Can't believe it; I can't type accurately on QWERTY anymore!

[berserkfan]

Just switched back to a standard keyboard because my office was undergoing some mods. And to my horror, I'm a total mess on QWERTY! Come on, all I did was not to use a standard keyboard for more than a month. It can't be that bad?

Do you guys find yourself losing muscle memory quickly after switching to another format?

[dorkvader]

It's pretty common, depending on the person. It takes me a few hours (at most) to get used to dvorak again if I haven't used it in a few months.

[0100010]

This has been my reason for hesitation for switching to any other layout.  Since I use an average of three different keyboards everyday just at work (corporate dock, corporate laptop, test bench PCs KVM, and sometimes server room rackmounted KVMs) - I stick with QWERTY.

[faceyourfaces]

Which layout did you switch to?

[yasuo]

staggering or layout?

[dorkvader]

staggering or layout?

I believe he switched from a wide matrix Keyboard layout to a standard stagger one.

[berserkfan]

staggering or layout?

Which layout did you switch to?

https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=62920.0;attach=82077;image

As seen on my thread https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62920.0

That is my invented layout, a modified Colemak. It is my great frustration that most people don't see the advantage in matrix keyboards. Otherwise I could get people to do group buys for the PCB and casing.

I use 4 key profiles on the same keyboard. DCS/Cherry profile, SA, KMX, OEM.

The SA are for the control key, the space key, the enter/return key. To make then all easy to hit.

Unsurprisingly the windows key is on the lowest and flattest key, the KMX. That way I am least likely to hit the windows key by accident.

[fatmav]

I keep a Kinesis Advantage on my rotation and each week I spend at least a day on it. Having been doing this for over 15 years now, I am able to keep around 80wpm (as measured on 10fastfinger) regardless of which keyboard I happen to pick up that day. However, I note that I never manage to churn out writing or code that fast anyway and so wpm has never been my limiting factor.

My officemate uses a Kinesis too and he switches between his Kinesis and his Thinkpad all the time. He does not find this to be a problem either.

And indeed we both stick with QWERTY and so the difference in layout among our keyboards is small.

P.S. In fact, I feel that the one keyboard that feels the most different in my rotation is the Realforce 55g. All my other keyboards use either Cherry or Matias switches and I am quite used to them. The 55g is two years old now and I make the most typing mistake on it.

[EvilOliv3]

I don't get how people can be proficient in multiple layouts ex. qwerty, dvorak, colemark. You would literally have to be using both layouts everyday. Also, imo you need to type atleast 60+ wpm to be considered proficient.

[mougrim]

Month is enough. Even less. But if you'll type on it for a day or two, your fingers will remember

[dorkvader]

I don't get how people can be proficient in multiple layouts ex. qwerty, dvorak, colemark. You would literally have to be using both layouts everyday. Also, imo you need to type atleast 60+ wpm to be considered proficient.

It's like a language. If you don't use it all the time your skills start to fade.

For me that basically means accuracy goes down for a while, but I can switch back and forth pretty well.

[EvilOliv3]

I don't get how people can be proficient in multiple layouts ex. qwerty, dvorak, colemark. You would literally have to be using both layouts everyday. Also, imo you need to type atleast 60+ wpm to be considered proficient.

It's like a language. If you don't use it all the time your skills start to fade.

For me that basically means accuracy goes down for a while, but I can switch back and forth pretty well.

Lol I used qwerty half of my life, and then switched to dvorak. Been using dvorak for almost 5-6 months, I have to finger type on a qwerty now. So difficult for me to switch back. T.T

on a side note, I use to type 90 wpm on qwerty, now I type 60wpm on dvorak. I don't think I made a good decision by switching. Lol as of now, I really don't think these layouts make a huge difference.

[ander]

Just switched back to a standard keyboard because my office was undergoing some mods. And to my horror, I'm a total mess on QWERTY!

You could learn Dvorak. I can't think of any OS these days where you can't quickly switch from QWERTY to Dvorak (then back to QWERTY for the slowpoke person who uses the computer after you).

Do you guys find yourself losing muscle memory quickly after switching to another format?

Since I switched to Dvorak 20+ years ago, my QWERTY speed has indeed declined from ~70 wpm to 40–50. But that's sufficient for the odd times I must still use it, e.g. to type one or two sentences over someone's shoulder. (I'm 100+ on Dvorak—it took only 2 weeks to get there, and felt great from the start!)

Actually, it'd be a great brain-health exercise to keep both layouts up to speed. I play a few differently-tuned stringed instruments, too, and find it helps me stay sharp. And I'm not saying it's fair—but playing music also seems to impress the babes quite a bit more than demonstrating your typing skills.  :?|

[Polymer]

I'm sure if you switch back and forth you can eventually get used to it..you just have to train yourself to do it...

But I do admit, it is one reason I have chosen not to learn a new layout...I know they'll be more efficient and ultimately it would help my speed but my speed is more than sufficient right now and so far it lends itself to the greatest amount of flexibility....

It does suck though that we're basically stuck with QWERTY and there is pretty much no chance of a better layout replacing it as the standard..