ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) (02/10/90)
bdn@phobos.cis.ksu.edu (Bryan D. Nehl) writes: > I keep hearing about how great Dvorak keyboards are, so here is my question: > Where can I buy one and for how much? > I would prefer one with styling like that of the Zeos RS keyboard. > I would also prefer to keep the cost <=$100, is this possible? > I can type on a qwerty keyboard, would it be difficult to pick up > a dvorak layout without having a class? I borrowed a dvorak driver from a friend; it saved my backside until I could get my keyboard hardwired as DVO. There are Dvorak keyboards available...I don't have the $ available, but it was somewhere around $140. What I did was to order a new keyboard from Jameco (it's their fancy one with the trackball on the right end of the kbd -- I've seen it available from other sources, too) for $99.95 and opened it up and started cutting traces and adding jumper wires. It's not really a nice way to spend the day, but when it was over, I had a nice Dvorak keyboard that did pretty much what I wanted. There are some problems with this...one is sculptured keytops. On this partic- ular board, it's not too bad. On others, my Trash-80 Model 4p, f'rinstance, the effect is that the keyboard is in serious need of orthodontia. There are custom Dvorak keytops available...there's a concern that advertises in Byte (the one with all the colorful keytops in their ad) that sells them, but they're too costly for what I would get. I wanted the hardwired setup because the Dvorak TSR proved incompatible with several other programs, such as Microsoft Works (because it came bundled with the computer, that's why I have it) and a QuickBasic program written by a friend. Execute either of these with the Dvorak TSR resident, and it's reboot time. Additionally, the thing disabled Ctrl-Alt-Del and my 6MHz/12MHz speed shift. It also used memory which, I begrudged. Now, I'm disgusted. When I returned the software to my friends, I neglected to write down the address of the outfit. If I can find it, I'll post. I have a problem with the Dvorak keyboard. I first heard of it back in the early sixties, and resisted learning to type on the QWERTY keyboard because I knew there was A Better Way. I finally learned to type on my old Trash-80 Model I when a Dvorak software driver became available. The problem is that I can't touch type worth a fig on a QWERTY board. That's my problem with the Dvorak keyboard. There are also, I discovered, "Dvorak" keyboards available with special setups for the one-handed among us who need to type. I had never known of this; it's neat! I find it surprising that the keyboards themselves aren't completely program- mable. That would be very nice, indeed.... I can't say how easy it would be to learn to use the Dvorak layout without a class. I did it that way by hanging a small chart of key positions by my text to be typed, and started typing. It's the "practicum" approach...the way the cat learned to swim. Hope it helped (but probably not), d "Don't reinvent the wheel -- steal the plans instead." - Don Lancaster Duke McMullan n5gax nss13429r phon505-255-4642 ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu
bill@tcom.stc.co.uk (Bill Szelazek) (02/20/90)
In article <1570@ariel.unm.edu> ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu.UUCP (Duke McMullan n5gax) writes: >bdn@phobos.cis.ksu.edu (Bryan D. Nehl) writes: >> I keep hearing about how great Dvorak keyboards are, so here is my question: >> Where can I buy one and for how much? Pardon my ignorance - just what are these things? And where do you buy them? ____ Bill
pc2d+@andrew.cmu.edu (Philip Edward Cutone, III) (02/25/90)
I could be wrong (I have been before, I will be again) but if my memory
doesn't elude me too much, the Dvorak Keyboard is a Keyboard that has a
hinge in the middle that lets you put each half at an angle like this /\
This position is supposed to be more comfortable and efficiant to type in
for people who do alot of typing. One other possibility--- the Keyboard
may be one that has the keys in a non standard (QWERTY) position. The
Current qwerty keyboard was originally ment to slow the use down so the
typing levers would not jam when they went up to hit the ink ribbon on the
old typewriters...There are other keyboard styles out that use the key
frequency tables and place the mose commonly used keys in the home position.
asdfjkl;--- Like I said, I could be wrong (have been....) And speaking of
wrong, how bout that spelling of mine!!! ;-) oh, well, just my input...
me
Philip Edward Cutone III
`And in 'The End' the love you take, is equal to the love, you make.'--Beatles
'Let's Make Love!'-- Cutone
'What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties;
in form and moving how express and admirable, in action like an angel, in
apprehension like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragorn of animals!'
