For the record, when I changed my wireless from qwerty to Dvorak, I too had to use a knife to pare off some little tabs and grooves which prevented simply swapping the keys, as they would not all fit into their new slots because of them.

And yes, the result was a little bit bumpy due to the key contours, but not such that it made it "bad" -- actually, the new contours/topography was kinda handy for being able to detect where your fingers were without looking, same as those home-hey bumps on a normal kbd.

@ Alex -- thanks, I'll look at those links.

Sasha

Maybe Dvorak could be worth it, then. I might just sometimes switch the keymap and bring up a Dvorak keyboard diagram and type something.

BTW, what are the commands to change the keymap to Dvorak and back to US qwerty?

Like I said, you really just have to force yourself to use the layout, or to learn to touch-type. If you haven't learned to touch type yet, it will probably take you a bit longer to convert to touch-typing with the Dvorak, but a couple of weeks at the most. Start by just using Dvorak a bit each day, with an online tutor (I like http://gigliwood.com/abcd/), and then when you know the keys on each row and the positions, take a towel, throw it over your hands, and a couple weeks later you'll have forgotten that you ever looked at your keyboard.

Also, you don't really have to go through all the lessons, I didn't. Do a lesson until you are at the point that, even with a second of thinking, you can remember the correct position of the letter on the keyboard, and then move on. Finally, when you can visualize each row, go ahead and make the switch, and use the towel. It'll be very painful at first, but it pays of in the end.

The Linux and BSD kernels don't play nice with my hardware at this point, so I'm back to MS for a while. If you are using a DE, there should be some sort of system settings directory with a "keyboard" settings manager. Generally, these allow you to choose the keyboard layout you want to use, making it very easy to switch between qwerty and Dvorak layouts. I'm not sure the how to switch via the command-line, but you probably won't be able to do it without some sort of special program.

I can partially touch-type. I both use a combination of looking at the keys and remebering about where they are. Occasionally I catch myself typing without looking if I'm not thinking about it.

Maybe. But I think I will use Dvorak only when learning, and then switch to QWERTY for real work until I would be comfortable with Dvorak.

I am not using a DE, but I think there is a way to set the keymap. And not for X Windows, but for the entire system.

I think I poorly explained: Basically what I meant was that the remapping is software driven. So yes, you'd have to reset the keymap, I just don't know if the Linux kernel supports this feature natively or if you have to do it with the assistance of a special program, like those included in the DEs.

Since I am not going to use Dvorak outside X anytime soon, I added these aliases to my .bashrc:

Also one thing I noticed is that the staggering of the keys is very confusing and strains my fingers in Dvorak. BTW, I am writing this using Dvorak!

I modified Wikipedia's Dvorak map in a way that makes it easier to use for me, it's attached.

EDIT: I see Wikipedia calls it the win key, not the Super key.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Since when are we all talking about some d****k who knows keyboard just to learn how type again, considering there is no real advantages.

Got it already, I see!

The staggering of keys is more noticeable with the Dvorak because the layout is designed to keep your most commonly used letters on the home row. Therefore, when you have to type a letter on another row it is difficult mentally to move your anything but the one finger you have to in order to hit that key.

Proper QWERTY technique encourages this same finger placement, but the key layout has you skipping around so often that it is difficult to perform and, as you pointed out, the staggered keys make it painful even when you execute the technique correctly.

Honestly, I don't understand why we're still using staggered keyboards in the 21st century. They are inefficient and bad for your hands. I get the QWERTY thing, switching keyboard layouts is difficult, and QWERTY has been ingrained for almost a century, but I can't imagine switching to a non-staggered layout would be any more than a slight nuisance for the few days before you adapted.

EDIT: The win key, eh? Hmm, maybe we'll have to correct their image!

What was the purpose of staggered keys anyway? (still using Dvorak)

And AFAIK qwerty was not designed to be slow, it was designed to keep letters often typed together far apart to avoid jams.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to try it sometime (when/if I seriously want to try converting to Dvorak).

I do know that (modern) Mac keyboards are key-swappable, because when I was in high school, I would notice that somtimes the keyboards of the computers in the labs would have some of the arrow keys switched around, or letter/number keys would be switched. Sometimes even modifier keys would be missing! ()

Well, that isn't exactly true either. From Wikipedia:

Truthfully, no one knows for certain. But the reason I don't like the "keep the common keys farther apart" explanation is that it doesn't explain the staggered layout, which is nothing more than a huge impediment to efficiency. There isn't any logical, mechanical, or ergonomic reason that the keys are staggered the way they are unless they were placed intentionally to slow the typist down.

Also, I don't know if you have ever heavily used a manual typewriter, but for a fast typist, the QWERTY arrangement doesn't keep the keys from jamming at typing speed. Mine would jam all the time. The only thing that kept them from jamming more often is that I couldn't type any faster because of the poor key layout, the staggered design, and the fact that the keys were heavy and had a very long stroke (another impediment that could have been easily corrected in later typewriters).

I easily gained 20+ WPM on a computer keyboard, and that was from nothing more than not have to press so deeply or strongly on the keys. As for Dvorak, I'm still extremely new to it at this point, but others have claimed to gain at least 10-20 WPM increase once they finalized the switch (though I take that claim with a healthy dose of skepticism, it does make logical sense).

But honestly, I won't say I know from certain. I'm just going on speculation and experience.

Keep at it! We'll make a Dvorak user out of you yet!

i just remapped my keyboard to ABCD.
BTW it took forever to type this message!

I already have you on my ignore list, yet still find you remarkably irritating.

Maybe if you bothered to read something everything once in a while, you'd learn to shut your mouth rather than constantly revealing the unending depths of your own stupidity.