Killing QWERTY

As I mentioned earlier, I finally got around to toying with Dvorak like I've wanted to for a while. I've only been using it for a couple of days, and I already noticed a large increase in efficiency as well as reduced stress and strain from typing. Being rewarded for proper form is a nice bonus. However, there are a few faults such as the punctuation layout, the disorganization of common global hotkeys (Ctrl + C/V/Z, etc.), and the annoyance of having to reach more with pinkies. So now I'm still a bit on the fence about going to Dvorak or the more recent development of Colemak which seems to address these issues while additionally providing an easier learning curve transitioning from QWERTY (only 17 keys have been rearranged from the QWERTY layout; common shortcut keys are left intact). Colemak is not without its faults as well. While Dvorak takes notice of hand alteration, Colemak has the more common keys placed more effectively - residing on the home row. Dvorak attempted to do this, but Colemak claims to do it better. The problem is that a lot of the work is done with the right hand. This can reduce speed dramatically as well create additional strain. None-the-less, I'm going to try and give it a shot next.

If you type a lot, program, whatever, I'd seriously consider switching from QWERTY if you still use it. Switching from Dvorak to Colemak or vice-versa yields little reward and is probably not worth the time and effort to re-familiarize, but you should definitely pick either of those more ergonomic layouts and drop QWERTY.

QWERTY (DIE!!! U R OBSOLEET)

The QWERTY layout was initially developed in the 1800s by Christopher Sholes, and first debuted on typewriters. Salesmen often attempted to use this layout to impress potential customers by exhibiting that the word "typewritter" could be completely typed from a single row. A major fallacy in the layout is that less than 100 English words can be typed without leaving the home row (as opposed to over 400 using Dvorak or Colemak). Research shows that the home row is only used 32% of the time when typing. Due to the network effect, the adopted standard layout has yet to be changed in modern electronics and input devices. Then you must factor in the fact that typists would have to be retrained, etc. Keep in mind that QWERTY was also developed for the original typewriters. The design aimed at spacing key frequency and pacing typing so that simultaneous key presses didn't result in the early models getting jammed.

Dvorak

Dr. August Dvorak, after studying letter frequency and the physiology of human hands, later created the Dvorak layout in 1936 to overcome some of the faults found in QWERTY. Colemak was more recently developed as a modern alternative to either layout and attempts to correct the problems most commonly noted in both while easing the transition from the standard QWERTY. In the end, Colemak vs Dvorak all comes down to criteria and personal preference.

Colemak

Swapping your keyboard's virtual layout to Dvorak or Colemak takes no more than a few minutes. They often come as pre-installed options on Linux, and I know for sure Dvorak is an option in Windows XP - 7, but there are a plethora of solutions and software to getting the job done. Most OS options allow you to switch between layouts with the hit of a hotkey (Ctrl + Shift in Windows 7).

Setting the Dvorak Layout on Windows 7
(Click to Expand)

The first step, albeit an optional one, should be to figure out if you're going to change the physical layout of your keyboard. Although, having a QWERTY keyboard while using an alt layout can lead to entertainment if you have other people that try to sneak on your PC. Anyway, this ought be an irrelevant matter as you should be touch typing.

The best choice, in my opinion, is to have a blank keyboard like the Das, Happy Hacker, or Filco. But, if you want to try and change the layout on your current keyboard by swapping keys, there are a couple of things you need to check first. Quite a number of keyboards seem to have different 'grooves' on the home keys (J & F). It varies from keyboard to keyboard, but what I mean by this, for example, is that while the keys may have horizontal slots where the keys pop in, the home keys are vertical. There are workarounds like moving all the keys except the four you can't and then putting labels over them. Or, you can buy custom labels all together. The other issue is that some keyboards have sloped keys where the degree of inclination varies with each row. This can cause an uneven mess if you try to move them. After this and figuring out your method to change your input layout, it's all pecking from there as you attempt to become comfortable with your new layout.

Colemak differentiation (from QWERTY):

http://patorjk.com/keyboard-layout-analyzer/
^ Awesome. Lets you put in a block of text you've written and tells you what layout is best for you with all kinds of statistics. It even generates an optimal custom layout based on your typing frequencies.


Colemak
http://colemak.com/ - This site has all the information you need as well as what to download to use Colemak.
http://colemak.com/Compare - See the actual statistical differences when typing QWERTY vs Dvorak vs Colemak
http://www.learncolemak.com/

Dvorak
http://learn.dvorak.nl/ - There are many typing tutor sites/softwares, but this is the one I used and it took me about an hour and a half to reach a decent speed and memorize the layout well.
http://www.dvorak-keyboards.com/dvorak-keyboard_com.gif - Printable layout.


http://www.typefastertypingtutor.com/
http://keybr.com/
http://hi-games.net/typing-test/
http://patorjk.com/typing-speed-test/

So, I'll be making the switch to Colemak now. It's the alt-alt-layout for unlame alt-alters like Jared Leto and myself.
fuck u qwerty
so unchill now
the epitome of mainstreamer

Addendum: One thing I forgot to point out is that Colemak remaps CAPS LOCK as Backspace, and it freaking rocks.

Colemak has been a super easy transition. I highly recommend it as a beginner alternative layout.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pkl/ - This is a really handy project that makes portable layouts a cinch. You can toggle between your active Windows layout and the portable layout by hitting both Alt keys simultaneously. You can also toggle a visible visual layout that sits at the bottom/top center of your screen. Features deadkey support and sits in the system tray.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pkl/