Why we have QWERTY Keyboards

[Ian]

I thought this article over at the BBC was an interesting read:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47460499

It explains a little bit about why the QWERTY keyboard layout is used, and some of the key layout considerations. For example:

The qwerty layout was designed for the convenience of telegraph operators transcribing Morse code - that's why, for example, the Z is next to the S and the E, because Z and SE are indistinguishable in American Morse code. The telegraph receiver would hover over those letters, waiting for context to make everything clear.

The article also mentions the Dvorak layout, which is supposed to be more optimal for modern keyboards. I've heard about it many times, but I've never used it or even seen it. Has anyone here tried it before?

 

[Becky]

That's pretty interesting, I had no idea where the layout came from. I've never tried Dvorak (or any other layout) and I guess it would be tricky to change after ~25 years of typing on a QWERTY keyboard. I use the Swiftkey keyboard on my phone, and I see there are various options for layouts on there - including the Dvorak one - so I'm tempted to give it a try and see how I get on.

 

[V_R]

Man, its bad enough when your keyboard layout is set to US English.

 

[Peru Bob]

Man, its bad enough when your keyboard layout is set to US English.

And vice versa.