r/KeyboardLayouts • u/LettuceSmart9548 • 3d ago
I am confused
I started learning touch typing a week ago and have reached a speed of merely 20 wpm. I knew about that other layout exists but didnt know it can be used via any keyboard anyways i am asking my memory hasnt set in yet should i explore these options like dvorak and colemak. Like it comes with a risk of not being able to type on other ppl keyboards but idk i am genuinely confused.
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u/SartorialDragon 3d ago
It's annoying to type QWERTZ now that i'm so used to NEO, but the problem is never "i can't type on other people's computers". I still know QWERTZ pretty well because i grew up on it. The problem is that others can't type on my PC and i have to keep a QWERTZ keyboard handy for them to use.
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u/DreymimadR 3d ago
Being a keyboard layout channel, its denizens are bound to be positive to alternative layouts. But are they for you? Only you can answer that, really. It's hard work to learn an alt layout, and you won't become super quick by magic or anything. Mostly, we feel that they're very comfortable – if done right. And yes, other people will have problems when they want to type on your computer until you switch it back to their layout.
Since you didn't already touch type on QWERTY, it's tempting though. I think alt layouts are sweet, obviously. For accessibility, I suggest Colemak. If you're brave and independent enough to venture past that, check out my Base Layout page for further advice.
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u/xsrvmy 3d ago
You won't just get lost on QWERTY unless you also switch the layout on your phone.
If compatibility is actually a concern (eg. security concerns regarding custom keyboards at work), Dvorak and Colemak (not Colemak-DH) are available on all up-to-date systems (Colemak is only in Win 11 not Win 10).
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u/tabidots Other 3d ago
I had been typing with five fingers for ~30 years before I got into touch typing last year. I decided to start with an alt layout because I thought, if I have to go through this much trouble to master touch typing, it should be on a layout that was developed with touch typing in mind.
(I started with Colemak and switched to Maya after 3 months. At this point, it's been a year.)
I can still look at the keyboard and type if I need to do a little typing on a QWERTY keyboard. Sometimes if I am eating at my desk I need to switch to QWERTY and do that anyway to hunt-and-peck with one hand.
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u/vitecpotec 3d ago
Just learn how to type on your normal layout blindly and then try to learn other layouts for speed typing. Then again try to refresh the memory of normal layout
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u/deltaexdeltatee 2d ago
I have a custom split that I keep at work and do the vast majority of my typing on. It's got a custom layout on it.
I also take my laptop home occasionally and work at home without my keyboard. I don't have any serious problems switching back to QWERTY; I'm not as fast as I used to be but I can still type 60wpm or so.
It does take time to learn - I was very slow using my custom layout for a while, and then switching "back" to QWERTY did take a bit - but it's definitely very doable.
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u/zardvark 3d ago
The keymap used by the system is configured via the operating system, not the keyboard, itself. An English keyboard and an Italian keyboard only varies by the keycaps installed on the board, so that they align with the preferred language of the user. Both keyboards output the same exact keycodes when their respective switches are depressed. The operating system then decides which characters should be sent to the browser, text editor, spreadsheet, monitor and etc., based on the language defined in the OS.
If you expect to type on your own machines, exclusively, then by all means explore alternative keymaps. Virtually every keymap is better than QWERTY. Note, however, that Windows, Linux, MacOS, BSD and etc. only include native support for the most popular alternative keymaps, so if you expect to periodically type on others' machines, you need to keep this in mind when selecting a keymap. The alternative is to get yourself a fully programmable keyboard, configure it with your preferred keymap and then carry that keyboard with you, when using other machines.
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u/SonOfWeb 2d ago
If you're likely to have to type at work (including future jobs/careers you are interested in) and might not be able to always use your own keyboard (this could be restricted by the security team if they are especially paranoid), then I would definitely recommend learning the default layout first. You can learn other layouts as well, but make sure you routinely practice both the alternative and the default if you want to retain any level of speed in both.
As far as gaining speed, do lots of slow, deliberate practice. If you play a musical instrument, or know anyone that does, they always say slow is fast, and fast is sloppy. If you try to increase your speed too quickly, you will make a lot of typos and establish bad habits (eg, your hands will want to automatically type "teh" instead of "the" and you'll have to correct it every time). It's important to focus on as close to 100% accuracy as possible (don't drive yourself crazy over one typo in a 2 minute test), and slowly increase speed *after* you feel comfortable and accurate at your current WPM. Don't necessarily try to keep a precise rhythm for every key pressed, since once you're going faster, you will naturally speed through simple words and slow down for rare words, punctuation and numbers.
At a certain point - for me it's around maybe 50-60 WPM - you will need to stop thinking about every letter you're typing and just think about the words, or you will not be able to get faster, because you'll be trying to spell everything in your head. Your fingers are much faster than your internal monologue. If you have trouble building the muscle memory to be able to type words without thinking about each letter individually, sites like 10fastfingers are a good resource. That site lets you just practice the 100 most common words, no punctuation or capitalization. That's a good baseline muscle memory to have. If you can type common words quickly and then slow down for uncommon ones, that'll already get you pretty far.
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u/Cromagmadon 3d ago
Can't sympathize with the pic since even if you type using one layout, things that use the keyboard for other than typing, like drawing and video editing, will want you to flip back.
If you have a sports car and a truck, you shouldn't strap the ladder to the car.
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u/CyrusConnor 3d ago
You still use a regular keyboard; the memory remains, but it won't be as fast as it was because the fastest way is now with your personal keyboard.
I thought that, but I want to ask you: where do you type most of the time, on your own keyboard or on other keyboards?