

Dvorak7min: The free way to learn Dvorak in Linux - bigmetalman
http://www.thepowerbase.com/2011/10/get-some-stickers-and-learn-dvorak-on-ubuntu/

======
codehotter
I have experience with colemak, not with dvorak, but:

Don't do it for speed. I type exactly as fast in colemak as in qwerty, even
after years of using colemak. (110 WPM). The limitation feels to me to be in
my brain, not in the keyboard layout. Colemak _does_ feel much more
comfortable than qwerty. Although I stopped using qwerty for a month while I
initially learned colemak, I have been able to use qwerty or colemak
interchangeably since. It takes no effort to switch 'modes'.

The biggest thing I hate about colemak is that it breaks vim keybindings. I
actually use this script
<http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=2865> to have qwerty key
mappings in vim while having colemak in insert mode

If you're interested in learning a new keyboard layout, I recommend checking
out these links before you decide

<http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=Easy_to_learn>

<http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=Ergonomic>

Below is from the colemak FAQ on dvorak

[http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=FAQ#What.27s_wrong_w...](http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=FAQ#What.27s_wrong_with_the_Dvorak_layout.3F)

What's wrong with the Dvorak layout?

The main problem with Dvorak is that it's too difficult and frustrating to
learn for existing QWERTY typists because it's so different from QWERTY.
Colemak has been designed to be easy to learn.

Placing 'L' on the QWERTY 'P' position causes excessive strain on the right
pinky. Colemak doesn't place frequent letters where the pinkies stretch.

'F' is on the QWERTY 'Y' position which is a difficult stretch on normal
keyboards.

'I' is very frequent but isn't on the home position.

'R' is very frequent but isn't on the home row.

It is significantly lopsided so that the right hand does too much work.

It's not comfortable to use Ctrl-Z/X/C/V shortcuts with the left hand while
holding the mouse with the right hand. Colemak conserves those shortcuts in
their QWERTY positions.

Even though the design principles are sound, the implementation isn't optimal
because it was designed without the aid of computers.

'L' and 'S' form a frequent same-finger digraph on the right pinky. Same-
finger for the pinky is very rare in Colemak. In particular, Unix commands
such as 'ls -l' are very uncomfortable to type.

Some punctuation (in particular the curly/square brackets) is less comfortable
to type on Dvorak. This affects mainly programmers and advanced Unix users.

~~~
fferen
Longtime Dvorak user here. Some comments:

\- I almost always use my ring finger for 'L', including when typing 'ls',
which is fairly comfortable. I only use pinky when coming from a letter that
needs the ring finger.

\- 'F' is indeed in a terrible spot, I don't know what the Doctor was thinking
with that one.

\- I use the setting on the Mac that leaves Cmd- shortcuts in QWERTY, so
that's a non-issue.

\- I've never had a problem using Dvorak with Vim. In particular, I like how
'jk' and 'hl' are on different hands.

\- As for speed, I type much faster in Dvorak (~100 wpm) than I did in QWERTY
(~60 wpm), but that may be because I learned it around the same time I started
typing a lot more frequently, so take that for what it's worth.

Overall I agree that Dvorak isn't optimal but I wouldn't say the jump from
Dvorak to Colemak is comparable to the one from QWERTY to Dvorak. Plus, I
don't have nearly as much time/interest as I used to for learning a new
layout. :P

------
oskarth
For those looking to learn a new keyboard layout, I would suggest that you
take a look at Colemak before diving into Dvorak. It's easier to learn (more
common keys with qwerty), doesn't break common keyboard shortcuts, and some
would argue it's even more ergonomic than Dvorak.

[http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=FAQ#What_is_Colemak....](http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=FAQ#What_is_Colemak.3F)

------
hippiecow
To anyone seeking to switch from QWERTY to some other layout: I highly
recommend Colemak over Dvorak. Colemak is supposedly better optimized, and yet
it's easier to switch to from QWERTY since many of the key mappings remain the
same.

I switched ~2 years ago because while I could always type pretty fast (I think
80 WPM or so) on QWERTY, I could only do so while hunting and pecking. So
typing was somewhat tiresome. Now, I type faster because Colemak is
specifically designed for touch typing in mind. And I can still hunt and peck
on other devices (i.e. friends' iPhones, or library computers), possibly
because of my history of hunting and pecking with QWERTY, not to mention the
similarities between Colemak and QWERTY.

Not sure if there's an app for it - I just switched my keyboard and that was
that. Initially, I was pretty slow, but my speed quickly picked up. For more
info, you should check out their website:

<http://colemak.com/>

------
polshaw
Anyone looking to learn a different keyboard layout to qwerty should look
broader than dvorak.

Others have mentioned colemak, which is decent but QGMLWY layout[0] does
better in testing[1], and with reduced pinky use.

0\. The carpalx layouts: QFMLWY is letter-optimised, QGMLWB is fully-optimised
(moves the (semi)colon), and QGMLWY keeps ZXCV in place.

1 <http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?full_optimization>

E: autohotkey exe to try it w/o install:
<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/49319255/AutoHotKey/QGMLWY.exe>

------
hsmyers
Cheap and easy to use. Also does not obscure original key info.
[http://www.amazon.com/Simplified-Keyboard-Lettering-
Transpar...](http://www.amazon.com/Simplified-Keyboard-Lettering-Transparent-
Background/dp/B0011FI3O8)

------
teilo
I am a dvorak user because I never learned to touch type properly on qwerty,
meaning, without looking.

I still believe that the layout is more efficient, in spite of studies which
say otherwise, but I really don't care one way or the other. It works for me.

I am currently working on qwerty touch typing, without actually switching. I
see no reason this should not be possible. I know people that can play
mandolin, guitar (picking style), and banjo, and can successfully transition
from one to the other as needed, and that is a similar skill.

------
RegEx
I'm a Dvorak user. Learning Dvorak didn't help me type much faster. My qwerty
was 100, my Dvorak 120. I definitely feel more comfortable typing throughout
the day than before, though. I use VIM, and the location of the j,k,h,l keys
on the Dvorak keyboard do not really hinder me at all.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about the transitioning process if you
have any.

Dvorak is cool, but really, it's just a keyboard layout..nothing to get
passionate over.

~~~
ericmoritz
I got the urge to learn how to touch type in my mid-twenties. I didn't take
typing classes in high school because I took programming classes for my tech
credits, so I never learned.

I started off using Qwerty but found my hands cramping up. I fantasized about
getting an ergonomic keyboard to make it easier but I thought it was strange
to have to carry my keyboard between work and home (I didn't want to buy two,
they're expensive) Looking at the Typematrix keyboards peeked my interest in
Dvorak. I was already trying to learn Esperanto at the time, so what the hell,
what's one more oddity to add to my list.

I did dvorak7min everyday for a week or two and completely switched. I've been
touch typing using Dvorak for seven years now. I never had the hand cramping
issues I had with Qwerty. I am sure if I tried hard, I could type fast but I
enjoy how comfortable Dvorak is rather than the raw speed it would bring.

The only side effect of Dvorak was I ended up switching from Vim to EMACS
because the hjkl movement keys are no longer on the home row.

Don't worry, I gave up that Esperanto thing. I figured that with the amount of
effort I was exerting to learn Esperanto I could learn Spanish. I never did
learn Spanish.

~~~
RegEx
I was lucky enough to have parents who understood how important it would be
for me to be comfortable with computers, despite the fact that they were not
tech-savy at all. I was playing Mario Teaches Typing by age 5-6. I upgraded to
the more (hilariously) violent "The Typing of the Dead" for my Dvorak
endeavors, though ;)

------
evoxed
I highly recommend learning dvorak. I've switched the keys on every MacBook
since 2007 and the difference is huge (not just speed either, but mostly
comfort/ease). It took about two weeks to bring myself up to the same speed as
qwerty, and if you TOUCH type then switching back and forth is no problem at
all. Bonus: I often find myself typing with one hand while taking notes or
paging a book– with qwerty this was doable with some advanced pecking but in
dvorak it just feels easy with either hand.

Caveat... it makes _other_ people look computer-illiterate when they try to
use my computers... (so maybe not so good if you share a lot– or at least,
switch your keys back once you've tackled the dvorak-touch)

------
tennis
It's always interesting to see all the Colemak users recommend Colemak over
Dvorak, without ever trying the latter.

------
barumrho
I learned to use Dvorak using this site: <http://learn.dvorak.nl/>.

Caveat: It took me about (painful) two months to be able to type normally, but
I switched back to Qwerty because I couldn't use any other computer without
looking like a computer-illiterate.

