Dvorak - it rocks

I use the Dvorak keyboard layout. I found it to be very easy to learn, as compared to Qwerty.

Basically, back in the early 90's I came across an article about the Dvorak keymap in one of the computer labs. It stated the origin of the qwerty keymap as being a modification to early typewriters to prevent jamming of the keys by purposely making the keyboard more difficult to use. I think this may be an over-simplification of the situation.

Originally the keyboard was layed out alphabetically, a remnant of which can be seen on the homerow with a s d f g h i j k l. This placed many of the most common keys beside or near each other, which caused jams when two keys crossed and got hooked together. In order to prevent this, you need to move these keys so that they are on opposite sides, which was done. A sidenote, salesmen liked the new layout because you can type the word typewriter all on the top row, very quickly and thereby impress the yokel, er, potential customer.

There is much controversy between whether or not the Dvorak keymap is faster than Qwerty. Several studies were done by the US Navy in the 1950's that purported to show Dvorak was vastly superior. All of these studies have since been shown to be flawed. The top Qwerty typists can match the top Dvorak typists for speed consistantly.

What I think is irrefutable, is the reduced stress on typists using the Dvorak keymap. The famous numbers are these: Qwerty=31% of typing is done on the homerow. Dvorak 70% of typing is done on the homerow.
Dvorak was designed to be the most efficient keyboard layout, one that emphasizes a drumming motion for typing as well as alternating hands to ensure an even workload. Keep in mind that my layout is specific to the english language a french Dvorak layout looks different again, based on frequency of letters.

There are also one-handed layouts for both right and left hands, which allow people with disabilities to use a keyboard effectively. This might be a good thing for all you folks practicing 'cyber' as I've been informed it is called.

So, basically I think you should check out the Dvorak Keymap. It's already installed on all Macs, and XP hides it under regional settings. I suggest using dvassist if you're using XP. The regional settings can mess with your programs. Scanners especially.