Re: Anybody here fluent in both Dvorak & QWERTY?

Thank you, Giles, very helpful.  (And to others who may be wondering
why I haven't responded to all these great posts you've put up, I did
respond hours ago with a couple of other posts which are not showing
up in the group yet.) 

I do have two (no longer made, the company has been out of business
for awhile, but still possible to find used, though they can be
pricey) Northgate keyboards. One of mine needs service, as two keys
don't work, and I do see a website where one can get service or buy a
used Northgate:
http://northgate-keyboard-repair.com/
One is a Northgate OmniKey 101 and the other is a Northgate OmniKey
Ultra.  My keyboards in these models both have a DIP switch #7 that
allows selectable Dvorak when positioned up (or down to go back to
default QWERTY) with a Windows reboot.  The keys are labeled in
QWERTY, so you
already have to know the Dvorak layout or buy key decals.  

Northgates have the click-feel of the 1980s IBM keyboards which many
typists swear by, and for me they provide a modest ~5wpm speed boost
over the more commonly found spongy keys in fashion today.  Lurkers
beware: not all Northgate keyboards, maybe not even all samples of
these two models, can switch into Dvorak.  (It seems to me that one
particular Northgate keyboard, I don't recall which, discontinued the
feature partway through the run.)  You have to check and make sure it
has a #7 DIP switch that alternates between Dvorak and QWERTY before
buying.

I agree that your approach would work more successfully than what I
was trying to do, train hard successively in both layouts each day. 
I'm taking the advice and will try to adapt school and workplace to me
using Dvorak exclusively than give up on Dvorak and go back to QWERTY.


--- In [email protected], Giles Orr <gilesorr@...> wrote:
>
> I'm one of the ones that can type relatively fluently in either
> keyboard layout.  But I got there by a bizarre and annoying set of
> circumstances that you really aren't likely to want to duplicate.
> 
> I taught myself QWERTY first (on an actual typewriter) and used it for
> about 11 years.  I trained myself in Dvorak and used it almost
> exclusively for for another 11 years, and during that time I was only
> slightly better than hunt-and-peck on QWERTY when I was forced to use
> it.  But then I found myself in a situation where I had to use QWERTY
> exclusively for six months, and then for a year after that I was using
> QWERTY at work every day and Dvorak at home every night ...  Now it
> takes me less than 60 seconds to make the mental switch between
> layouts and I'm good to go - in part I suppose because I type Dvorak
> on a Kinesis Advantage and QWERTY on a regular keyboard, the change in
> shape is a huge hint to the fingers and brain.  But this isn't exactly
> an easy path to follow.  And my QWERTY speed was never high, probably
> about 35wpm these days as compared to Dvorak where I'm usually around
> 65wpm.
> 
> If you're taking votes, I'd suggest getting a hardwired Dvorak USB
> keyboard and never retraining in QWERTY.  I own two Kinesis Advantage
> keyboards, one at home and one at work - but that's a pretty steep
> price tag for many people.  But if you do have to "cross-train" ... it
> is possible.  Just not fun, and it takes a long time.  Good luck.
> 
> -- 
> Giles
> http://www.gilesorr.com/
> gilesorr@...
>