Alternate Keyboard

Decided to switch to using a alternate keyboard layout, not too long ago…. Well I guess it has been a couple of years now. But I love it.

Always heard about others using the Dvorak keyboard layout and thought, “boy that is really neat, but too much work to change”.

Well, not too hard really, was comfortable after 3 months.

The main argument for switching is to type faster. The default Qwerty keyboard was designed to accommodate the slow typing of typewriters from the 1870s!

To make it a little easier, one can use Colemak which is apparently easier to learn than Dvorak when coming from Qwerty.

One can also purchase keyboard stickers for your existing qwerty keyboard for reference (keyshorts is a good place).

The secret ingredient

The secret ingredient is GNU Typist.

This handy little program has Colemak and Dvorak specific typing drills, along with speed and basic drills.

brew install gnu-typist or gtypist on a Linux distribution yay -S gtypist.

Make use of heavy gnu typist drills to convert faster. I actually like typing drills, its like a game.

Conclusion

Colemak really does make typing easier and faster. My keyboard movements are all very short home row finger movements without using my wrists.

Combine that with VIM editing and you are completely mouse-less, more efficient, and I swear once you get the knack, you wont want to go back.

Passwords can be tricky, so having a good password manager like bitwarden is essential.