Typing "correctly" is hard...

[N8N]

well, not really.  But the reason I mention it at all is because my main reason for being here in the first place is that it seems that so many keyboards are unsuitable for a real typist.  And I type a lot for work, and was noticing some strain in my wrists/fingers.  So now that I have a good keyboard for work, I figured that it was time to work on the other half of the equation, since I haven't actually had a typing class since grade school.  Installed gtypist and then I discovered just how many bad habits I've picked up over the years.

Observations:

1) I apparently have the habit of using the shift key on the same hand that I am using to type the letter I want in caps rather than the opposite hand.  Dang!  that has to be slowing me down.

2) gtypist wants me to use left hand for b - why?  Right hand is more comfortable to me and b appears equidistant from f and j.

3) ISO enters suck.  Even more so when I am trying to touch type properly.  I keep hitting backslash and it is pissing me off.

4) gtypist also recommends using r thumb on space bar exclusively while I have found that I apparently exclusively use left.  I am totally unconcerned with this.

5)  I am now typing at about half my usual speed now that I am paying attention to my form.  I hope this pays off in increased speed...

no real point to this post, hence its presence in "off topic" - although the concept of a typing form refresher might be of interest to GHers.

[N8N]

OK, I guess I deserved that for having a typo in a post about typing...  but in my defense I am really trying to retrain myself and unlearning bad habits really is somewhat difficult and requires some concentration...

[N8N]

yah.  I suck at that too

[The Solutor]

Tying "correctly" is hard...

P is moved too  on iso boards ? :wink:

[Hydroid]

I type exactly the same way as you and I've also been trying to sort it out and type "properly" but from what I can see in the typing leaderboards, a lot of the top typists there claim they are self taught and don't have good form when typing so IDK how serious it is.

[BiNiaRiS]

most of us have some bad habits. mine is for sure the fact that I only use the left shift. i only use the right shift when i am typing a symbol or something.

i type about 70wpm now, which may seem slow to many of you, but less than 3 months ago, i was a hunt a pecker (haha) and i forced myself to convert. got a leopold otaku, which helped so much. took me a few weeks to break 40wpm and now i am steadily increasing.

i also have the habit of using my right finger for the B sometimes. it happens when my left hand is too busy though.

[sordna]

Something that helps learn proper typing, is a split keyboard, because it makes it very hard to use the wrong hand to type B or Y for example. Regarding proper shift usage, you need to practice: type some text, capitalizing the fist letter of every word, and concentrate / force yourself to use the opposite shift EVERY TIME. I managed to break the bad habits with lots of practice; the Kinesis keyboard and learning a totally new layout (dvorak) the right way helped me a lot. You can do it without changing keyboard or layout, but it takes discipline.  It's totally worth it however!

[Arcanius]

Try typing "Apostrophe" with right hand shift.
Not fun.
On Dvorak, it's even worse, since the right hand has L and S, which makes using Right Shift a pain.

[sordna]

Try typing "Apostrophe" with right hand shift.
Not fun.
On Dvorak, it's even worse, since the right hand has L and S, which makes using Right Shift a pain.

Apostrophe? Left hand does the A and right hand does the shift, where's the problem?
As far as LS on Dvorak, it's clear you need to use the left Shift. Always use the opposite shift, pretty simple, less strain on the hands, and actually faster!

[Arcanius]

The problem is going with your right pinky from right shift to P. This is really bad with the word "Also" on dvorak. Where you move the pinky a real lot. I prefer to just use left pinky for shift, and shift my entire left hand over, so the ring finger hits the A, and then I'm free to use my right pinky for the L and S.

[LETE]

Ever since Mrs.Gardiner said I had to start my letters from the top, I've been skeptical of the "proper way of doing things". I type my R's with the left middle finger, only use the left shift, hit the B with the left hand, and enter numbers exclusively with the number pad. I'm a mad man. My advice is, start with the proper way, then modify it to fit your needs.

[Findecanor]

I never learned touch typing "correctly". I can type pretty fast and accurately on a flat keyboard, in my own style where I use different fingers for the same letters when I type different words. When I am forced to touch-type, which I am on my Kinesis, I notice that I type much slower and make many more errors.

One thing that nags me about "correct" typing is when I have to use the same finger for two keys that are next to each other, such as "rt" or "p]" (The Swedish word "på"). In my own style I am used to typing words mostly as sequences of bi-graphs using primarily the index and middle finger in quick succession. My brain is trained to do different hand motions on the keyboard used to type various key sequences, not to remember which rows and columns there are.

[daerid]

I'm a pretty much classical touch-typist. I can't think of any habits I have that aren't "proper".

