Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!prisoner
From: prisoner@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Allen S. Firstenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Subject: Re: Chord Keyboards
Message-ID: <=m8kp9#@rpi.edu>
Date: 13 Jun 91 17:34:32 GMT
References: <1991Jun12.161454.6519@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
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Nntp-Posting-Host: aix01srv.aix.rpi.edu

levene@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Robert A. Levene) writes:

>  * How widespread is their use?

The only oen I've ever seen used for any length of time is the one that
Douglas Engelbart still uses.  But I'm very interested in hearing about
commercial products as well.

>  * What are their Advantages/Disadvantages?

From work and studies done with the original chordset (in the early '60s i
believe) they reported that most of the people using it switched to a
keyboard after about 10 characters.  (The applications were designed,
however, so that the mouse and chordset did almost everything).

>Considering that for the past 60 years people have stuck to the Sholes
>(QWERTY) keyboard layout over the Dvorak (DSK), I'm not optimistic
>that chord keyboards will be popular, but like postfix (RPN)
>calculators, they'll probably have a specialized and loyal following.

I certainly hope so.  I've always thought the mouse was half an interface
device, since you had to switch to the keyboard so much.  A chordset solves
a lot of that concern for me.


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