Alternate keyboard layouts and their benefits?

[Cuddles McKitten]

I've been using QWERTY for many, many moons and I thought I might try to learn a different keyboard layout for greater efficiency (and something to do). For anyone who has tried different layouts, did you find it helped efficiency in the long-run? Any suggestions on whether to try Dvorak or Colemak first?

[PurposeOfReason]

If you're going different, go colemak. It is better and in all reality neither is going to become the standard as qwerty is "good enough". I used to use dvorak and loved it but I wasn't good enough to be able to switch back and forth so I was useless on other computers.

[Cuddles McKitten]

After playing with Tux Typing after work for while, I can say that I'm picking this up a lot faster than I thought that I would have. Now, at the very least, I'll severely confuse anyone trying to use my laptop.

[bonfire89]

yeah, qwerty is here or as long as our keyboards aren't radically different.


No way in hell am I learning a new layout if I will also be having to use qwerty... wwwayyyy too weird to be going back and forth.

[The Funkbomb]

I agree. The vast majority of keyboards use qwerty. While I think it's a stupid layout, I'm very used to it. I can type about 60wpm with it. That's not blazing fast but it's decent enough for my uses.

It's just like how I use linux at home but I'm still very comfortable with a windows pc and how I drive an automatic but if need be, I can drive stick.

[phrizek]

I had never heard of colemak before I came across this thread. I read up about it and now believe it to be the QWERTY alternative Dvorak should have been (for myself at least). So I've now switched cold-turkey. In fact, I've written this entire message in colemak!

[Zorian144]

I could never switch... every other computer I use uses QWERTY so switching would be a pain.