Rare keyboard layout series - 7

To read other article of this series, click here.

Finally the last post for this series, the summary. I know some of you glad that it is finally over, hahah.

So why do Dvorak, Coleman, Maltron, NEO, and Fitaly (and many more) failed to take over QWERTY even if they are much more better and much more effective or faster than QWERTY?

1. Time
Some of these keyboard layout come out during great depression (example Dvorak), people just don't have the money to invest in it. Others are too late to the market, the world already get used with QWERTY layout, so will just ignore these new keyboard layout.

2. Implementation
Shortcut key that we used for example Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X and Ctrl-V for copy, cut and paste in Windows are difficult to use when switch to these rare keyboard layout. For UNIX, text editor like vi and vim, the key to move around text H, J, K, L are not at at the right place anymore with these rare keyboard layout. Also for video games, we usually use W, A, S and D for movement, they are not at the right place anymore with these rare keyboard layout, no consumer would want that.

3. Supports by manufacturer
Most big players in PC industry do not want to support it because not a big market for these new keyboard layout. Most of the world already used to QWERTY and QWERTY do not need a lot of resources to train people to use it.

4. Cost
Another reason PC manufacturers do not want to adopt keyboard layout other than QWERTY is because of the cost. It is much more expensive to change the hardware and the customers also not wanting these new layout.

5. Training
Another reason manufacturer, typing school (during old time - the pre-PC era) and PC training center (the PC era) already have training material and courses for QWERTY, why do they want to spend money and resources to change if most of the people just want the QWERTY training?

6. Vicious cycle
Since very few PC manufacturers want to adopt these new keyboard layout, the less training center and school would want to teach them. And even less corporate and consumers would want to use it because lack of training and supports. And with that, even less PC manufacturers want to adopt them. And the vicious cycle keep on going and going, until 99.99% of PC and smartphone users don't even know about these rare keyboard layout.

Even though it is much easier to implement these rare keyboard layout nowadays with soft keyboard (no hardware change require) because of popularity of touch based devices (iPad, tablet and smartphone), 99.99% of these users will continue to use QWERTY keyboard layout.

I will continue to use QWERTY anyway. How about you? :)

btw, Happy National Day to all fellow Malaysian!

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source: I wrote this article!

Rare keyboard layout series - 6

To read other article of this series, click here.

Also invented to type faster than speeding bullet QWERTY keyboard layout, FITALY keyboard layout minimize distance traveled while entering a word.

z	v	c	h	w	k
f	i	t	a	l	y
		n	e
g	d	o	r	s	b
q	j	u	m	p	x

Was implemented on very old generation of pocket PC and Windows Mobile and also table PC (NOT iPAD OKAY?). This guy also never take off, I mean this keyboard layout. Pocket PC and Windows Mobile are the ancestor of iPhone and iPad, apple fan boys, don't laugh, without these ancestor, you don't have iPhone and iPad okay?

See why these rare keyboard layout failed at the summary post. (coming soon [link here])


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source: I wrote this and pictures/table and some sentences from wiki.

Rare keyboard layout series - 5

To read other article of this series, click here.

From wiki: The Neo layout is an optimized German keyboard layout developed by the Neo Users Group, supporting nearly all Latin-based languages, including the International Phonetic Alphabet, the Vietnamese language and some African languages.

Looks like the software keyboard layout for layer 3 (second image) that we usually use on smartphone nowadays after we press "special characters".

See why these rare keyboard layout failed at the summary post. (coming soon [link here])


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source: I wrote this and pictures and some sentences from wiki.

Rare keyboard layout series - 4

To read other article of this series, click here.

Another type of rare keyboard layout is Maltron. Designed for ergonomic but still based on QWERTY, and I am too lazy to elaborate more, go read at wiki yourself. :P
Maltron wiki.

See why these rare keyboard layout failed at the summary post. (coming soon [link here])

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source: I wrote this and pictures and some sentences from wiki.

Rare keyboard layout series - 3

To read other article of this series, click here.

The second rare keyboard layout is Colemak keyboard layout.

Build upon the QWERTY layout as a base, changing the positions of eighteen keys while retaining the QWERTY positions of most non-alphabetic characters and many popular keyboard shortcuts, making it easier to learn than Dvorak for people who already type in QWERTY.

Once again, this layout also invented to allow us to type faster and less hassle. But it still not being very popular. See why at the summary post (coming soon [link here]).

More on Colemak keyboard layout at wiki.


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source: I wrote this and pictures and some sentences from wiki.

Rare keyboard layout series - 2

Yesterday I wrote about QWERTY and a bit of story. Today let begin the rare keyboard layout.

First one is Dvorak Simplified Keyboard.
You can either read the 19700 lines of Dvorak in wiki page, or just read my blog. :P

The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard is a keyboard layout patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak and Dr. William Dealey.

Dr Dvorak discovered that the QWERTY layout has too many disadvantages (fingers have to travel far far away, single finger typing for too many times, etc), hence slowing down the typing effectiveness using QWERTY. Therefore Dr Dvorak invented the Dvorak keyboard layout.

It supposedly boost the typing speed for xx% to xxx% compare to QWERTY layout. As I wrote above, to read the full story, go to the wiki page. :)

I will discuss why the rare keyboard layout failed at end of the this series.

update: to read the summary of this series, click here!

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source: I wrote this and pictures and some sentences from wiki.

Rare keyboard layout series - 1

Writing blogger post daily is hard, but I still committed to write or just copy and paste some time (okay okay, most of the time :P ).
Lack of ROI as well because nuffnang income is so pathetic, I haven't reach the amount of allowable claim after more than 1 years of adding nuffnang in this blog.

Anyway, I will write something (or copy and paste :P ) no matter how.

We are stuck with QWERTY keyboard in most part of the world. There are also AZERTY, QWERTZ and HCESAR, but they are based on QWERTY. So that's why I said most part of the world use QWERTY keyboard. heheh.

Why QWERTY? I heard the story of inventor of QWERTY just jumble up the key, so that it will stuck less when typing on type writer.

Lets talk about the first rare keyboard layout tomorrow then, the Dvorak layout.

update: the summary of this series, click here!

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source: I wrote this!