Although, I'm not sure that hitting the "B" key with your left hand is wrong. If you measure, it's slightly closer to your left hand than your right.

[jpc]

Kinesis + not Qwerty + touch typing FTW

Typing correctly is not hard. Breaking old bad habits is what's hard.

[iMav]

I'm quite fond of my Kinesis...but I do still use QWERTY.

[microsoft windows]

If you are having wrist pains, I would recommend taking a look at the orientation of the keyboard. I keep my keyboards flat on edge the table without the legs up or a wrist rest so my wrists will stay elevated. Having your wrists elevated can make a very big difference in your typing experience.

[The Solutor]

Hey, how did you get the post title changed?  I've been trying to get Wikis named "DELETE ME" deleted for ages!

Only the wiki's tiles are affected, you can rename the plain post's title w/o any problem.

[alaricljs]

Only the wiki's tiles are affected, you can rename the plain post's title w/o any problem.

As of the most recent upgrade.

[The Solutor]

As of the most recent upgrade.

The (normal) post tile's are editable since the stone age, unless disabled from the admin's panel.

[The Solutor]

Ah, one of the benefits of the Vbulletin upgrade.

More likely you just missed that function, it works here since the time when I'm subscribed (read before the latest upgrade), the wiki section rename it doesn't and GH is the first place I've ever seen where renaming the title mess up the thread (likely because this is the first forum I'm subscribed where the internal wiki section is used)

[The Solutor]

I just tried it (see link above).  

Didn't work.  Harry Potter thread title still says "2 months to go" instead of "Deathly Hallows 2"

Please change one of your posts and tell me what I am doing wrong Mr. Wizard.

Speaking of Harry Potter....
(Attachment Link) 22539[/ATTACH]

It works only on recently posted threads, not sure if because a technical limit or because a definite administrative choice.

Try renaming a thread posted today or yesterday.

[The Solutor]

You try it first and report back.

Ripster I'm subscribed to a zillion of forums and I know perfectly how it works.

I notice you tend to not back up your claims very often.

I tend to not write wrong informations, it's easier.

[AUAnonymous]

I've got this same problem. The thing is that I type just fast enough for it to not be a huge drag in my day to day typing, so often I wonder if it would really be worth it to "re-learn" (although it wouldn't be too huge of a change) the way I type.

[RiGS]

Am I the only one who find it hard to reach the "Y" key?
TBH I use QWERTZ layout, so that key key is Z for me, but I still find the position of that key uncomfortable, as I have to move my hand from the home row to reach that spot.
I'm seriously considering to remap that with ";"

[hashbaz]

Am I the only one who find it hard to reach the "Y" key?
TBH I use QWERTZ layout, so that key key is Z for me, but I still find the position of that key uncomfortable, as I have to move my hand from the home row to reach that spot.
I'm seriously considering to remap that with ";"

Y isn't an issue for me at all.  I do still frequently mess up C and V though.

[The Solutor]

Am I the only one who find it hard to reach the "Y" key?

Who need the ipsilon kei ? :party:

[Minskleip]

Που είναι;

[DivineWind]

I too had some really horrible habits that I for the most part broken but they are still lingering.  I used to only use the left shift key, not be on the home row, always look down periodically, and use the incorrect fingers to hit certain keys.  Now I have switched to Colemak and have fixed all those problems.  Now if I look at the keyboard it cannot help me because the layout is different!

[kdo99]

i've taken some online typing lessons and evidently the correct finger to use for the letter c is the left middle finger, which just feels awkward.  i'm guessing this is because having the c,v, and b on a single finger (left index) can slow your typing speed down.  i've tried correcting my bad form for about a week but it just felt unnatural, so this is one habit i won't be breaking.

[sordna]

i've taken some online typing lessons and evidently the correct finger to use for the letter c is the left middle finger, which just feels awkward.  i'm guessing this is because having the c,v, and b on a single finger (left index) can slow your typing speed down.  i've tried correcting my bad form for about a week but it just felt unnatural, so this is one habit i won't be breaking.

The reason it feels unnatural, is because the traditional staggered keyboard layout is unnatural. It is assymetrical, and especially horrible on the left hand. The C should be right below the D, not diagonally to the right!

[DivineWind]

I have always wondered if having a linear keyboard layout would be better than having the staggered ones that we use.

[sordna]

I'm convinced it's better... using the Kinesis contoured which has the keys in straight columns, and it makes proper touch typing natural. By the way, the TE website has some very good images that illustrate the assymetry of the traditional layout:

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 23017[/ATTACH]

The only reason for it, was to accommodate the pushrods of the mechanical typewriters in the late 1800's. It is appalling that we continue to have that zig zag arrangement in most modern keyboards.