Keyboards biased towards your left hand?

[Mise]

I just noticed something. Most of the stuff I type is biased towards my left hand. That is, most sentences require me to use my left hand more than my right hand when typed. I don't know if that's actually true or not, but for the past 5 minutes or so, I've noticed a distinct tendency for my typings to be more with my left hand than my right.

Vast Right Hand Conspiracy? Your thoughts, sea voose plate.

(and no, my right hand isn't doing that.)

 

[West 36]

But I'm sure your right hand is using the mouse! But I find it equal anwway.

 

[Mise]

It just occured to me that there were more letters on the left side than the right side... ";" , "," , and "." take up valuable right-hand side keyboard space.

 

[Gilder]

It just occured to me that there were more letters on the left side than the right side... ";" , "," , and "." take up valuable right-hand side keyboard space.

Aren't those important, too?

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Aren't those important, too?

Not near as important as "S", "E" or "A", but I have never given it much thougt.
In theory it sounds logical to have the most important letters on the left side because the right is hand is for the mouse, but when I type something I usually use both hands and leave the mouse.

 

[Rossiya]

You got a source for this?

 

[Mise]

You got a source for this?

No, like I said, just something I noticed.

My OP uses 148 left hand keys, and 123 right hand keys. (I included commas and full stops, but not brackets or any "coding" for the italics.)

 

[skadistic]

No, like I said, just something I noticed.

My OP uses 148 left hand keys, and 123 right hand keys. (I included commas and full stops, but not brackets or any "coding" for the italics.)

Any backspacing?

I think you have a point.

 

[Gooblah]

Guys:

the QWERTY layout was designed back in the day of typewriters. Because users were getting adept at typing fast, quick hits on keys next to each other resulted in them getting stuck. Typewriter manufacturers had to slow typists down, and came up with QWERTY. Common letters are biased towards the (usually) weaker left hand, while common combos are scattered. As typewriter manufacturing changed, and the sticky keys problem ended, the layout didn't change since people were too used to QWERTY. Tests run after the keyboard came about showed that changing layout to DVORAK or something similar could improve typing speed by 25% or more, but the market refused to change, since QWERTY was so entrenched.

Sources:
Why Qwerty was Invented
Wikipedia's QWERTY entry

 

[Mise]

Any backspacing?

I think you have a point.

I couldn't count the backspacing. I just c&p'd the text into excel and did some formula'ing on it.

(the above used 40 L and 37 R, btw!)

 

[mangxema]

*crosspost w/ Gooblah*...

It wouldn't surprise me. The QWERTY layout was originally designed to slow people down. Most people are right-handed and not as proficient/dexterous with their weak hand. Thus, it is possible that it could slow people down... though to be honest, I've never noticed this before, and I am one of those people that looks at their fingers when they type.

 

[Mise]

Guys:

the QWERTY layout was designed back in the day of typewriters. Because users were getting adept at typing fast, quick hits on keys next to each other resulted in them getting stuck. Typewriter manufacturers had to slow typists down, and came up with QWERTY. Common letters are biased towards the (usually) weaker left hand, while common combos are scattered. As typewriter manufacturing changed, and the sticky keys problem ended, the layout didn't change since people were too used to QWERTY. Tests run after the keyboard came about showed that changing layout to DVORAK or something similar could improve typing speed by 25% or more, but the market refused to change, since QWERTY was so entrenched.

Sources:
Why Qwerty was Invented
Wikipedia's QWERTY entry

I read that that was a popular myth -- keyboards weren't laid out in QWERTY to slow speedy typists down.

I too will work on a source

 

[warpus]

Yeah, our keyboards were designed to be as inefficient as possible.

I'd use Dvorak, which would lead to a doubling of my WPM, but that'd just be a huge hassle.. If the industry took a lead, I would follow. (but that's not going to happen anytime soon)

 

[Kurtson]

I actually know somebody who's last name is entirely right hand letters...

I think the left hand gets more letters because you use use the mouse, the num pad, (back in the day) carraige returns all with your right hand...

 

[Rossiya]

No, like I said, just something I noticed.

Oh, that explains why I said that; I didn't read the OP.

 

[cubsfan6506]

There is no way the keyboard was designed for the keyboard mosue configuration. The keyboard was designed for the typewriter.

 

[Furiey]

If you have ever used an old mechanical typewriter (I learnt on one!) then you will have experienced first hand the problem of keys jamming and seen how common words and letter combinations use keys in positions around the arc of the levers so that they were less likely to stick. They would nearly always get jammed if adjacent keys were pressed, I just loved typing qwertyuiop as a small child and watching the top row of levers all jam together. Even better was something like qweasdzx which would jam a whole group together! My mother used to curse me when she found out I'd been at her typewriter again.

Now, no longer having to worry about jamming keys and mostly writing left handed, I find it quite useful that many of the keys used are on the left so I can still use the mouse with my right hand at the same time.

 

[TheLastOne36]

I just noticed something. Most of the stuff I type is biased towards my left hand. That is, most sentences require me to use my left hand more than my right hand when typed. I don't know if that's actually true or not, but for the past 5 minutes or so, I've noticed a distinct tendency for my typings to be more with my left hand than my right.

Vast Right Hand Conspiracy? Your thoughts, sea voose plate.

(and no, my right hand isn't doing that.)

also note that the left hand is used more because the more "common" letters are on the left side. Such as "a, s, e, w, r, c, d, f, t and B". Not to mention the space bar key. therefore you'd be using your left hand more.

In fact, while i was typing "therefore" only the "o" was typed with the right hand.

Therefore, therefore, therefore. hmmm Therefore.

 

[Kurtson]

I hate the word wizardry... such a uncomfortable word to spell...

 

[Mise]

If I wasn't going to bed soon, I'd add up the scrabble scores of each of the letters on the right hand side vs the left hand side. That should give the winner once and for all!