Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!att!cbnewsd!varney
From: varney@cbnewsd.att.com (Al Varney)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Anybody remember the DVORAK keyboard layout?
Summary: DVORAK for Amiga computer
Keywords: keyboard, speed, typewriter, human factors, ergonomic, Dvorak, Sholes, software, carpal tunnel, Maltron, ANSI, Navy, Kermit, Ralph Nader
Message-ID: <1991Jun9.203938.18614@cbnewsd.att.com>
Date: 9 Jun 91 20:39:38 GMT
References: <1991May17.065559.10421@uublip.uucp> <1991Apr2.224343.1@hulaw1.harvard.edu> <1991May29.172841.25136@cs.utk.edu>
Sender: varney@ihlpf.att.com
Organization: AT&T Network Systems
Lines: 78

In article <1991May29.172841.25136@cs.utk.edu> shuford@cs.utk.edu (Richard Shuford) writes:

  [ A nice introduction to Dvorak keyboards ... removed ]

Thanks for stimulating my memory.  (Amiga information at the bottom...)

In a previous life, my employer ( my employer's previous life, that is )
was Western Electric.  Famous for the "Hawthorne study" of assembly
workers, WE also conducted studies on possible "Cost Reductions" that
might be possible if all "typists" at AT&T used Dvorak's layout.
Time/motion studies, and results from other industries (insurance, etc.)
were analyzed to reach the conclusion that typists were indeed faster
and more accurate with Dvorak.  AND once learned, it was only a matter
of minutes to mentally switch from one layout to the other.  (As anyone
who used an IBM 029 keypunch can verify.)  As I remember it, only the
"initial costs" of converting thousands of Underwoods, etc. stopped
Dvorak from being the "AT&T standard".  Of course, the cost today would
be almost entirely in the training, since most heavy typing is into
a word processing or computer system.  Maybe it's not too late.... :-)

>
>Here is a side-by-side comparison of the traditional layout with a
>typical version of the Dvorak layout (as implemented on a 101-key
>PC/AT keyboard):
>
>      Dvorak                 Sholes
>      ------                 ------
>  `1234567890\=[         `1234567890-=\         unshifted top row
>  ~!@#$%^&*()|+{         ~!@#$%^&*()_+|           shifted top row
>
>    ',.pyfgcrl/]           qwertyuiop[]
>    "<>PYFGCRL?}           QWERTYUIOP{}
>
>    aoeuidhtns-            asdfghjkl;'
>    AOEUIDHTNS_            ASDFGHJKL:"
>
>     ;qjkxbmwvz             zxcvbnm,./          unshifted bottom row
>     :QJKXBMWVZ             ZXCVBNM<>?            shifted bottom row
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>I don't have convenient advice for users of Amiga, Atari, or NeXT.  As
>before, if anybody has some, send it to me or post it to "comp.misc".
>                    [ me =  (shuford@cs.utk.edu) ]
  OK, here's the advice for Amiga users.  Alternative "keymaps" are
built into the OS, and are supported (mostly) by the display fonts and
printer drivers (OK, so the fonts aren't different for Dvorak, ...
bear with me).  The supplied keymaps are:
  Dvorak - called "usa2" (an alternate to "usa1", the US standard)
  French     - "f"
  French Canadian - "cdn" (not sure how this differs from "f")
  Swiss French    - "ch1" (... or this !!)
  Swiss German    - "ch2"
  Also German, Italian, Icelandic, Swedish,Danish, Spanish, British
    [ British swaps @ with ", adds the "Pound" sign, moves #,' ]

So for Dvorak, you enter the command:
    setmap usa2
but you had better mean it, cause it changes input virtually everywhere!!
You can view the key layout visually with "keytoy2000", also supplied.
Alternative is to use Workbench Icons to activate your "language".

Note that "Dvorak" layout also moves the "Control" keys, but not the
Alternate-key layout (Used for Greek symbols, etc., and to add "marks"
above other letters ("carots", etc.???)  (uses "8-bit ASCII").
Some typing tutor programs support Dvorak -- "Mavis Beacon" even has
an interesting history of the typewriter and Dvorak in the manual.

Note:  The Amiga version of Dvorak interchanges "}" and "[" from your
specification, so un-shifted gets "{" and "[", shifted gets "}" and "]".??
Every other key is exactly as you specified.
What does ANSI or CCITT say is correct?
>
>  (I need more things to do as much as I need a hole in my
>head, but this is kind of a public service, and I might as well do it
>right. :-) 
>
   I hear ya' -- and the pay is so great for "public service", eh?

 Al Varney, AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL