Xref: utzoo comp.misc:4008 comp.periphs:1290
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!jack
From: jack@cwi.nl (Jack Jansen)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.periphs
Subject: Re: Want information on "odd" keyboard.
Message-ID: <7707@boring.cwi.nl>
Date: 6 Nov 88 21:55:43 GMT
References: <1553@gmu90x.UUCP> <272@sssinc.COM>
Sender: news@cwi.nl
Organization: AMOEBA project, CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 32

I think that you're referring to the Velotype keyboard.
It is a symmetrical keyboard with the keys in 'comfortable'
places (i.e. if you nonchalantly put your two hands on it you
will hit all keys at once).

As far as I remember Velotype was developed by a Dutch firm, but
I don't remember which. I remember seeing ads for two models, one
to replace a PC keyboard and one for use with a VT100.
There was a demonstration on TV once where they subtitled the whole
news *in real time*. Truly impressive.

I'm not too sure of the principles involved, but I think that the
idea was that you typed chords of letters, and that the keyboard
knew something of language so that it would be able to order
the characters in the right order. Moreover, combinations that
were frequently used were conveniently located with respect to
one another (like on the dvorak keyboard).

Unfortunately, the whole thing was a failure for non-technical
reasons. At first, no velo-typists were available, so they weren't
bought. Then, when some employment agencies started teaching 
velotypists, offices still wouldn't buy them, because only a very
small percentage of the typists would be able to use them.
So, the velotypists got out of training, and we're back at the
beginning of the story again.

Note that all this is just from memory of reading things in
the papers with only a slight interest in the matter, so most
of it is probably untrue:-)
--
Fight war, not wars			| Jack Jansen, jack@cwi.nl
Destroy power, not people! -- Crass	| (or mcvax!jack)