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From: inc@fluke.UUCP (Gary Benson)
Newsgroups: net.internat
Subject: Re: What do we REALLY want?
Message-ID: <719@tpvax.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-Oct-85 15:15:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: tpvax.719
Posted: Tue Oct 15 15:15:31 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Oct-85 01:52:16 EDT
References: <723@inset.UUCP> <31711@lanl.ARPA>
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 40

> Would it be asking too much for common sense and
> the needs of touch typists to prevail in keyboard design?
>
> ... [ many examples ] ...
>
> I'm sure that the designer of this keyboard (and all the others)
> thought that he or she had good reasons for using this layout.  I
> happen to disagree.
> 
> Perhaps keyboard designers should all be required to learn touch
> typing and then should be required to spend many hours typing on a
> prototype of their creations before being allowed to select a final
> design.
>
> Charlie Sorsby


*** REPLACE THIS LINE ***

Hear, hear! Those who design *anything* should be required to use it! This
is paricularly true of human interface items such as keyboards, displays,
and "error" messages. A few weeks ago, I was complaining to a programmer
about how cumbersome the thing was to use, and was told, "Work with it a
while- you'll get used to it."

Well I'm getting sick and tired of having to "get used to it". As soon as
someone tells me that, a little voice inside me says, "Uh oh. Another
schlock job". Keyboards and where you put the different keys are perfect
candidates for ergonomists, but somehow the old attitude prevails that says,
"The qwerty keyboard is too universally familiar to change". Horse pucky.
And horse pucky to every "designer" who never even talks to a person who
will be using his product.




-- 
 Gary Benson  *  John Fluke Mfg. Co.  *  PO Box C9090  *  Everett WA  *  98206
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