http:\/\/www.typematrix.com\/<\/a> – no affiliation) keyboard.<\/p>\nShawn explains why most keyboards are staggered (mechanical typewriter constraints), and why that\u2019s\u2026 kind of absurd in a world where the \u201cbars that jam\u201d problem no longer exists.<\/p>\n
TypeMatrix goes with an ortholinear-ish grid<\/strong>, which makes touch typing feel more \u201clogical\u201d because you\u2019re not constantly compensating for weird offsets.<\/p>\nMy switch experience: the \u201cfirst week pain\u201d is real<\/h3>\n
I went into it thinking: \u201cHow hard can it be? I\u2019m a touch typist.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nWell\u2026 cue dramatic music.<\/p>\n
The first days were rough<\/strong>. The muscle memory you built over years doesn\u2019t politely step aside. It fights back. Hard.<\/p>\nBut after going cold turkey<\/strong> (no \u201cjust one quick QWERTY reply\u201d), it started clicking:<\/p>\n\n- Touch typing felt more natural<\/em> with Dvorak (especially on TypeMatrix)<\/li>\n
- Speed improved week by week<\/li>\n
- The mental \u201cmap\u201d started forming again<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The phone question: does QWERTY thumbs ruin Dvorak hands?<\/h3>\n
This comes up a lot, and we talk about it directly:<\/p>\n
\n- Typing on a phone is a different motor skill (thumbs, not fingers)<\/li>\n
- Keeping QWERTY on mobile won\u2019t necessarily \u201cundo\u201d your Dvorak learning<\/li>\n
- Shawn even mentions that he can\u2019t type QWERTY on a computer anymore\u2026 but still uses QWERTY on his phone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
So yeah\u2014no need to panic and install 17 weird iOS keyboard apps unless you really<\/em> want to.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re considering switching, here are some practical takeaways<\/h2>\n
If you type mostly in English and spend a lot of time at the keyboard, experimenting with Dvorak is one of those rare \u201csmall change, big daily impact\u201d things.<\/p>\n
My personal advice (based on what I learned the hard way):<\/p>\n
\n- Expect the first week to feel like typing with oven mitts<\/li>\n
- If you can, do it during a slower period (vacation \/ lighter workload)<\/li>\n
- Decide early: cold turkey<\/strong> or mixed mode<\/strong>
\n(mixed mode preserves QWERTY ability, but slows Dvorak mastery)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAnd voil\u00e0 \u2014 your keyboard becomes a project. Because of course it does.<\/p>\n
Transcript<\/h1>\n
Here’s the cleaned up transcript of my chat with Shawn (in case you wanna feed it into an LLM or something). If you want to listen to the recording, you can do so here (I suggest 1.5x speed as I speak too slow \ud83d\ude42)<\/p>\n
Shawn:<\/strong> Alright. Welcome back to the second DevThink podcast. This is Shawn Malo\u010di\u0107, and with me is\u2014<\/p>\nNikola:<\/strong> Nikola Bre\u017enjak.<\/p>\nShawn:<\/strong> Today, we\u2019re here to talk about the simplified keyboard layout, which is something that I\u2019ve been using for about ten years. It\u2019s more commonly known as the Dvorak layout because it was designed by a guy named August Dvorak and now bears his name\u2014which I think is actually a big problem. The simplified keyboard layout is something a lot of people would be interested in learning, but \u201cDvorak\u201d (d-v-o-r-a-k), syllables we don\u2019t generally use in English, tends to make people think it\u2019s something hard or scary.<\/p>\nI haven\u2019t found it to be that, and I\u2019ve found it to be very beneficial to my life. Nikola has been using it for, I guess, a few weeks now. Do you want to describe what it is, since you\u2019re looking at it from a fresher perspective than I am?<\/p>\n
Nikola:<\/strong> Yes. So basically, it\u2019s a different layout. You can use the Dvorak layout on any keyboard. Of course, it would be kind of a pain if you were looking at the keyboard and it says \u201cS\u201d but it\u2019s actually \u201cO\u201d if you switch. But then again, the advice you gave me was: do not look at the keyboard.<\/p>\nSo yeah\u2014basically, the letters are all mixed up based on this Dvorak guy. Actually, a side note: isn\u2019t it actually pronounced \u201cDvorak\u201d?<\/p>\n
Shawn:<\/strong> It is. That\u2019s actually probably the correct pronunciation. And I just want to mention: the layout was designed explicitly for the English language. So if you\u2019re typing in English, this will be helpful.<\/p>\nThe general idea is that the guy who invented it studied English words, phrases, sentences\u2014whatever\u2014and figured out how to minimize finger movement. So the keyboard is designed in such a way that if you were to type out an entire novel in both QWERTY (the standard English layout) and the simplified keyboard layout, your fingers would travel many, many miles less with Dvorak than with QWERTY.<\/p>\n
