As for QWERTY vs COLEMAK, as some of your other commenters have already noted, I would not recommend this if you're already very proficient in QWERTY. I would also be hesitant to even attempt this because I can't count the number of times that I've had to walk over to someone else's keyboard and sit down to crank out a few lines of code. (Often, when we're in the middle of a troubleshooting session, I say something like, "Here... do you mind if I 'drive'?") And obviously, if I was trained in COLEMAK, that would be incredibly awkward.
However, I must ask: Do you know how we came to have a (default) QWERTY layout???
QWERTY was created with the express intent of being inefficient! It's true. You can google it. You see, back when all typewriters were manual, and all data-entry was done on typewriters, if you hit the keys too fast, you could jam the lever arms together as you were typing. So one way to minimize this problem was to put the keys in a configuration that was sub-optimal. Of course, with enough practice, any configuration can be utilized in an extremely fast manner. But QWERTY kept most "casual users" from jamming the machine.
QWERTY has been proven to be less efficient than other configurations. So... since none of us are typing on manual typewriters anymore, why haven't we moved away from QWERTY?? The answer is that it's a textbook example of "entrenched standards". The (societal) cost of trying to switch simply isn't worth it. So even though QWERTY is demonstrably inferior, it will probably never go "out of style".
As for QWERTY vs COLEMAK, as some of your other commenters have already noted, I would not recommend this if you're already very proficient in QWERTY. I would also be hesitant to even attempt this because I can't count the number of times that I've had to walk over to someone else's keyboard and sit down to crank out a few lines of code. (Often, when we're in the middle of a troubleshooting session, I say something like, "Here... do you mind if I 'drive'?") And obviously, if I was trained in COLEMAK, that would be incredibly awkward.
However, I must ask: Do you know how we came to have a (default) QWERTY layout???
QWERTY was created with the express intent of being inefficient! It's true. You can google it. You see, back when all typewriters were manual, and all data-entry was done on typewriters, if you hit the keys too fast, you could jam the lever arms together as you were typing. So one way to minimize this problem was to put the keys in a configuration that was sub-optimal. Of course, with enough practice, any configuration can be utilized in an extremely fast manner. But QWERTY kept most "casual users" from jamming the machine.
QWERTY has been proven to be less efficient than other configurations. So... since none of us are typing on manual typewriters anymore, why haven't we moved away from QWERTY?? The answer is that it's a textbook example of "entrenched standards". The (societal) cost of trying to switch simply isn't worth it. So even though QWERTY is demonstrably inferior, it will probably never go "out of style".
This is completely untrue.
And most of it comes from debunked dvorak propaganda. :)
smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/fa...
I learn something new every day!