what is a QWERTY keyboard?

cyberstar

What does qwerty mean? Are all keyboards qwerty? I also notice that there is the word QWERTY on the keyboard layout. Its just that I'm buying a keyboard, and sometimes on the description it mentions qwerty

marty1888

cyberstar wrote:

What does qwerty mean? Are all keyboards qwerty? I also notice that there is the word QWERTY on the keyboard layout. Its just that I'm buying a keyboard, and sometimes on the description it mentions qwerty

QWERTY is the correct keyboard for you.
Its basically in relation to the layout & position of the letters and symbols.

QWERTY will be the 1st 6 letters on the UK keyboard below the numbers.
Foreign keyboards as used in say France, Spain etc will be AZERTY and these letters will be positioned where QWERTY is on ours.

Poppy9

A keyboard is called a QWERTY because of the layout of the keys. As you have noticed the left 2nd row spells this word. I learnt to type on a manual typewriter and was told the QWERTY keyboard was designed to reduce the number of finger reaches for words as it's based on the most popular letters used.

I think I read a few years ago that someone had redesigned the keyboard but it didn't catch on.

movieman

I learnt to type on a manual typewriter and was told the QWERTY keyboard was designed to reduce the number of finger reaches for words as it's based on the most popular letters used.

As I understand it, it was designed to minimise the chances of a typewriter locking up when two keys were pressed rapidly one after another; it puts the most common pairs of letters further apart so the moving arms were unlikely to hit each other when the keys were pressed in sequence.

Jamangie

Typewriters Really Sucked! Hail The The Mighty Keyboard :d

superscaper

I believe the consequences of developing qwerty is that it not only minimised mistakes because of double key presses but also slowed typists down. Since the mechanical problems of typewriters don't apply to computer keyboards the only reason we still have qwerty is tradition. I've read Dvorak's system is more efficient/faster and more comfortable. Hopefully being stuck with one specific layout will no longer be necessary in future http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/.

movieman

For what it's worth, Wikipedia claims that people could type faster, because consecutive letter sequences were often split between the two hands.

marleyboy

I remember starting my college days on the old QWERTY typewriter, and a lot of it has to do with the spacing of the letters, the keyboard layout stuck, as rearranging them now would most certainly slow down a typist. I hated the labourious way you had to position your fingers over the keyboard (thumbs over space bar etc). Should I even attempt to type in the proper manner, it would most definately slow me down, I found it easier and quicker to type in my own style, using my little finger for the Shift key, and generally typing with my main index fingers, I still use a thumb for the space, but can type just as fast using my own preffered comfertable method.

krishna

I've tried using a Dvorak keyboard. Seems like a great idea but takes some getting used to. So only worth it if you only ever use one PC (and nobody else uses it either!) Some people say you can get up to higher speeds on a Dvorak, others not, but I never got up the learning curve; I move around too much and use too many different PCs. Dvorak keyboards are optimised for English and a lot of the typing takes place in the home row so you have to move your hand around a lot less. This is supposed to make it less tiring and more comfortable to type.

MickKnipfler

It's an abbreviation for a QWERTYUIOP keyboard