Making a keyboard with a Dvorak layout (for programmers) from a regular QWERTY

Greetings, Habr!

I want to tell you a little story about creating (remaking) a keyboard with a QWERTY layout on a keyboard with a DVORAK (for programmer) layout .

It all started with what I read about the history of QWERTY / JTSUKEN itself (picture 1 (under the cut)), on which letters forming stable combinations in English were located as far apart as possible from each other on different sides of the keyboard and were scattered in different rows . Scholes’s layout (aka QWERTY) is currently being criticized as an anachronism, since the problems that led to its appearance no longer exist.

QWERTY Layout - JTSUKEN
Figure 1 - QWERTY layout / JTSUKEN

An alternative to the QWERTY layout is the Dvorak layout(Picture 2), which was designed to eliminate inefficiency and fatigue after a long work, which suggested placing the frequently used buttons more convenient. Regarding Dvorak’s layout for programmers (picture 3), it was developed by engineer Roland Kaufmann and is designed for people writing code in C, Java, Pascal, HTML, CSS and XML. The layout is based on the placement of keys in a simplified layout of Dvorak with some improvements specifically for programmers! There is also an original layout of the Dvorak for the left and right hands.
Dvorak layout
Picture 2 - Dvorak Layout

Dvorama layout for programmers
Picture 3 - Dvorak Layout for programmers

In addition, there is also a Colemak layout(Picture 4), created in 2006 by Shay Coleman and is an alternative to the Latin layouts of QWERTY and Dvorak. According to the developers, when printing on the layout, 10% less movements are made relative to printing on the Dvorak layout and by 102% when printing on QWERTY.
Colemak keyboard
Figure 4 - Colemak layout

For the experiment, the Dvorak layout for programmers was chosen (this is a subjective solution).
After making a decision about choosing a layout, I started searching for .exe-shniks (or other options) that add a Dvorak layout (there are links at the end of the post), and searching for the old keyboard - I found Logitech Y-SZ49. I disassembled it, cleaned it half-sparkly at the same time (see picture 5 below), put in place the unchanged buttons (NumPad, F-keys, Caps ... etc.) (picture 6-7 below) and then started installing the rest in accordance with the “picture” of the layout Dvorak for programmers (see picture 3 above). But I ran into a problem, not all buttons came to a new place, as it turned out, the buttons and the platform where they were inserted had small grooves, and in some of them they were not in the right places (top / bottom changed places) - I had to cut the ledge (“daddy”) and overwrite it with a file (this is such a thin, fine-mesh file),
Keyboard after wet cleaning
Picture 5 - Keyboard after wet cleaning

Semi-assembled keyboard
Picture 6 - Semi-assembled keyboard

Finishing touches
Picture 7 - Final touches

After installation I encountered a problem - it is very difficult to erase the labels on the buttons - I had to remove all the buttons again and process them one by one. The Russian characters were worn out with moderate effort (scrubbing with a kitchen knife — most efficiently, grinding with fine emery — takes a long time and wipes half a button instead of 1/4 of its area, and tried it another way — wiping it with alcohol — did not help at all). From this, one conclusion - the Logitech keyboard (even in the low price range) makes it “indelible”. Nevertheless, after spending about 2 hours erasing unnecessary characters, he achieved the desired result (about 20 buttons erased his own, black, very persistent inscriptions) and marked temporary symbols with a marker (picture 8).

Dvorak keyboard for programmers
Figure 8 - A keyboard with a Dvorak layout for programmers (clickable)

Having twisted the keyboard, connected it, changed the layout and started testing convenience - the first acquaintance - like the first time at a computer - you need to look for each button with your eyes ... at first it’s very difficult to remember the location, but after a few hours typing it turned out that really need less fingers to run around different corners of the keyboard. I switched to a set of program code (PHP), the first inconvenience, like in QWERTY, is the inaccessible location of "$", which, as you know, is often needed in php. Well, you can put up with this, the main thing is to get used to this layout.

There is no point in talking about comparing the typing speed results on QWERTY and Dvorak-u, since on the first it is about 200 Russian characters and about 120 English per minute with a 6-8-finger method with a glance (sometimes full looking) at the keyboard.

As an experiment, using the Dvorak layout is quite interesting, especially if you learn a good 10-finger blind method on it. In addition, no one will really be able to work, well, or will print for a very long time.

Total. Dvorak for programmers is a convenient thing if you have time to master a good blind typing method, otherwise the transition will be difficult.

PSFor myself, I decided to leave the keyboard with the Dvorak layout as a fallback, sometimes I practice, I think about switching on the conditions for connecting two keyboards - one via PS / 2 (Dvorak layout), and the second via USB, because I did not make Russian / Ukrainian letters on the keyboard, but although there are stickers - toga have to search / do a Russian backyard or reassign buttons (do your layout, for example, in Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator).

Earlier on Habré:


Links where you can download the necessary files:
  1. The Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator
  2. Dvorak Keyboard Layout and Dvorak (programmer) Keyboard Layout (I used this one)
  3. Programmer Dvorak Keyboard Layout

Literature:
  1. wiki: keyboard layout
  2. wiki: QWERTY
  3. the wiki: Dvorak Simplified Keyboard (Eng.)
  4. wiki: Dvorak Keyboard
  5. wiki: Colemak Keyboard
  6. Accessibility Tutorials MS: Select a Dvorak Keyboard Layout (Eng.)
  7. Dvorak Keyboard Typing On Your computer in 30 Seconds (Eng.)
  8. Dvorak Keyboard the Layout the Programmer (Eng.)
  9. Dvorak Keyboard and of The You (Eng.)
  10. Keyboard dvorak (Eng.)


UPD: Habr-user IGHOR sent a video how to remove buttons from MacBooks (which may come in handy when changing layouts on it). Video:

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