Nikola:<\/strong> Yeah. I read somewhere that it\u2019s actually 40% more finger movement on QWERTY than on Dvorak. And also all the vowels are on the left side of the keyboard. So in general, in English, you will alternate your hands when typing. There are almost no words you\u2019ll ever type in English all with the same hand, which is nice because it reduces strain that way as well.<\/p>\nAnd then in addition: if you consider your ring finger and pinky finger to be weaker, and your index and middle finger to be stronger\u2014the most frequently used keys you have to reach for or type are going to be with your index and middle finger. You do a lot less reaching. The less-used keys are the ones your pinky uses.<\/p>\n
And then the home row\u2014everyone knows \u201cA S D F\u201d \u2026 and \u201cJ K L ;\u201d. Anyone who\u2019s taken a class has done that. So compare \u201cA S D F\u201d with \u201cA O E U\u201d. That\u2019s your home row with your left hand.<\/p>\n
And the right hand\u2014instead of \u201cJ K L ;\u201d\u2014is \u201cS N T H\u201d. I mean, are there any more commonly used letters in the English language than \u201cS N T H\u201d? And who uses semicolons except programmers on a regular basis?<\/p>\n
Shawn:<\/strong> Yeah. So, anyways, as you said: \u201cNikola, try it.\u201d I was like, \u201cOkay,\u201d because I\u2019m going to do it. But then again, I remember one friend referring me to it before, and I looked at it and thought, \u201cAre you crazy?\u201d<\/p>\nBut it was an awesome time to try it because we were on a break, so I was at home and I said: \u201cI\u2019m going to give it a go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although\u2014to be fair\u2014I\u2019m doing this on a keyboard you gave me, thank you very much. It\u2019s actually a TypeMatrix keyboard.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s put Dvorak aside: TypeMatrix\u2026 I love it. I honestly love it. And as you said, you could use QWERTY on it without a problem. I agree. People should look up that keyboard because I think it\u2019s cool. Maybe you can say more about it, because you\u2019ve been using it for how long again?<\/p>\n
Shawn:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been using it since February 2006. I will not use anything else.<\/p>\nProbably everyone listening to this has a keyboard based on a limitation of mechanical typewriters. Back in the day, every key you pressed raised a metal bar with a reversed letter that slammed into an ink ribbon and hit the paper. So if you look at your keyboard\u2014just to pick two QWERTY characters at random\u2014there\u2019s \u201cJ\u201d and \u201cU\u201d. J is on the home row, U is right above it.<\/p>\n
If those metal bars were in direct line, you could never type J, because it would just slam into the U bar. So all the keys on your keyboard are staggered. Your top row isn\u2019t perfectly aligned with your home row, which isn\u2019t perfectly aligned with the bottom row.<\/p>\n
We still\u2014today\u2014manufacture keyboards this way, which makes no sense. Not only do you have to learn which finger types which letter and whether it stays on the home row or reaches up and down\u2014you also develop an instinct for whether you need to reach up and slightly left, or slightly right, or down and slightly left, or slightly right. There\u2019s no sense in this.<\/p>\n
So these people at TypeMatrix (typematrix.com)\u2014I have no financial association with them\u2014but I recommend everyone buys their keyboards because they are sane. They fixed this. I\u2019ve been using it since February 2006 and I will never go back.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve purchased extras and have them brand new in boxes in storage, just in case they become unavailable, because I don\u2019t want to type on anything else.<\/p>\n
Nikola:<\/strong> Awesome. Yeah.<\/p>\nWhat I noticed is that my fingers definitely don\u2019t have to move as much. But also, I really see that in this setup, I don\u2019t have to move my fingers much.<\/p>\n
One thing: I\u2019m in Croatia\u2014born and raised, still living here\u2014although I type mostly in English (like 99%), so that\u2019s not an issue.<\/p>\n
So how I started: I\u2019ve been a touch typist\u2014I can type very fast and I don\u2019t need to look at the keyboard. On QWERTY I was very fast. That\u2019s one thing. So I developed this muscle memory for certain keys\u2014when you see the key in your mind before you even press it.<\/p>\n
