Thread: Do You Touch-Type or Hunt-and-Peck

Originally Posted by Rajagra

I'm torn between getting a Das or a Steelseries 7G.

The Das has up to 12 key rollover; 2 USB 2.0 ports, but they say it is incompatible with most KVM switches. I'm unclear if they mean PS/2 connection KVMs. And the phrase "up to" makes that 12-key figure rather vague.

it works just fine with my kvm at work. the usb ports in the side are great for thumb/jump drives. i've never had problems with the Das not keeping up with me, and i type pretty fast.

your coworkers might not like the noise, tho my cubemate complains that when i'm intenseley coding it sounds like a woodpecker on pcp having a seizure.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Neither .

I can't touch type, but I also don't have to hunt and peck.

Unless looking at the keys instead of the monitor is classed as hunting and pecking. I'm a slow typer compared to some of the people here, but I do think I am relatively fast, this is why I don't class myself as a hunt & peck person. Since I have to look at the keys, and sometimes get frustrated and pound them like they a 19th century typewriter, I don't class myself as a touch typer.

Let's say that you're a "compensated" hunter-and-pecker.

Tribes was an awesome game. Late at night looking at the screen you would really get the sensation of flying. Very cool!


Richard

I touch type, I didn't learn how to do it, just picked it up over time.

I use the keyboard that came with my iMac, works for me - I like it actually, I don't often get keys mixed up or anything - and I have an xbox to game on.

I haven't read the entire thread and if someone has already posted this, my apologies. That said, true story - I worked in DC for about 12 years decades ago. Back in '84 or so a grizzled old Senior Executive Service type guy was having a converation with me about the typing skills of the secretaries that existed there at the time. Then he mentioned that up on the Hill, there were hundreds if not thousands of secretaries. He said that amazingly only about 5% were touch typists. The other 95% were huntin' peckers.



Bada Boom...

Originally Posted by AirColorado

I haven't read the entire thread and if someone has already posted this, my apologies. That said, true story - I worked in DC for about 12 years decades ago. Back in '84 or so a grizzled old Senior Executive Service type guy was having a converation with me about the typing skills of the secretaries that existed there at the time. Then he mentioned that up on the Hill, there were hundreds if not thousands of secretaries. He said that amazingly only about 5% were touch typists. The other 95% were huntin' peckers.



Bada Boom...

Were there any cunning runts?

I'm a touch-typer.

I'm younger, so I ended up taking typing, class, but I didn't want to put in the work to learn to type without looking. So unfortunately my foolishness and stubbornness, stopped me from learning to touch type at the time. However, being the internet addict that I am, and also because of my love of writing, I have learned to touch type without any actual training, or using traditional finger placement. Over time, my hands just know where the keys are. Though I will say that I still look down sometimes, so I am not as good as I could be, but I did write all of this without looking and it didn't take me very long. It also changes from keyboard to keyboard and words that I don't normally use or say are harder to type. I have to get used to the keyboard first.

Something I noticed that improved my touch typing abilities was when I used to game in the dark. When you can't see the keys and you're trying not to die, you get pretty good at touch typing

My parents purchased our first computer when I was 7. I've played with the typing tutorials and taken typing classes in school. The thing that has helped the the most, is instant messaging. This was before evry1 typed in txt language!

If you need to practice typing, TypeFaster is great (and free!) It doesn't teach which fingers to use where, but if you already know that, this app will help you build up speed.

For an alternative keyboard layout, try Colemak. It does seem better than Dvorak. If you go to this speed test game, you can watch replays of people who have taken the test, it shows animations of where their fingers had to move. The playback of a Colemak test is a thing of beauty - you can see keystrokes appearing at breakneck speed while the fingers hardly ever move from the home positions. You couldn't get a better illustration of how bad QWERTY is.

(Even the Dvorak playbacks seem hectic compared to Colemak.)