survived for the simple reason that it got
there first and provided a machine for a world that
craved standardisation. This was the era when a nut
produced in Manchester would not fit a bolt manufactured
in London.
As Professor Doron Swade, a computer historian, says:
�The big lesson of Qwerty was the fact that it was
standard; it wasn�t the most efficient or the most
ergonomically sound.�
To anyone who touch-types, using Qwerty is as automatic
as handwriting.
That is why, despite its myriad faults, Qwerty must stay.
It is hard-wired into our brains; to create two separate
keyboards for different devices would cause a major short
circuit.
Related Articles
Typists urged to abandon qwerty 25 Apr 2013
BlackBerry's new keyboard phone: Q10 pre-orders open 05
Apr 2013
Britain's 'last typewriter' produced 20 Nov 2012
Swiftkey Android app knows what you're typing before you
do 11 Feb 2011
Why using a mobile is contagious 24 Apr 2013
More at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/10017975/Hey-Professor-Touchscreen-keep-your-fingers-off-our-Qwerty-keyboards.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Apr 29, 2013, 7:40:29 PM4/29/13
to
Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
Forwarded post:
I can type quickly on a Qwerty keyboard and i can do it
quick on my blackberry phone. So I really not
interested in such a change, it would just be a waste of
my time learning costing me more time to learn it which
this new method would supposedly save. If you want to
become a faster typer just practice and it will get
better :)
- Jonathan Burkitt
End of forwarded post.
I can type quickly on a Qwerty keyboard and i can do it
quick on my blackberry phone. So I really not
interested in such a change, it would just be a waste of
my time learning costing me more time to learn it which
this new method would supposedly save. If you want to
become a faster typer just practice and it will get
better :)
- Jonathan Burkitt
End of forwarded post.
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