And now when I was trying Dvorak\u2026 oh dear God. First few days: a pain. Honestly, a pain.<\/p>\n
To be fair: I had to reply to one ping on Slack very quickly, and I literally went on my laptop and typed the reply there. It felt\u2026 relieving.<\/p>\n
But then I talked with you and you said: \u201cDon\u2019t do that, because you\u2019re not progressing.\u201d And I said: \u201cOkay. If I\u2019m going into this, I\u2019m going cold turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n
And literally ever since then\u2014so I\u2019m on my third week now\u2014I haven\u2019t used anything else but this keyboard and the Dvorak layout. It\u2019s gotten way better. Honestly, way better.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s one thing: I think it\u2019s way easier to do touch typing\u2014using all of your fingers\u2014with this layout, and especially with this keyboard.<\/p>\n
Also: zero affiliation. You were the one who introduced me to it. So yes, I\u2019m feeling there\u2019s definitely something in it. I\u2019m still not as fast as I was on QWERTY, but I\u2019m sensing I\u2019m developing new muscle memory for these keys.<\/p>\n
One thing I brought up\u2014and you said I shouldn\u2019t worry\u2014is that on my phone, I still have the QWERTY keyboard. And I felt that by using that, I\u2019m going backwards, like not using Dvorak everywhere.<\/p>\n
I installed some new keyboard on my iPhone, but I don\u2019t like it because it\u2019s not in the same row. But hey\u2014I had a great app idea there. Maybe I\u2019ll make it. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
But as you said, I don\u2019t have to worry about it, right?<\/p>\n
Shawn:<\/strong> Right.<\/p>\nHere\u2019s the thing. If you are in tech support, or if you work somewhere where you handle other people\u2019s computers all day, or use other people\u2019s terminals, you may have to type QWERTY.<\/p>\n
You can always do a software change of the keyboard layout from QWERTY to Dvorak, and that\u2019s fine. But if you feel it would be an undue burden to lose your QWERTY ability, then you have to continue to do QWERTY interspersed with Dvorak.<\/p>\n
Because if you don\u2019t, by the time you\u2019ve learned Dvorak fluently, you will actually have lost your QWERTY.<\/p>\n
I typed QWERTY for over a dozen years. When I switched, I went cold turkey, never looked back, and I completely lost my QWERTY.<\/p>\n
However, on phones, they didn\u2019t have a Dvorak layout, so I just continued typing with my thumbs on QWERTY.<\/p>\n
A couple years ago, I found I could actually get a Dvorak layout on my phone, and I switched to it\u2014and I was completely lost. I just went back to QWERTY on the phone.<\/p>\n
When I type with my thumbs, I use QWERTY. If you put a gun to my head and made me type QWERTY on a computer keyboard, I would not be able to do it. But it\u2019s the only thing I know how to type with my thumbs. So I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a detriment to continue thumb typing with whatever you want\u2014or swipe typing, whatever.<\/p>\n
Nikola:<\/strong> Awesome. Awesome.<\/p>\nAnyways, that\u2019s it for now. We\u2019re going to do a follow-up when I\u2019m \u201cconverted,\u201d so stay tuned for that episode.<\/p>\n
And until then\u2014try it. You\u2019ll see. I definitely see the benefit.<\/p>\n
If you asked me two weeks ago, I would tell you: \u201cOkay, that\u2019s kind of how I am. I will try it. I will give it a fair shot.\u201d But at that time I was like: \u201cThis cannot work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019m like: \u201cOkay. This will definitely work. I love it. Just give me a bit more time.\u201d<\/p>\n
So yeah\u2026 try it. See if this is something you may benefit from.<\/p>\n
Anyways, till next time.<\/p>\n
Shawn:<\/strong> Yeah. Look it up. Do some research for yourself, and let us know what you think.<\/p>\nNikola:<\/strong> Awesome. See you, guys.<\/p>\nShawn:<\/strong> Alright. Bye.<\/p>\nThank you for listening to the DevThink podcast. To reach us for feedback, show suggestions, or any other comments, email us at info@devth.ink<\/strong>. That\u2019s devth.ink<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TL;DR Why are we still using the QWERTY layout even if: it makes our fingers ‘walk’ way more miles for the same amount of written text (supposedly as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devthink"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikola-breznjak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}