Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:1625 comp.misc:10102 Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!occrsh!uokmax!apple!usc!wuarchive!uunet!servio!penneyj From: penneyj@servio.UUCP (D. Jason Penney) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.misc Subject: Re: Dvorak keys vs. QWERT Summary: Dvorak Forever, Wanna learn? I can help. Keywords: public-software,dvorak,keyboards,ergonomics,sun,ibmpc Message-ID: <681@servio.UUCP> Date: 11 Sep 90 13:17:31 GMT References: <1990Sep6.154721.12322@iwarp.intel.com> <7657@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> Reply-To: penneyj@slc.com (D. Jason Penney) Organization: Servio Corporation; Beaverton, OR Lines: 148 In article <7657@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> hardaker@iris.UCDavis.EDU (Wes Hardaker) writes: >Does anyone know both keyboards, and do you have a problem getting >confused? I doubt anyone just know the Dvorak style since there are so >few keyboards that support Dvorak. I think this would be a problem >switching from one to the other, however, or is the brain intelligent >enough to seperate the two during their respective use. > OK, I've been gone a week on vacation, and look what's going around comp.misc when I return! I think you can call me an authority on the Dvorak keyboard. I've been using it for about 5 years. I have software that will convert an IBM or a Sun to Dvorak. Of course, these drivers allow one to switch back and forth, so that others can use your machine! I have also found material relating to the one-handed versions of the American Simplified Keyboard (as it is referred to in the patent). I have software to allow one to learn to touch type, either Dvorak or Qwerty (Sholes). It comes in two flavors: the quasi-original MS-BASIC format (derived from a VMS-BASIC program from Harris Corp. on a DECUS tape some years back), and a rewritten version in C using curses. I switch between the two types of keyboards regularly, but I *definitely* prefer the Dvorak layout. BTW, there *was* a period of disorientation while I was learning, but with additional practice with the software this problem quickly disappeared. The Navy commissioned a study to see if Dvorak layouts could improve the productivity of their clerical staff. The results were inconclusive. However, the 95% reduction in cumulative finger motion is easily verifiable, and has its own rewards. ALL of this software is available from my MBAS (mail-based archive server). The pertinent filenames are: [extracted from "index"] [snip] --------------------------------------------------------- dvorak/ -- Dvorak support for IBM PC's and the Sun console, plus a tutorial program and test data for learning to touch-type either dvorak or qwerty. -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 56241 Mar 21 09:46 dvorak/Data01 -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 51507 Mar 21 09:46 dvorak/Data02 -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 44805 Mar 21 09:46 dvorak/Data03 -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 43184 Mar 21 09:46 dvorak/Data04 These are the data files for the learning program -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 50964 Mar 21 09:48 dvorak/Ibm01 -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 33413 Mar 21 09:48 dvorak/Ibm02 These are the drivers and a BASICA version of the learning program for the IBM and compatibles. The driver is "smart" -- you can toggle between qwerty and dvorak, and even one-handed layouts are available. It could use more work, but I've used it in its current form for years. -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 19278 Mar 21 11:34 dvorak/Unix01 This is the learning program in C and under curses, as well as a driver for the Sun console keyboard. -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 55945 Mar 22 16:28 dvorak/Xenix01 -rw-r--r-- 1 penneyj 9281 Mar 22 16:28 dvorak/Xenix02 This is "keybind", a console remapper for Xenix 386 (and presumably some SysV variants as well). No dvorak mapping is included, because I can't test it here. I include it because it looks pretty clear that it could be used to implement a Dvorak keyboard. Note you'll have to pick up Unix01 if you want the learning program. [snip] The remainder of this message is the help file from my MBAS. Enjoy! ----- HELP FOR jason-archive, as of 27 Apr 1990 This is a variant of the "kiss" archive server. Requests to this server should be addressed to penneyj@slc.com, and include the phrase, "jason-archive-request" in the subject. To contact a human, make sure that "jason-archive-request" is NOT in your Subject: line. The Subject: line is otherwise ignored. The remainder of the mail message should consist of "kiss" commands, one per line. Lines that do not form a valid command are ignored. You may request multiple files in a single mail message. There is no advantage in splitting the requests into multiple mail messages. The server recognizes six commands. They are: path This lets the requestor override the address that is normally be extracted from the header. If you do not hear from the archiver server within oh, about 2 days, you should consider adding a "path" command to your request. The path describes how to mail a message from slc.com to your address. Overriding the path can also reduce uunet charges (see below). slc.com is directly connected to ogicse and uunet. I strongly prefer that your replies be routed through ogicse. Domain-based addresses are preferred, such as: path luser@baz.foo.bar.edu (These will be automatically routed through ogicse.) An example without domain routing: path ogicse!foo!oof!bar!rab!luser help This message. It equivalent to the command "send help". index This is equivalent to the command "send index". send The whatever is mailed to you. Examine the index to see what is currently available. Wildcards are NOT supported -- if you want multiple files, you should ask for them separately, one per line. Filenames are relative to a kiss "data" directory. All files except "index" and "help" are in subdirectories, so you will need to prepend a directory path, Unix style. Filenames are case-sensitive. compress ALL of the files requested in the current mail message will be "compressed" and "xxencoded". "xxencode" is NOT compatible with uuencode, so you will need to acquire misc/Xxencode01 BEFORE using this. xxencode is preferred over uuencode because the latter is useless on some BITNET sites using non-ASCII character sets. This is related to translation problems in some Internet/Bitnet gateways. If your system does not have compress, a public domain version is available in misc/. This is the most economical way to move files, but again, you will need to upload misc/Xxencode01 in a separate message, and possibly misc/Ncompress01 and misc/Ncompress02 as well. quit Nothing past this point is interpreted. This is provided so that the occasional lost soul whose signature contains a line that looks like a command can still use the server without getting a bogus response. -- D. Jason Penney Ph: (503) 629-8383 Beaverton, OR 97006 uucp: ...uunet!servio!penneyj (penneyj@slc.com) "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." -- Steve Martin