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From: jcgs@wundt.harlqn.uucp (John Sturdy)
Newsgroups: comp.std.misc,comp.windows.misc,comp.misc,comp.periphs
Subject: Re: Chord Keyboards (was User Interface Standards -- *Keyboards!*)
Message-ID: <JCGS.89Jul26140742@wundt.harlqn.uucp>
Date: 26 Jul 89 13:07:42 GMT
References: <2808@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Sender: news@harlqn.UUCP
Organization: Harlequin Ltd, Cambridge, England
Lines: 29
In-reply-to: nukim@ndsuvax.UUCP's message of 23 Jul 89 01:48:22 GMT

In <2808@ndsuvax.UUCP> Kyongsok Kim writes
>How do you compare the input (or typing) speeds between a chord and
>an ordinary keyboard (qwerty or dvorak)?
In Britain a good few years ago someone brought out a six-key (4
finger, 2 thumb keys) pocket WP system called the MicroWriter. They
claimed that with a similar amount of practice on that and on an
ordinary keyboard, people would typically reach about half the speed
on the chord keyboard as on the ordinary one - ie a good typist could
get up to about 40wpm.
I tried one once - quite easy to learn. They had a one-line (I think)
LCD display, and an RS232 port, and I think also a cassette recorder
connector (for saving data to tape). You could use the RS232 either
for transfer to/from a "real" computer/wp, or directly to a daisywheel
printer.
These things never really caught on; in the past year a new one has
come out, in the form of an "electronic filofax" with a chord keyboard
and an alphameric/calculator keyboard. Looks a neat idea, but I doubt
they'll really take off, as the electronic "organizer" niches are
already quite full.

--
__John            When asked to attend a court case, Father Moses took with him
          a leaking jug of water. Asked about it, he said: "You ask me to judge
               the faults of another, while mine run out like water behind me."

                jcgs@uk.co.harlqn (UK notation) jcgs@harlqn.co.uk (most places)
    ...!mcvax!ukc!harlqn!jcgs (uucp - really has more stages, but ukc knows us)
John Sturdy                                            Telephone +44-223-872522
                      Harlequin Ltd, Barrington Hall, Barrington, Cambridge, UK