Would you dare switching?
Svorak (swedish dvorak) keyboard layout file.
BeOS and Linux implementation by Xerxes Rånby. Thanks!
The QWERTY keyboard layout was invented in the 1850s. It puts all the most commonly
used characters in the most awkward positions on the keyboard to slow typists down, to prevent
jamming the primitive typewriters. A notable exception is the letters of the word TYPEWRITER which were
intentionally placed on the second row so that salesmen wouldn't have to hunt and peck.
The DVORAK layout was designed by Albert Dvorak in 1934. He had realized how stupid the QWERTY keyboard
was, and designed a new keyboard layout optimized for the english language.
Unlike the qwerty keyboard, the most commonly used keys are on your howe row. Also, all vowels are
placed together under your left hand. Since words usually alternate between vocals and consonants for
every letter, you get to switch hands often which can improve typing speed.
Since you probably
spend a lot of time in front of your computer just like me (otherwise you wouldn't be here, now would you),
you'll be happy to hear that Dvorak keyboards prevent strain injuries since you hardly ever have to move
your hands.
A simple test: try writing "This is a test" 10 times in a row on a qwerty keyboard and then on a dvorak
keyboard. Also try the swedish equivalent - "Detta är en test". Feel the difference!
Now, what is SVORAK?
SVORAK is a swedish version of the DVORAK keyboard, made by me (Liket) and Xtreamist. Most special
characters are just like on a swedish QWERTY keyboard (only .,:; have been moved) and ÅÄÖ have
been placed together with the other vocals, just as they should be. We can feel lucky that Y happens
to be among the vowels on english dvorak keyboards even though Y is a consonant in english! It might
as well have been placed somewhere else which would have created a major english dvorak incompatibility.
Anyway - be warned. Using the SVORAK keyboard is highly addictive and once you know what typing SHOULD
feel like, there's just no going back. You can still type qwerty, but you'll curse every single keystroke.
For more info, here's a couple of links.
Introducing the Dvorak keyboard