(Hamlet, Act II, scene ii)topher@topher.austin.ibm.com (02/25/90)
The original Dvorak keyboard is flat like ordinairy keyboards, but has a different key arangement. Other people have since come out with other variations that they claim are better. Topher Eliot (512) 823-3687 topher@topher.austin.ibm.com ...!cs.utexas.edu!ibmaus!auschs!topher.austin.ibm.com!topher
rwilliam@grebyn.com (Roger Williams) (02/25/90)
A Dvorak keyboard is one in which the keys are rearranged so that
the most-used keys are on the "home" row. The use of a Dvorak
keyboard results in faster speed and reduced errors by the
typist. For IBM systems, there are two ways to go -- you can
purchase a keyboard from:
Keytronic IBM Keyboard
Box 14687
Spokane, Washington 99214 ($256.00)
509-928-8000
Maxiswitch IBM Keyboard
9697 East River Road
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55433 ($150.00)
612-755-7660
Alternatively, you can reconfigure the standard IBM keyboard that
came with your system in software.
ACCUTYPE
Acu Business System
819 West 6th Street
Winona, Minnesota 55987 ($24.95)
(507) 452-4887
I haven't used *ANY* of these systems myself, so THIS IS NOT A
REVIEW.
Roger Williams
rwilliam@grebyn.comee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) (02/26/90)
The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard was developed by Dr. August (I think) Dvorak
in the first half of the century. He did this in association with George
Gilbreth (read _Cheaper_by_the_Dozen_ for background on Gilbreath; a delight-
ful book), a time-and-motion specialist.
There are several variations; mine looks like this:
` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = \ ' ...quite ordinary
/ , . p y f g c r l [ ] ...quite Dvorak
a o e u i d h t n s BS CR ... " "
; q j k x b m w v z ... " "
The letter layout is standard Dvorak. The other keys are a mixture of personal
choices and compromises forced by the fact that I made this keyboard by rewir-
ing a standard keyboard. BE WARNED: cutting and jumpering a circuit board on
this scale is a pain in the fanny. I only did it because the commercial Dvorak
keyboards are (due, I assume, to low demand) obnoxiously expensive.
Dr. D. originally had the numerals done differently, a 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 0 pat-
ern, if memory serves...don't take that exact pattern too seriously...it's
been a while since I've seen that layout.
From the time frame, it will be evident that Dr. D. did his work on type-
writers, not computers. We have a lot more characters on computer keyboards,
so the original designs weren't usable as is.
I discovered recently that there are one-handed keyboard variants around; I'm
uncertain if these are Dvorak's work or not.
My major personal choice was the location of that backspace key -- I use it
a LOT! ;^)
I wanted to move the backslash into a more accessable place, but I decided to
try it this way for a while. It's not that bad; I doubt now that I'll bother
to change it...but if I ever get my hand on the compujerks who used \ as the
MessDOS pathname separator...CRUNCH!
Backward compatability means backward...PERIOD!
Anyway, off my soapbox. I'd have preferred to reverse the casing of ' and ",
but that's more than just a rewiring job, and I didn't feel like opening up
and rewiring the keyboard ROMs. :-O
It's too bad that the keyboards aren't made completely programmable: That
would save LOTS of hassle. There are ways of modifying one of the ANSI drivers
to give a DSK, but it won't work with all the programs.
A week or so after I got the computer, I borrowed a commercial DVORAK driver
from a friend (she had gotten it over a year previously, but had never used it)
which kept my head...excuse me, fingers, above the water until I got the new
keyboard and rewired it. The driver worked, but it used up too much memory for
my liking, and it was incompatable with a compiled QuickBasic program, and with
Microsoft Works. Seems there were a couple of other things that locked up with
it, but I don't remember what....
The keys themselves were simply permuted, a process which works with varying
degrees of success on different keyboards. The critical factor is the extent
of the "sculpting" of the various rows. I originally did this on a TRS-80
Model I, which had all rows of keytops at the same angle. It's the best I've
ever done.... Years later, I did it to a TRS-80 Model 4p, and that keyboard
looks like it is in serious need of orthodontia. It wasn't much of a problem
to use, however.
I wouldn't even try it on my original Packard-Bell keyboard; that is VERY deep-
ly sculpted. My new one is the one you see in many of the ads that has the
built-in trackball on the right side of the board. It's sculpting was much less
than the P-B, and while it does look a little odd, it's not a candidate for
the dentist's chair. I'm quite happy with it.
I think someone else posted sources of DSKs, so I won't bother. I don't have
the addresses, anyway. ;^)
aoeuid,
d
Only in America could women demand to be considered an official minority
group with all the special privileges pertaining thereunto.
-- "Cactus Ed" Abbey
Duke McMullan n5gax nss13429r phon505-255-4642 ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu