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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: omgitsaheadcrab on Wed, 25 May 2011, 10:11:18

Title: Typing woes.
Post by: omgitsaheadcrab on Wed, 25 May 2011, 10:11:18: First off, sorry about the "noobish" post..

I recently received my brown majestouch 2, and I must say I really enjoy typing on it.
The feel of a new keyboard got me thinking about learning how to type properly as I currently two-finger + thumb my way around life. I chug along at 50wpm and can happily type on my Otaku keyboard but I realise if I ever wanted to reach say, 90wpm, then I'd have to learn how to type properly.

So, after that ramble, how would you you suggest is the best way to learn correct finger positioning and which keys to go for with which finger etc.. ?

Thanks!
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: omgitsaheadcrab on Wed, 25 May 2011, 10:19:22: Thanks, sorta :p
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: mmmty on Wed, 25 May 2011, 10:35:54: Mavis sure has changed since the last time I saw her and not for better.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: kpeezy on Wed, 25 May 2011, 10:41:07: There's really not much to it. Maybe random word exercises would help you the most though. Just learn where to put your fingers and do it, literally nothing else to it. Eventually you'll get back to your original speed and then surpass it.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: mmmty on Wed, 25 May 2011, 11:12:20: Sushi bar>Spacebar

I get my quick keyboard ninja practice here http://www.keybr.com/.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: Tony on Wed, 25 May 2011, 12:06:02: Learning through game is fun. Here is Typer Shark deluxe, full version.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3iytml19xm9
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Wed, 25 May 2011, 13:33:44: typing of the dead is the best.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: nathanscribe on Wed, 25 May 2011, 16:40:38: The best way to type "woes" is to press w, followed by o, then e, and finally s. Make sure you release the keys in between.

... ;-)

As for typing, you could go back to 1983 and have to rush programming your 8-bit home computer with a listing from a magazine before bath-time. It's how I did it, though you'd have to invent a time machine first. And stay out of my bath.

Seriously though, I agree it's just a matter of putting in the time. Try not to look at your keyboard while typing, keep your wrists steady, and copy stuff out.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: rodya on Wed, 25 May 2011, 20:32:43: Quote from: Tony;351334
Learning through game is fun.

I agree:

http://play.typeracer.com (http://typeracer.com)
http://www.phoboslab.org/ztype/ (http://www.phoboslab.org/ztype/)

I wish I had typing of the dead!
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: DesktopJinx on Wed, 25 May 2011, 21:09:55: I wonder; do kids get typing classes in school?

Or is it like grammar, no longer taught because it's considered unnecessary?
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: Tony on Wed, 25 May 2011, 21:12:02: I try Amphetype (programmed by tristesse member of Colemak forum (http://forum.colemak.com/viewforum.php?id=6)) and it has an option that automatically detect your weaker words from your typing and let you practise them. The program gives you a lot of statistics that help you to improve from your mistakes, as well as a lot of options (the required accuracy to pass a text or a review, ability to type a whole novel and read them through typing is excellent).

Amphetype is definitely a tailor made software to learn touch typing efficiently. It does not have much graphics and fun stuff, but I highly recommend it to any typist that wants to improve their typing skills.

Here the Amphetype project homepage:
http://code.google.com/p/amphetype/

Download Amphetype (Windows, OSX):
http://code.google.com/p/amphetype/downloads/list

(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_GFFwWJrNOog/SVarjMcTfkI/AAAAAAAAARo/EEPemCt-hRE/ss6.png)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GFFwWJrNOog/SU52WslYCAI/AAAAAAAAAQY/YtmBS-qHotU/screenshot2.png)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GFFwWJrNOog/SVarjTXVU5I/AAAAAAAAARw/_1Dlp6C_5Xw/ss7.png)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_GFFwWJrNOog/SVarjlYeWuI/AAAAAAAAAR4/BvNTKjnoWLo/ss8.png)

Backstory of the author tristesse
=====================

About 4 months ago I attempted the difficult switch from Qwerty to what is commonly referred to as the Dvorak layout. I didn't know touch typing, so I had to learn that at the same time. It was hell on Earth. It probably took me a full week just to be able to snail away at 20 WPM and after a full month I was still only at 40 WPM. Dvorak is impossibly hard to learn.

That's when I discovered Colemak, a layout that promised to be even more efficient that the Dvorak and much easier to learn. I was intrigued and found that it fixed most of the issues I had with Dvorak, which only added to my frustration over not having discovered it sooner after having put so much effort into learning Dvorak. But finally I made the decision to switch again. Since this time I decided I was going to do it right I even went ahead and made my own keyboard layout based on a mix between the Colemak and the Norwegian Qwerty, but moving a lot of the common punctuation to the home and upper rows using the AltGr key.

After a week I was already as fast as my best speeds with Dvorak, and after a month I was at a more comfortable 65 WPM. Today I am at around 75-80 WPM, which is almost as fast as I once was on the Qwerty (80-85 WPM).

