![]() Having already tried to build machines for typesetting and printing numbers, Sholes’ adventures in type began in 1867, when he read an article in Scientific American describing the Pterotype, a prototype typewriter invented by one John Pratt. He was also one of a team of inventors credited with building the first commercially viable typewriter. ![]() Born in small-town Pennsylvania in 1819, Sholes was many things, including newspaper editor and Wisconsin state senator. The letters on a typewriter are affixed to metal arms, which are activated by the keys on early models, if a lever was activated before its neighbour had fully come back down to rest, they would jam, forcing the typist to stop. In fact, the Qwerty layout was concocted to prevent keys from jamming – or at least, that’s what most experts have tended to believe. One character even lectures another about it in a Paulo Coelho novel. So why change this logical layout? Legend has it that Qwerty – known for the jabberwocky-style word formed by the first six letters of its top row – was dreamt up with the express purpose of slowing typists down. iPads and iPhones only support the QWERTY layout for their touch-screen keyboards, so you can’t rearrange the software keyboard’s layout to match your Dvorak layout.The earliest typewriters were cumbersome, moody machines but there was nevertheless an order to their keys that any English-speaking user could readily glean: they were arranged alphabetically. When you use someone else’s computer, you’ll have to use the QWERTY layout - so all your Dvorak muscle memory will only hurt you. You’ll need months - maybe even as much as a year - to get back up to your current speed. Switching to these keyboard layouts will also be rough if you have a lifetime’s experience with QWERTY. However, they’re less common - you’ll have trouble if you want a laptop with a built-in Dvorak keyboard! You can buy overlays for some keyboards so you can view the Dvorak layout without actually replacing your keyboard’s hardware. These keyboards have the appropriate keys printed on them, so they’re easier to use. You can also buy keyboards designed for Dvorak or Colemak. RELATED: Add keyboard languages to XP, Vista, and Windows 7 ![]() Use the Language options to change your keyboard layout on Windows 8. You can then switch your active keyboard layout. Click Add, expand the English (United States) section, and add a Dvorak layout. To enable Dvorak on Windows 7, open the Region and Language window from the Control Panel, click the Keyboards and Languages tab, and click the change Keyboards button. You’ll probably want to print out a layout so you can actually check what your keys do. Bear in mind that keys will work differently from how they appear on the keyboard - when you press your QWERTY keyboards Q key, the ‘ character will appear if you’re using the Dvorak layout. You can switch your operating system to use this keyboard layout and try using it today. Dvorak is a standardized keyboard layout, and it’s even included in Windows.
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