 |
| Photo from the Internet |
Now I used to know what qwerty was. Today , I was reminded about what qwerty is. I didn't really need to know what it is again.
Most of us have wondered about the arrangement of keys on a keyboard and why they are arranged in that order. I posted on it a long time ago. In the qwerty arrangement all the other keys are arranged around qwerty.
Typewriters were invented in the 1870's. There were a variety of keyboard make ups tried. One inventor tried having the letters in alphabetical order. The problem with most patterns was that keys that were often used were close to one another and so there was much jamming of keys. Somebody by the name of Mr Sholes spent about five years trying to develop a key board so that there would be a minimum of keys jamming.
This pattern gradually became the pattern used on all keyboards,
Well, the old typewriter has been obsolete for many years. My wife just sold her manual typewriter to an antique store this summer. With electronic key boards we don't have to worry about jamming keys. Will we get a new keyboard pattern? Somebody is probably working on a new pattern right now.
Wait a minute. Don't they have voice "typing". Just say what you want and it's printed!
Just think, you won't have to put up with all my typing mistakes. I make lots of mistakes and some of you are good at seeing them.
I never knew why the qwerty keyboard was used.
ReplyDeleteI imagine it's not quite as simple as I describe it.
DeleteI've tried voice text but my brain can't seem to work that way. I forgot it was called qwerty. I hope they don't change the order because it would really mess me up.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll all end up using voice.
DeleteHey, I enjoy your typing, even your mistakes. They are quintessential Red. :-)
ReplyDeleteSince you were an editor, you'll catch all of them.
DeleteI was so thankful when I could finally type on an electronic keyboard, where corrections were as easy as a backspace and the final document could wait until all editing was complete. I was not, and never have been, a good typist. And thank goodness for spell check!
ReplyDeleteI've tried to become proficient in typing but it's never happened.
DeleteWord processing where mistakes can be easily fixed and keys dont jam has revolutionised typing but I will be surprised if keyboards ever change. Im using a qwerty keyboard on my phone right now even though it's necessarily single finger typing
ReplyDeleteApparently the qwerty works well with thumb typing.
DeleteThis is a fun and very interesting post Red. It also takes me back to the QWERTY days and manual typewriters! I took typing in high school and typed on an old black Royal manual machine that had all blank keys so we had to learn the location of the letters! By the time my boys were in high school there were no typing classes but for those interested in computers there was a "keyboarding" class. I doubt if there is even that these days. The kids are using computers at a preschool age and seem to automatically be able to type. Maybe they are now born with it part of their DNA?! I love the convenience of computers but I miss typewriters.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember keyboarding in our school . It was a good program.
DeleteI make a lot of typing mistakes too. Most often I don't see them until much later even though I try to proofread. I think sleep deprivation is the reason.
ReplyDeleteMany of my typos and mistakes get by my editing.
DeleteI always liked typing very much. Have done it 7 years full time on a typewriter with 10 fingers blind, I was very good in it and had a high speed. I can still hear the bell tingle for the next line :)
ReplyDeleteI admire the people who are very good at typing using the old typewriters.
DeleteI think in addition to preventing jammed keys, the QWERTY layout is supposed to make the most-used keys the most easily accessible, thus facilitating faster typing. Or so I always heard.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. They had some kind of a clustering which put the most used keys in a location that was easier.
DeleteHello, I learned typing on the electric typewriters in high school. We were timed how fast we could type without looking at the keyboard. I am happy for the technology today, typing now is so easy. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!
ReplyDeleteYes, typing can be much more efficient where ever you go if you've had typing lessons.
DeleteI hadn't ever thought about the arrangement of the keyboard. I love reading this bit of history.
ReplyDeleteI had always wondered about the keyboard and had googled it before.
DeleteHi Red, Interesting post, especially for me, as a business ed teacher in high school I did teach keyboarding. You are so right about the arrangement of the keys. I was also told Sholes gave consideration to which letters were most often used and put those under the stronger fingers. Thus, Q, Z, ;, P and question mark are under the little finger. All of the vowels are under stronger fingers, except A, which doesn't require the little finger to move off the key. Thanks for the history!
ReplyDeleteIf you taught business ed. this post was old news to you.
DeleteI'd love to have an antique typewriter like the one in your photo.
ReplyDeleteThere was a wide variety of different typewriters.
DeleteI think I prefer working with the keyboard. Too easy for voice to text to take one word and pass it off as something else, I think.
ReplyDeleteI do think that voice will be much improved and we will use it.
DeleteNow, Keith. This is a myth, and not supported by any concrete information!
ReplyDeleteThey developed another keyboard (Dvorak) in the 1930s. It just didn't take!
Hey read John's comment. He's an expert.
DeleteI learned to type on an electric typewriter. It was a lot better than the older one like you showed. My mother had one of those that I occasionally used and it came in its own hard case.
ReplyDeleteSurprising how many different models of typewriters were produced.
DeleteOur daughter learned the alternative layout (I believe it was the one Jenn Jilks refers to above, the Dvorak) just for something to do during her lengthy illness as a teenager. I think you can change the settings on a computer for that purpose - it was so long ago I forget the details. It's actually supposed to be more efficient than the QWERTY layout. I don't think I could change at this point in my life! The keyboard is like an extension of my mind; I'd really miss being able to type my thoughts. Writing is painfully slow in comparison.
ReplyDeleteI will have to look at the Dvorak to see what it looks like.
DeleteI remember from my high school typing class that we were told the letters least used were put near our weakest fingers because they weren't needed often. Wow, I can't believe I remember that! I'm hope they don't come up with a new keyboard in my lifetime. I'm too used to this one.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll go to voice before too long.
DeleteThose old typewriters are really nice looking. They would make a lovely decorative item in the home.
ReplyDeleteWell. if you want a decoration go down to your local antique store. I'm sure you'll find one.
DeleteThis post brought back memories for me as well, Red. I learned to type on a couoke of manual typewriters and then used IBM Selectric models at my first couple of jobs.
ReplyDeleteI tried manual typewriters but made too many errors. It's a good thing we got school secretaries to do most of our typing.
Delete