The Developer's Dvorak Keyboard Layout
OK, so you've discovered the Dvorak layout is great for writing text.
But what about computer code? Frequently used symbols are in the same very bad QWERTY
positions...
With DDvorak (Developer's Dvorak) you can touch-type computer code too!
The main point of this article is to show how easy it is to create your own
keyboard layout, and also I hope you will pick up some useful ideas
to improve the layout that you're using (regardless of whether
you use Dvorak or not, or if you're a programmer or not). You can
test your new layout and DDvorak with this tool and see how it scores against
Qwerty and Dvorak. It's what I've used to design my layout.
I came up with this Dvorak-based layout after 5 years of use and gradual changes.
It's optimized for C# and C#-like languages and XML/HTML.
The logic behind DDvorak
As with the standard Dvorak, these are the main points:
- Most frequently used keys are on the home keys or as close to the home keys as possible
- Stronger fingers are used more than weaker fingers
- Frequent combinations of letters are easy to type
- There should be as few pairs of letters that need to be typed with the same finger
as possible
It comes in 3 distinct versions:
- "Light Developer's Dvorak" - no changes from the Dvorak layout that comes
with Windows, but most symbols can also be easily accessed using , (comma)
as a dead key modifier. (Easy to install)
- "Standard Developer's Dvorak" - changes to some characters from their Dvorak
position, but more importantly this layout has the best possible position for the
often used Shift , Enter, and Backspace keys. (Hard to
install)
- "Advanced Developer's Dvorak" - Building upon Standard Developer's Dvorak,
this is optimised for ergonomic keyboards as well as compact or portable keyboards
(No installer)
