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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
- Path: sparky!uunet!nntp1.radiomail.net!fernwood!metrop!robert
- From: robert@metropolis.com (Robert Munyer)
- Subject: Re: DVORAK Keyboard driver, can I change the keys of my keyboard?
- Message-ID: <1992Jul21.033445.21283@metropolis.com>
- Sender: robert@metropolis.com (Robert Munyer)
- Organization: Metropolis Software, Inc.
- References: <1992Jul19.043758.28131@csrd.uiuc.edu>
- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 03:34:45 GMT
- Lines: 117
-
- andrews@sp2.csrd.uiuc.edu (John Andrews) writes:
- > I wrote a program to generate random patterns to help me learn the Dvorak
- > keyboard. [...]
- > auauo aeuoe oaeue auaea eoeuo eueau euaou aeaeu eoeoe auoua oaeoe uaeau ouauo
- > eouea uauao eauau oauoe aoaue ouaua eaoeo uaeuo uauou eaeou euoeu aueao uoaeu
-
- No offense, but I think that this is not a good idea. The whole point of the
- Dvorak keyboard is that it is optimized for typing ENGLISH WORDS. I suspect
- that the kind of exercises that this program creates are really most useful for
- teaching a keyboard layout (like Sholes's QWERTY layout) that is specifically
- WRONG for English words.
-
- *************************************************
- * HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE LEARNING DVORAK *
- *************************************************
-
- A much better idea would be to write a program that generates random lists of
- real words that can be typed without removing your fingers from the home row.
- In fact, this is an EXCELLENT thing to try if you are learning Dvorak, for the
- following reasons:
-
- (1) It is VERY easy to memorize the positions of the 10 keys on the home row.
- (2) After some practice, you'll be able to type these words REALLY REALLY FAST.
- I tried this once years and years ago, and I found that my typing speed was
- getting close to three hundred words per minute on some of these sentences.
-
- If you try this exercise, I guarantee that you will feel a BIG BOOST OF
- ENCOURAGEMENT the first time one of your friends hears you doing one of these
- exercises and says, "You can't possibly be typing real words that fast. Why
- are you beating the hell out of your poor keyboard like that?"
-
- ***********************************************
- * WARNING: SHAMELESS ANTI-SHOLES SLAM FOLLOWS *
- ***********************************************
-
- Here is a list of all (well, most) of the words that you can type
- with only the home row keys on the Sholes (QWERTY) keyboard layout:
-
- % grep -v \[\^asdfghjkl\] /usr/dict/words | grep -v \^\[sdfghjkl\]\$ | fmt
-
- a ad add ah ala alfalfa alga algal all as ash ask ass dad dash fad
- fag fall flag flak flash flask gad gaff gag gal gala gall gas gash
- glad glass ha had half hall hash jag la lad lag lash lass sa sad
- sag saga salad sash shad shag shah shall slag slash
-
- OK, you 19th-century keyboard apologists, let's see how many decent practice
- sentences you can make out of that!
-
- Now, here's the equivalent list for the Dvorak keyboard layout:
-
- % grep -v \[\^aoeuidhtns\] /usr/dict/words | grep -v \^\[eudhtns\]\$ | fmt
-
- a ad add addend addenda addition adenine adenosine adhesion adieu
- ado aesthete ah ahead aid aide an ana and andesine andesite anent
- ani anion anise annotate anode ant ante antedate antenna antennae
- anti anus as ash ashen aside asinine ass assai assassin assassinate
- assent assess asset assiduous assist assistant assonant astatine
- astonish astound astute at ate atheist atone attain attend attendant
- attendee attention attenuate attest attestation attitude attune
- audio audit audition aunt auntie austenite auto dad dais dash data
- date daunt dead deaden deadhead dean death deed den denotation
- denote dense dent denudation denude desist destinate destine
- destitute desuetude detain detent detente detention detest detestation
- detonate deus diathesis did die diet din dine dint diode disdain
- dish dissension dissident dissuade distant ditto do dodo doe don
- donate done dose dot dote douse du dud due duet dun dune dust ease
- east eat eaten edit edition eh en end enstatite enthusiast eosine
- estate et eta ethane ethos etude euthanasia ha had hand handout
- handset handstand hash hashish hast haste hasten hat hate hath
- haunt he head headset headstand headstone heat heath heathen
- heathenish hedonist heed hen hesitant hesitate hi hiatus hid hidden
- hide hideous hideout hind hint his hiss histidine hit ho hoe hoi
- hondo hone honest hood hoot hose host hostess hot hothead hothouse
- hound house hue huh hunt hush hut i idea ideate idiot ii iii in
- inane inattention indeed indent indentation initiate inn innate
- innuendo insane inset inside insidious insinuate insist insistent
- instant instantaneous instantiate instead institute institution
- intend intendant intense intent intention intestate intestine into
- intonate intone intuition inundate iodate iodide iodinate iodine
- ion iota is issuant issue it naiad nation nausea nauseate ne neat
- neath nee need neon neonate nest net nine nineteen nineteenth
- ninetieth ninth nit no nod node noise non none noon noose nose not
- notate note notion noun nu nude nun nut nutate o oases oasis oat
- oath odd ode odious oh oint on one onion onset onto onus osseous
- ostentatious otiose oust out sa sad sadden sadist said saint sand
- sandstone sane sanitate sans sash sat satan satiate satin saute
- sea seaside season seat sedan sedate sedition seditious see seed
- seen seethe sen senate send sensate sense sensuous sent sentient
- session set shad shade shah she sheath sheathe shed sheen sheet
- shin shine shish shod shoe shone shoo shoot shot shout shun shunt
- shut shutout side sienna siesta sin sine sinh sinuous sinus sinusoid
- sis sit site situ situate situs snout so sod soda sodden son sonant
- sonata sonnet soon soot sooth soothe sou sound soutane south
- southeast stadia staid stain stand standeth stannous stash stasis
- state statue statuette status statute stead steed stein stint stone
- stood stout stud student studio studious stun stunt sud sudden suds
- sue suit suite sun sunset sunshade sunshine suntan suntanned sushi
- sustain tad taint tan tanh tannin tao taste tat tate tattoo tau
- taunt taut tea teahouse tease teat tedious tee teen teet teeth
- teethe ten tenant tend tendon tenet tennis tenon tense tension tent
- tenth tenuous test testate testes tetanus tete than that the thee
- theist then these theses thesis theta thin thine thinnish this
- those thou thousand thousandth thud thus ti tid tide tie tin tine
- tint tissue tit titanate tithe titian to toad toast toe ton tone
- too toot tooth toss tot tote tout tuition tun tuna tune tutu union
- unison unit unite us use
-
- OK, OK, these lists aren't perfect. But I'm sure you get the general idea.
-
- ______________________________________________________________________
- Robert Munyer | "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid."
- robert@metropolis.com | -- Bishop, _Aliens_
-
- Disclaimer: I never learned to touch-type on the old Sholes "Born to be Bad"
- keyboard layout. I am not responsible for any damage that this ancient, ANTI-
- ERGONOMIC technology may have done to your reflexes. Your mileage may vary.
-
-