A keyboard designed for speed typing. The Dvorak keyboard was designed in the 1930s by August Dvorak, a professor of education, and his brother-in-law, William Dealy. Unlike the traditional QWERTY keyboard, the Dvorak keyboard is designed so that the middle row of keys includes the most common letters. In addition, common letter combinations are positioned in such a way that they can be typed quickly.
It has been estimated that in an average eight-hour day, a typist's hands travel 16 miles on a QWERTY keyboard, but only 1 mile on a Dvorak keyboard.
In addition to the standard Dvorak keyboard, there are two additional Dvorak keyboards, a left-handed and right-handed keyboard. These keyboards are designed for people who have only one hand for typing.
Dvorak keyboard information page Describes the ergonomic benefit of using a Dvorak keyboard. In addition, there are links to the history of this keyboard layout, a related newsgroup, and several Dvorak links.
Dvorak keyboard overview page Provides a brief overview of the Dvorak keyboard along with links to the history of the typewriter and QWERTY keyboard. There is information on re-mapping your keyboard from QWERTY to Dvorak, teaching yourself how to use Dvorak, and online references.
Dvorak vs. QWERTY keyboard layouts Provides a comparison between the Dvorak and QWERTY keyboard layouts. Through explanation and background information, the author suggests that you can type much faster using the Dvorak keyboard.
Official site of Dvorak International Contains general information about the Dvorak keyboard layout and hopw to obtain copies of the Striking Home newsletter.
