Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [keyboard]

for questions about claims based on the computer keyboard and its properties (e.g. layout).

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Was the QWERTY keyboard layout designed to slow down typists?

I have heard that the QWERTY keyboard layout was invented to get around the problem of old fashioned typewriters getting stuck if you typed too quickly. Is this story true, or was there another reason for the QWERTY layout?
Ardesco
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Do programmers who learn to type faster become better programmers?

CodingHorror writes: So if you want to become a great programmer, start by becoming a great typist. [...] When you're a fast, efficient typist, you spend less time between thinking that thought and expressing it in code. [...] I believe in…
Christian
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Does the Dvorak keyboard increase typing speed?

I've read somewhere, I can't seem to find it now, that in an experiment involving people learning to type, that the Dvorak keyboard didn't have a tangible typing speed benefit in comparison to the QWERTY keyboard. Do you know of any studies about…
Peter Olson
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Is using a mouse less efficient?

Users of programmable text editors such as Emacs and Vim claim that using a mouse for day-to-day programming and computing tasks makes you less efficient. For example, in this playful Welcome to Vim video by Derek Wyatt, he calls the mouse a…
Nick
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Are ergonomic keyboards better for your health?

Popular consensus seems to be that ergonomic keyboards (with the middle split or curve) are better for your physical health than standard keyboards, and reduce the likelihood of carpel tunnel syndrome or other medical issues. If this is the case, I…
DuckMaestro
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Does the DVORAK keyboard layout reduce the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

I am a programmer and have been for over 20 years and I am starting to feel the effects of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I have always used the QWERTY style keyboard though I have often heard that the DVORAK style was better and more ergonomic. In doing…
Chad
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Can a trained person write twice as fast on a Velotype keyboard as they can on a traditional keyboard?

The Wikipedia article on the Velotype keyboard claims: A practiced "veyboarder" can produce more text than on a traditional keyboard, as much as 200 words per minute, double the rate of a fast traditional typist. Because of this, Veyboards are…
Christian
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Are consumer brain-wave devices faster than keyboard/mouse?

I've seen advertisements for headsets such as the OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator, and recently there is a NeuroSky MindWave. Are these devices really capable of beating a keyboard and mouse for either high throughput or low latency? Edit: For a simple…
DeadMG
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Are Vertical key layouts more ergonomic?

One of the feature that kinesis advertises for their Kinesis Advantage Pro Contoured Keyboard is: Vertical key layout - keys are arranged in vertical columns to reflect natural motions of your fingers Typematrix keyboard get advised with the…
Christian
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