Why do we still use qwerty keyboards?

[Shurikens and Lightning]

...? QWERTY keyboards made us faster when we typed. The keys are arranged to place the most commonly used letters at the points where the fingers would normally rest... Who the hell have you been getting your info from?

From a small site called Wikipedia. Plus if the most common letters are in the place where fingers rest... why is J,K, and ; on the home row and E,U,I,O on the top row? Why is the period symbol on the bottom right? It is a pretty common key. I would love to know how long you spent on learning this before you decided to argue?

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

So she has to learn how to type.




What did we have to do?


Learn how to type.

Tell her to get over it. Life isn't fair.

 

[Icecoldcynic]

There's no way I could change now. I can touch type on a QWERTY but give me an ABCDEF and i'll become lost within seconds. There's no need to change something that's worked perfectly for years.

 

[Svizzara]

We're all used to it. When people get used to something, it's hard to convince them to change.

 

[Xhu]

The benefit from switching to a new layout (1) exists and (2) is negligible. The most commonly-referenced alternative, Dvorak, is faster, but not by anywhere near enough to make a changeover feasible to most.

 

[thepj]

I remember my IT teacher giving a lecture on this once.

On the original typewriters, the keyboard layout was different, and that layout allowed people to naturally type pretty fast. However, the fast typing often caused the keys to jam, so the keys were rearranged to the QWERTY position so people would type slower to minimalise jamming (I can't remember exactly why QWERTY slows people down, something to do with how the fingers worked or something I think). But since we're all so used to the QWERTY keyboard now it doesn't really matter anymore.

Thats pretty much the history. But now that we are using keyboards and not typewriters. Can you not argue that typing faster is what we want? QWERTY slows us down, that is bad. Slowing down typists is not a good thing in my opinion.

this may be true but QWERTY is the system everyone is used to, you might as well ask why we don't change electrical diagrams so that the positive and negative charges are the right way round, we don't because that's how it's always been done and that's how people are used to it

 

[ScarlettRage]

QWERTY-layout was made to make it easier to type fast.

And it worked.

And QWERTY is an awesome word.

it is
and this

We all love qwerty keyboards.

 

[ArcWinter]

It's too common. That's like outlawing alcohol - every person who enjoys poisoning themselves will have a big ol' ruckus, and if someone tried to change the keyboards, every little self-centered person on LiveJournal or Facebook would cry.

Sorry if that sounded bitter or offensive. I'm just a bit tired.

 

[TheEndlessGrey]

did you know that "typewriter" is the longest word using only one line of keys (top row).

OP: there is no point in changing it now, its too common. and i don't want to have to buy a new keyboard.

Did you know "stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only one hand (left)

 

[AWC Viper]

did you know that "typewriter" is the longest word using only one line of keys (top row).

OP: there is no point in changing it now, its too common. and i don't want to have to buy a new keyboard.

Did you know "stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only one hand (left)

OMG!!! BRICKS BLOWN AND MIND HAS BEEN SHAT!!!! i did not know that one!.

 

[mjc0961]

You do see ABC layouts on many devices nowadays but many keyboards still stick with this confusing system.

I'm not sure what you mean with this ABC layout on most devices. Pretty much every device I have that implents a type of keyboard has a QWERTY layout.

And really, why would we not still use QWERTY? Yes, it might be a bit of a pain to learn, but there's going to be a learning curve for learning how to type regardless.

 

[Xhu]

It's too common. That's like outlawing alcohol - every person who enjoys poisoning themselves will have a big ol' ruckus, and if someone tried to change the keyboards, every little self-centered person on LiveJournal or Facebook would cry.

Sorry if that sounded bitter or offensive. I'm just a bit tired.

Well, not really. Remember that there is no law saying which keyboards must [or must not] be used, and people using different layouts can still commmunicate with each other. There would be no huge, global, all-at-once switchover. Different keyboard layouts are made, sold and used right now with no fuss. It wouldn't affect people who don't want to be affected unless their occupation primarily consisted of typing, and even then only if their employer foolishly forced them to convert to a new layout in a short time. I doubt the people you are talking about would care much. They would probably barely notice news about something so nerdy and uncool.

Basically, to answer the OP: We use them either because each individual chooses to use them, or doesn't know alternatives exist. You, for example, could quite easily obtain a new keyboard at any time.

 

[PuppetMaster]

Sure, it takes some getting used to, but we shouldn't go around altering everything just because the next generation has trouble with it.

just like we shouldn't get a new lamp, even though the one in the corner is broken, the cord is frayed, the shade is ripped and it makes a funny smell if you have it on more than 20 minutes at a time. we're used to it by now

In fact, way too many people are used to texting

a system that follows ABC. That's like saying "too many" people wear pants.

resulting in the general lack of spelling and grammar skills in today's youth.

