Early typists pressed a key which would, in turn, push a metal hammer that rose up in an arc, striking an inked ribbon to make a mark on a paper before returning to its original position.
Separating common pairs of letters minimized the jamming of the mechanism. As machine technology improved, other keyboard layouts were invented that claimed to be more efficient, including as the Dvorak keyboard patented in Although there are dedicated Dvorak users today, they remain a tiny minority compared to those who continue to use the original QWERTY layout, which remains the most popular keyboard layout on devices of many types throughout the English-speaking world.
QWERTY's current acceptance has been attributed to the layout being "efficient enough" and "familiar enough" to hinder the commercial viability of competitors. One of the first breakthroughs in keyboard technology was the invention of the teletype machine. Krum, Edward Kleinschmidt, and Frederick G. But it was thanks to the efforts of Charles Krum between and that the teletype system became practical for everyday users. In the s, new keyboard models were introduced that combined the input and printing technology of typewriters with the communications technology of the telegraph.
Punch-card systems were also combined with typewriters to create what were known as keypunches. These systems became the basis of early adding machines early calculators , which were hugely commercially successful. Keypunch technology was incorporated into the designs of the earliest computers, including the Eniac computer that used a punch-card reader as its input and output device.
In , another computer called the Binac computer used an electro-mechanically controlled typewriter to input data directly onto magnetic tape in order to feed in computer data and print results. The emerging electric typewriter further improved the technological marriage between the typewriter and the computer.
The system encouraged the development of a new user interface called the video display terminal VDT , which incorporated the technology of the cathode ray tube used in televisions into the design of the electric typewriter.
This allowed computer users to see what text characters they were typing on their display screens for the first time, which made text assets easier to create, edit, and delete. It also made computers easier to program and use. Early computer keyboards were based either on teletype machines or keypunches but there was a problem: having so many electro-mechanical steps necessary to transmit data between the keyboard and the computer slowed things down considerably.
If Sholes really arranged the keyboard to slow down the operator, the operator became unable to catch up the Morse sender. Although he sold his designs to Remington early on, he continued to invent improvements and alternatives to the typewriter for the rest of his life, including several keyboard layouts that he determined to be more efficient, such as the following patent, filed by Sholes in , a year before he died, and issued posthumously:.
August Dvorak in the s. More recent research has debunked any claims that Dvorak is more efficient, but it hardly matters. Even in it was already too late for a new system to gain a foothold. It had become truly ubiquitous in countries that used the Latin alphabet. And this why the new KALQ proposal is so interesting. It attempts to break from the tyranny of Christopher Latham Sholes, whose QWERTY system makes even less sense on the virtual keyboards of tablets and smartphones than it does on a computer keyboards.
Is the new KALQ system any different? In some ways, the answer is obviously yes. It has been designed around a very specific, very modern behavior — typing with thumbs. But it could still be argued that the KALQ system, or any similar system that may be developed in the future, is also a product of path dependency. Because no matter how the letters are arranged, they basic notion of individually separated letters distributed across a grid dates back to Sholes and co.
The QWERTY layout has stuck with us for the past century for two reasons: it was the first established layout that everyone grew accustomed to and accepted; and when computers began to come into play, the leaders in the computer keyboard industry opted to keep the QWERTY layout on their manufactured keyboards- effectively binding generations of typists to an inefficient layout.
Thus they established the standard in layout design for decades to come- regardless of how inefficient and outdated. The Dvorak simplified layout was introduced in by Dr. August Dvorak, and offers a keyboard layout that is more intuitive and efficient for modern typists.
Dvorak conducted extensive research on the English language and other languages using the Roman alphabet , and studied the physiology of the hand. These single-handed keyboards allow one-handed typists to easily type 50 WPM. If he was able to design a keyboard easy for one-handed typists to use, imagine the functionality and efficiency possible for two-handed typists. In addition to the awkward placement of common letters, the QWERTY design also requires the same finger to type common letter combinations, and the same hand to type common words.
All of these elements aided in slowing down typists, to limit typewriter jams. The simplified Dvorak layout was slightly modified and adjusted over the years and finally solidified in The design requires less finger-motion, which both increases typing speed and reduces finger strain.
It is also supposedly much easier to learn since the characters fall in less awkward positions, and the most common letters are all lined up next to each other on the home row. This goes to show the power and control that comes with simply being the first. This has helped the Colemak layout to gain a following amongst typists who no longer want to adhere to an outdated QWERTY mode of typing, but are frustrated with the learning curve involved in readjusting to the Dvorak layout.
Colemak is named after its creator, Shai Coleman, though Shai decided to match the last two letters to the Dvorak layout namesake hence, Colemak , to perhaps appeal more to the alternative keyboard layout seeking community and draw some similarities between the two. This is the youngest of the three layouts discussed, though layout designs and updates continue to be tested and developed on a regular basis. Due to the popularity of the three layouts discussed, all other options receive little to no recognition or public attention.
The main focus of newer alternative keyboard layouts tends to be an emphasis on mixing the familiarity of QWERTY with the efficiency of Dvorak. Who knows what will evolve in the years to come, only time will tell.
Thanks for reading! Please stay tuned for the next installment. Typing Through Time : Keyboard History Keyboards and typing technology have come a long way over the past couple centuries.
Early Computer Punch card. Courtesy of the Computer History Museum. Image Courtesy of the Computer History Museum. Notice the Teletype Input Device to his left. Keytop Expanders Advertisement. True Touch Roll-up Keyboard.
In the late s, Apple , Radio Shack , and Commodore all released versions of their computers with keyboards that came included with the computer. In , IBM released the Model M keyboard that resembles what most keyboards look like today with the function keys across the top of the keyboard. The Model M is still a highly regarded keyboard even today, as it introduced the key standard US layout that is used today for full sized keyboards.
It has also been adapted to the key layout for Windows keyboards with the Windows keys and Menu keys. One of the most significant changes is moving from a mechanical switch to a membrane. A membrane makes it easier and cheaper to manufacturer computer keyboards.
A membrane keyboard also makes the keyboard quieter, lighter, and thinner than the first mechanical keyboards. When was the first keyboard invented?
Additional information When and who invented the first computer mouse? When was the first computer invented?
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