Comments on: A rant about QWERTY http://www.cacoethes.co.uk/blog/uncategorized/a-rant-about-qwerty A search for meaning in software and life Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:33:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Peter http://www.cacoethes.co.uk/blog/uncategorized/a-rant-about-qwerty/comment-page-1#comment-825 Peter Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:31:58 +0000 http://www.cacoethes.co.uk/blog/?p=178#comment-825 I'm not worried about it - what will be, will be. I just think that QWERTY was an automatic decision without any real thought or research. If there is solid research that suggests the average person is more comfortable with QWERTY on a touch screen than alphabetical order, then I'll accept the decision without complaint. It will still bug me though :) I’m not worried about it – what will be, will be. I just think that QWERTY was an automatic decision without any real thought or research. If there is solid research that suggests the average person is more comfortable with QWERTY on a touch screen than alphabetical order, then I’ll accept the decision without complaint. It will still bug me though :)

]]> By: Matt Passell http://www.cacoethes.co.uk/blog/uncategorized/a-rant-about-qwerty/comment-page-1#comment-823 Matt Passell Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:58:13 +0000 http://www.cacoethes.co.uk/blog/?p=178#comment-823 That's funny. I feel exactly the opposite way. Even though I touch-type and am awfully familiar with alphabetic order, my brain seems to be much faster at finding a specific letter in a QWERTY layout than in an alphabetic one. Are you really that worried about people being unfamiliar with the QWERTY layout in countries where it's dominant? (I realize it isn't everywhere) As you pointed out, for better or worse, QWERTY has a long history. I bet there are many grannies out there who are experts in the layout, even if it comes from experience with a typewriter rather than a computer keyboard. --Matt That’s funny. I feel exactly the opposite way. Even though I touch-type and am awfully familiar with alphabetic order, my brain seems to be much faster at finding a specific letter in a QWERTY layout than in an alphabetic one.

Are you really that worried about people being unfamiliar with the QWERTY layout in countries where it’s dominant? (I realize it isn’t everywhere) As you pointed out, for better or worse, QWERTY has a long history. I bet there are many grannies out there who are experts in the layout, even if it comes from experience with a typewriter rather than a computer keyboard.

–Matt

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