I'm pretty sure illeteracy was a problem before T9 was invented

Should we get rid of spelling standards so that those texters don't have to worry about learning how to properly compose their thoughts in a written format?

people who don't know the difference between txtmsg and a formal assignment don't deserve to succeed

I don't know if you're old enough to recall the attempted switch to the metric system in the U.S. What was that, the early 90s? Anyway, if I recall it lasted only a few months before us crotchety old buzzards [okay, so I was in middle school at the time] said "screw THAT hippie crap, and give me back my 12-inch ruler!"

god forbid us insignificant 90-something percent of the world try to encourage the great and mighty America to advance with the rest of us. Have fun rolling in the mud and shooting eachother with the Burmese and Liberians!

We're all pretty well used to it by now, so screw those kids and make 'em learn just like we had to!

We've gotten pretty used to metric in the 40 some years since it came to Canada, so screw those Americans and make 'em learn just like we had to!

 

[TheSeventhLoneWolf]

If they changed to ABC keyboards, I'd have to keep my nose plastered to the keys making sure I have an idea of what I'm typing.

 

[PuppetMaster]

'Cause replacing it with an APC-keyboard would mean that every single keyboard would need replacement.

over the course of a few years

So first you have to create massive amounts of Keyboards to supply the demand

gosh, the keyboard fairies would be exausted, if only we had a way to assemble them on a sort of line, we could build all kinds of products on a massive scale... someone call the patent office

which is very expensive

I can only imagine the financial burden involved with restocking the "Q" button applicator with "A" buttons

and where there are alot of keyboards (Think: High-Schools, Major Corperations) those institutions would have to pay major valuta to get all new ones.

no more than they do now to replace broken QWERTY's

Just stick with the QWERTY. It's o-so easy.

which explains why we use it in phonebooks, libraries, started teaching it instead of the alphabet, wrote a new song so kids could figure it out ect.

 

[PuppetMaster]

why would it jam with the abc layout?

everyone already knew where the buttons were from their extensive knowledge of the alphabet. Less time searching means faster typing means multiple hammers used withing split seconds of eachother means jamming

 

[PuppetMaster]

If we were to change now, it would be like having USA instantly change to the metric system

everyone else did

or have England drive on the other side of the road.

everywhere except north and south america drives on the right, so we're doing it wrong

 

[DeadlyFred]

Because some people still know how to type.

 

[Xhu]

or have England drive on the other side of the road.

everywhere except north and south america drives on the right, so we're doing it wrong

We drive on the left here in the UK.

why would it jam with the abc layout?

everyone already knew where the buttons were from their extensive knowledge of the alphabet. Less time searching means faster typing means multiple hammers used withing split seconds of eachother means jamming

Incorrect. As as already been stated, the QWERTY layout wasn't to slow people down. It was to separate common keys so that they weren't hit within too rapid a timeframe of each other, causing the jams. The fundamental difference is that QWERTY was a layout that allowed efficient typing at the same time as it reduced the frequency of these jams. An ABC layout is nowhere near as efficient. Dvorak, AZERTY, these are realistic alternatives to QWERTY. ABC? No.

 

[ratix2]

dvorak (named for the man who created it in the 1930s) has the keys specifically arranged so that typing is quick, easy and very fast. the world record for typing was done on a dvorak keyboard, and it is much more ergonomically friendly then either abcdef or qwerty.

the problem with abcdef is this, the keys are arranged so that anyone with no typing experience and no desire to try and learn how knows where the keys are because they are in alphabetical order. however if you look at the placement of the keys its very difficult to reach some of the most commonly used keys. its not very ergonomic and its actually not that easy to type on if you are experienced typist.

also, that assessment of qwerty isnt entirely accurate. while it was designed because abcdef WAS causing too much jamming of typewriters, it wasnt because people were typing too fast, but rather that people were using one hand to type entire words. THIS is what cause the jamming to occur, so to remedy this qwerty was invented, and the keys were placed so that people would alternate which hand they were typing with after every few keys.

the best keyboard by far IS dvorak, and sorry to say this but once you use it you will agree that its just so much more comfortable. my biggest problem with abcdef though is that it takes really no time at all to learn qwerty, once youve memorized the layout of the keys it just gets easier and easier, and memorizing them takes at most 2-3 hours of just sitting down and trying. in short, my problem with it is that people who want it are just too damn lazy to learn qwerty or dvorak.