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From: bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.sci
Subject: Re: Dvorak vs. QWERTY
Message-ID: <3366@hplabsb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Mar-86 12:46:30 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabsb.3366
Posted: Tue Mar 25 12:46:30 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Mar-86 07:20:58 EST
References: <435@ccivax.UUCP> <489@ccivax.UUCP> <2027@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
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Xref: watmath net.philosophy:4663 net.sci:648

> Your description of the Dvorak keyboard is wrong on several counts.
> Observe: many (most) speed typing records were attained on a Dvorak
> keyboard (or its close relative, ASK); the state of Oregon requires
> that its typists be given a choice of keyboards; SCM has made ASK
> available as an option for years; the Apple //c has a switch to
> change between the two keyboards.  The main reason most keyboards
> are still QWERTY is that that is what the vast majority of touch
> typists were trained on; retraining appears to be just expensive
> enough that it is hard to sell businesses and manufacturers on the
> idea.  I have NEVER heard of any scientific study pooh-poohing the
> Dvorak keyboard arrangement as an alternative to QWERTY.

Just for the record, the Army did a study of the Dvorak keyboard back
in the 30's or there abouts.  They took people who were not typists
and divided them into two groups, one trained on the Dvorak and the
other on the QWERTY keyboard.  The results?  The QWERTY keyboard was
NO competition against the Dvorak keyboard.  The Army then took typists
who were trained on the QWERTY keyboard and had typed for number of
years and retrained them to use the Dvorak keyboard.  The results?  The
QWERTY keyboard was NO competition against the Dvorak keyboard.  The
retrained typists not only did better when retrained to use the Dvorak
keyboard but also preferred it.  What keyboard does the Army use today?
You guessed it.  The U.S. Army, 200 years of proud service unhampered
by progress.