I’ve recently started trying to improve my typing speed, which has probably been held back by my somewhat unconventional typing style. Formal touch typing was never a part of my education, and while years of computer use eventually led to me being able to type without looking, I’m probably not as efficient as I could be.

Can you touch type - and with proper form? QWERTY, DVORAK or other layout?

  • t0fr@lemmy.ca
    2·
    3 months ago

    Yes, I can touch type. I had a computer class in my year of high school where they taught us all how to do it.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
    1·
    3 months ago

    I’ve actually leaned that in school, on a fully mechanical typewriter. But i don’t use this skill, as touch type is completely useless for programming.

  • DeltaWingDragon@sh.itjust.works
    1·
    2 months ago

    I used to be able to. Then I got a new computer… and I was still able to.

    Then a few months later my typo rate increased, correcting them quickly got harder, and I derailed more often. (How do I fiz my jeyboarf?) Sometimes it feels like I’m derailed even when I’m not.

    QWERTY only, I have never even seen a physical Dvorak keyboard, or any other layout.

  • CalcProgrammer1@lemmy.todayEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    I was never able to touch type up through middle of high school despite typing papers and taking formal typing courses. Once I got into online PC gaming and also programming I got good at touch typing very fast. Is typing a skill you use daily? Natural practice beats forced if you already have the fundamentals down. QWERTY for me.

    • Starya67@lemmy.world
      0·
      3 months ago

      Same problem, I have a Cherry keyboard for the same reason. The old Thinkpads used to have proper keyboards, I don’t get why laptops all have keyboards you basically can’t type on nowadays.

  • Walk_blesseD@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    I taught myself to touch-type with proper form after I built myself a split keyboard with the Dvorak layout (I figured since I’d never learned to properly touch-type with QWERTY it’d be as good an opportunity as any to pick up a better optimised layout). I gotta say, it does feel pretty great being able to type something with my eyes closed, or more practically, qouting stuff from a textbook without having to look at what I’m doing on my laptop.