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From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Handwritten vs typed input
Message-ID: <9004102007.AA12515@world.std.com>
Date: 10 Apr 90 20:07:18 GMT
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I don't see why it has to be viewed as an either/or proposition.

Forms, such as govt forms, are easier filled in by hand. Until they
are all put on-line (at which time they'll be easier to do with a
keyboard I guess) it's a good application of handwriting technology.
It might still be a good thing whenever you deal with the public and
can't demand everyone walking into the Post Office (e.g.) know how to
type.

Another good application is telephone work, ever try to type while
talking on the telephone? Much easier to take a note handwritten
because it only requires one hand. I'm sure there are other similar
applications. (I know about one-handed keyboards, they've been around
for years and have never caught on except in warehouse/inventory work,
too much special training I guess.) So, jobs which spend a lot of
their time taking notes over the phone (receptionists, telemarketing,
emergency services) might be attracted to this technology.

But I don't think it will replace the keyboard for general text input.
Too slow and error-prone, as has been noted, easier to demand typing
skills which aren't hard to acquire.

It's funny how there's always this small contingent of people who are
so bugged by typing that they're sure every new technology (voice,
handwritten etc.) will replace keyboards.

Forget it, a *LOT* of people have learned how to type just fine, it's
not hard, for most jobs you don't have to be very good even to beat
the heck out of handwritten or voice input. Ever notice that typists
aren't exactly a highly paid skill class? Like, 60WPM with one error
per page pulls in less than most of you pay in taxes every week.

It will be a lot easier (and more useful, in my estimation) to require
some very rudimentary typing skills of high school graduates. Nothing
fancy, the ability to enter a single page of text with no errors (that
is, correcting all errors) into a simple word-processor (cursor keys,
delete key) in, oh, 30 minutes.

So why bother? But for special applications other forms of input can
be far superior (eg. touch-screens for public information booths,
voice for hands-busy/eyes-busy such as pilots or lab workers,
hand-written for single handed input of short entries, forms.)

        -Barry Shein

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