There's also the fact that if you type non-homerow you're a lot more likely to get carpal tunnel and arthritis at a younger age. That's why people are starting to find ergonomic keyboards aren't really so ergonomic.

And besides, he has to grow up sometime. You can't just always take the route that's more convenient. What we're trying to tell him is that even though the way he types is more convenient, typing home row (in the long run) will pay off. Trust me, there was a point where I typed at 60wpm in 4th grade non-homerow, and 25 using homerow. I've grown to the point where homerow is the ONLY way I can type now, and I do it quite proficiently.

The point I'm trying to make is, everyone has a convenience threshold. You obviously have one since you don't have a DVORAK keyboard. There came a point where you just couldn't be bothered. Well, same goes for some people, only concerning home row. Some people don't type enough or don't care enough to be bothered.

It's a class. Most people can be bothered to follow the guidelines set out by the course...

I don't have a dvorak keyboard because it costs money more than anything. Learning how to type homerow...doesn't.

What is the home row technique?


I type with all five fingers, thumb usually for space bar, little finger usually for enter or control, first fingers resting on F and J (this makes touch-typing easier, because F and J have those little knobbly bits on). Is there some way I can speed up my method?

Actually, I think you're using home row.

[QUOTE=Dj Yoshi]Actually, I think you're using home row.[/QUOTE]

I doubt it because I've never been taught it.. I still use a QWERTY keyboard, if that's what's different?

No, it's on a QWERTY keyboard (homerow is). I'm just saying it seems like you taught yourself home row.

Home row: left pinky on 'a', left ring finger on 's', left middle finger on 'd', left pointer finger on 'f', left thumb on spacebar, right thumb on spacebar, right pointer finger on 'j', right middle finger on 'k', right ring finger on 'l', and right pinky on '''. Don't move your fingers from these positions, except to type letters above or below, after which move them back to home row.

Wow, you got a box? We got a piece of construction paper taped to the keyboard. And textbook-guided typing in an old text program that appeared to be DOS-based.

Of course, the year after I finished the course, they completely upgraded the computer lab. They use MSWord now. :p

[edit: and sadly, I actually have the Mavis Becon program your referring to. I'm not sure where, but then again, I don't really care.]

Hmm. Yes, it looks like I've subconsciously adopted a sort of lazy homerow technique, though my middle finger often creeps up to 'e', my left little finger almost always on shift and my right hand is slightly slanted.

I'm trying strict homerow now and it feels sort of awkward with both my hands straight on the keyboard (especially with my little finger). Perhaps my hands are too big for this keyboard. I also imagine this is easier on those ergonometric keyboards, with the split down the middle?

I easily get 50 WPM with just two fingers, and am able to correct it pretty quickly, so not much of a problem here.

The "oh I can type fairly fast as it is so I won't bother even trying a new technique!" lines don't really make much sense, because if you can type fast already you'll only be able to type even faster with a more efficient technique (and you'll probably pick it up faster too). If you're trying to say "I'm lazy, shut up, go away", you might as well say that instead.
50wpm isn't really that fast anyway.

[QUOTE=Dj Yoshi]I don't have a dvorak keyboard because it costs money more than anything. Learning how to type homerow...doesn't.[/QUOTE]

You know you can use the Dvorak layout on a QWERTY keyboard, right? It's just a matter of changing your settings in the software.

Ergonomic keyboards are hell, especially for me (mostly because unlike homerow technique I use my right pointer finger to press b.). Not to mention I HEAR (note, rumor, conjecture, not fact) that they're worse for your hands in the long run...and I really don't doubt it.

I use sort of a modified home row, which is mainly the result of the fact that I use the keys my right fingers are on more than any other keys on the keyboard. I can still type extremely fast using normal homerow, but I am much faster using this method:

left: asef
right: hio;

It seems I just can't avoid the semicolon..

so when I am at work, I have been practicing the dvorak standard layout, with which I am become quite proficient.

I think that my modified home row may also be the result of my middle and ring fingers being too long not to bend aggresively to stay on normal home row.