Now, in my long quest for learning a new layout, I have grown fond of programs and sites that help you measure and improve your typing. However, there is a lot of things lacking from most that I'd like to see. The two main things are:

* Texts that make sense: I am a big fan of Typeracer where you type actual quotes from popular culture (books, movies, songs). This gives you some shallow entertainment as opposed to just typing nonsense language-agnostic syllables which I find very dull and unrewarding. I also played some with TyperA which gives you random sentences, but they are cut off at awkward points (can't separate "." in abbreviations from proper end-of-sentence punctuation) and sometimes they're part of a joke that you don't get to see the follow-up to -- very annoying! A better version in this respect is Hi Games' Typing Test which at least give you random fragments instead of just half-sentences.

* Automatic lessons based on problem words (not just keys): TypingMaster Pro Satellite is an ingenious (albeit commercial and Windows-only) program which monitors everything you type and tells you which words and keys you have problems with (probably inferred from speed and backspace usage). So far I haven't found any alternative to it, nor even a free program which tells you what words you have problems with.

So basically when I wrote the first version of Amphetype on a long and boring ride on the night train these two items is what I had in mind: the ability to type texts from favorite novels, moves, web sites, whatever, and detailed statistics about problematic words and keys which can be used to generate new lessons. And that's what I've done.

From feedback from friends I've also added the ability to type whole books fragment by fragment so you can read them while practicing typing.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: mmmty on Wed, 25 May 2011, 22:07:56: I'll definitely try this program. Especially when it's free. It is free - right?
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: Tony on Wed, 25 May 2011, 23:01:00: (http://666kb.com/i/btt1s9tr49eidftsr.jpg)

Yes, it is free.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: Tony on Thu, 26 May 2011, 00:21:33: Quote from: rodya;351440

I wish I had typing of the dead!

(http://www.upl.co/uploads/Totd1.jpg)

Here is Typing of the Dead, RIP version for you

http://www.mediafire.com/?39n09opm4zqf7uo
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: cromartie on Thu, 26 May 2011, 00:56:38: Quote from: DesktopJinx;351460
I wonder; do kids get typing classes in school?

Or is it like grammar, no longer taught because it's considered unnecessary?

I dont know about other high schools, but there was a computer class that all freshman had to take which included teaching students how to type without being able to look at the keys. The program that was used to teach this was like a game for young kids.. similar to Math Blaster lol. But it did the job.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: rodya on Thu, 26 May 2011, 01:48:26: Quote from: Tony;351521
Show Image
(http://www.upl.co/uploads/Totd1.jpg)

Here is Typing of the Dead, RIP version for you

http://www.mediafire.com/?39n09opm4zqf7uo

Nice! Thanks!
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: daerid on Thu, 26 May 2011, 01:49:45: Typing of the dead is one of the greatest games I've ever played
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: Zet on Thu, 26 May 2011, 07:23:20: I don't have much to recommend since I typed a lot and made my way into touch typing, but after getting to know more about Colemak and Dvorak, I really want to give my best to learn how to write with Dvorak, I like to take challenges and I'm a fast learner. The only problems I have, and that I could use help with, is having the correct lettering on the keyboard, and/or that I write on Spanish mostly, so having to deal with the 104key layout, wrong lettering having to config a way to have easy áéíóú and ñ it's going to higher the bar a lot to me xD
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: mmmty on Thu, 26 May 2011, 08:23:40: There's a download link here. But you have to register. I haven't tried it yet.
http://www.download-full-games.com/pc/educational/the_typing_of_the_dead.html

(http://i.imgur.com/sgqSl.jpg)
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: omgitsaheadcrab on Thu, 26 May 2011, 08:34:17: wow, lots of helpful comments, thanks! :D
busy ploughing through mavis beacon at the moment, it's sad going from ~60wpm to around 20wpm, forcing myself to use the correct finger for each key - using one's pinky is tres annoying
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: sinis on Thu, 26 May 2011, 08:42:05: using ubuntu/kubuntu with the kubuntu-software Ktouch. Its OpenSource.

I also found TuxTyping (http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/tuxtype/download.php), which is open source and available for Windoze and Mac, too.
Title: Typing woes.
Post by: Tony on Thu, 26 May 2011, 21:55:16: [video=youtube;2Ki2-nKIXn8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ki2-nKIXn8[/video]
[video=youtube;M8VhKaY0tRU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8VhKaY0tRU[/video]
[video=youtube;MXpOBVUZn4Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXpOBVUZn4Q[/video]

Agreed. Typing of the Dead (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?39n09opm4zqf7uo) is the best typing software so far.

For anyone who start to learn touch typing, let's go all the way and try Colemak keyboard layout.

Here the Colemak layout
(http://www.upl.co/uploads//Colemak2.jpg)

As you see, this keyboard layout put all the most used English keys (etrsioandh) into the home row, which makes typing a lot easier. You can type a lot of English words without having to leave the home row.

It keeps 10 qwzxcvbmha keys intact, so your shortcut copy-paste-cut-select all are still working. You only have to learn the remaining 17 keys.

Your finger will move less 30% compared to Qwerty. For comparison with your own text, check here (http://patorjk.com/keyboard-layout-analyzer/).

For more information, visit Colemak website (http://colemak.com) and my convert experience to Colemak (http://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?id=970).