On Sat, 13 Dec 2003, Taavi Burns wrote:
Similar tests, on a smaller scale, have been done by modern ergonomics researchers. Same uninspiring results -- at most, a small advantage.
But if it's a distinct, statistically valid advantage, is there any good reason to avoid learning, using, and/or promoting the use of a marginally superior layout?
Mainly, the very high costs of conversion, including a lengthy period of operating both. As with a number of other things, having everybody do things the same reasonably-good way is much more important than finding the absolutely optimal way.
what does a Maltron layout look like? Is it even physically similar to the keyboards we use today?
Only very loosely. It's closer to the "natural" keyboards. On each end, there is a sort of shallow bowl of finger keys. Below and inward from that, tilted backward, on each side is a small array of thumb keys (which includes assorted shifts and movement keys, the space key, and the E key). In the center above the thumb arrays is a numeric keypad -- accessible to either hand -- and some other odds and ends. It's a very sculptured layout with a very different key pattern, a full redesign rather than a trivial remapping of an ordinary keyboard. There's a picture at <http://www.keytools-ergonomics.co.uk/keyboards/maltron.asp>, although it's not quite large enough to make out all the key markings. (Google on "Maltron keyboard" for more references.) You might perhaps be able to come up with a vaguely Maltron-ish remapping of the standard layout. The thumb areas would be tricky.
Perhaps Dvorak is a step in the right direction, if only as a stepping stone, showing peole that There Is More Than One Way To Do It.
The cost of conversion, however, suggests that at most one switchover is acceptable.
Don't forget that there are also left- and right-handed Dvorak layouts which I think would be unarguably superior for one-handed typists. They use four levels of letters, with the numbers all off to one side.
<http://www.keytools-ergonomics.co.uk/advice/onehanded.asp> concludes that unless a one-handed typist was previously a fast two-handed typist, the overwhelmingly best choice is one-handed typing on a standard Qwerty keyboard, simply because it avoids needing special accommodations for that one person. (And if he or she was a fast two-handed typist, there are one-handed variants of Qwerty which may be preferred.) In any case, if you're buying a custom keyboard, there are one-handed Maltron keyboards which are probably preferable over anything Dvorak. Henry Spencer henry-lqW1N6Cllo0sV2N9l4h3zg at public.gmane.org -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml