[CS-FSLUG] Dvorak Keyboards

[Warren Sanders]

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Chris Brault wrote:
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Okay now, do you any of you know anyone using the
> Dvorak keyboard?
>
> What are your thoughts on the claims made about it
> (fewer injuries, higher comfort level and a shallow
> learning curve for current keyboardists).
>
> I'll let you know if the keyboard works with Ubuntu
> and how the configuration worked. Maybe we'll start
> something here.

I have been using the Dvorak keyboard layout primarily for over five
years now.  Like you I took a plunge at learning something new.  It
would be much better if I only had to ever deal with is this one
layout; I must stay current with Qwerty as well.  As a natural help
desk type person I need to be able to jump on anyone's computer.  I
first started with a cheat sheet I kept under the keyboard as a CADD
operator.  I could also create shorter commands to use just one hand
on the keyboard the other on the mouse/digitizer.  Then I was a
systems administrator and ISP tech support, Linux business software
support and now back to doing CAD.

Some jobs were less than thrilled during or after my employment.  The
SA job terminated my position so my Linux only machine was Dvorak
only.  They later had to higher me to train a third party company to
get around in Linux and I switched it back to qwerty at that time.
The ISP job... I was away from my desk and the SA come by to tinker
and I had it locked down and he was unable to type his "administrator"
user let alone a password ;-)  Needless to say he had to fetch me.  So
yes this is somewhat a local IDS (intrusion deterrent system).  At my
first CAD job I was sick once and had to talk another employee through
typing my user/pass in order to print out a file.  I'm a touch typist
and so I really don't know what keys are the alter without either
thinking/visualizing or just laying my hands on the keys.  Currently
doing CAD again and others frequent my desk and have made it clear to
them how to change it but in Windows it only changes to a non default
just for that application.  They would need to change it each time
they started a new app.

I have used some odd-ball keyboards too.  The Kinesis contoured
keyboard (http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/contoured.htm) and was less than
thrilled under qwerty or dvorak.  To me having my hands separated is
just way too weird and for me jumping around to different machines all
the time would be like a parking valet driver.

Anyway I type much faster using Dvorak and used to type fast with
Qwerty as well, but now I have to look at the keys for about two
keystrokes when switching to Qwerty.  Windows freaks me out a lot too
because I can be typing along and if I fat finger the keyboard it will
switch back to Qwerty.  I have hot keys set for this and I know I
didn't just fat finger the left alt+shift+1.

Happy typing...

Your brother in Christ,
Warren
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