Why keyboards are made QWERTY?

Haven't you ever wondered why the heck is the keyboard made in this QWERTY way? I mean why not make it simple as ABCDE or at least simpler than this? It would be so easy to remember all the keys than the keys are now in random order. But wait, keys are not kept in random order. Okay, so at first I would like to tell you that YES, there was indeed such a kind of a layout for typing at the initial stage.

When typewriters were invented back in 1860's alphabetical keyboards were used. With the development of science and technology, different types of keyboards were used. It was quite easy to learn and type at great speed, because the keyboards before were invented by studying probability of using in words so that people could type faster. The letters such as vowels, D, H, N, S and T are frequently used in most of the words in english. So, these keys were kept close and rest were kept farther away.

If you have seen anyone using typewriters then you must know, typewriters work by hitting each letter against the paper in same place. So, pressing the keys that are very near led the keys to jam and stuck. Now this jamming won’t really sound like a problem for many of us since we never had the misfortune to use a typical typewriter. However, Anyone who has used typewriter knows how much annoying the jamming of keys is in typewriter. Even a single jam on one button and this would require unjamming the keys, ripping out the old papers, then washing the ink off your fingers, inserting new sheets, and starting all over again. A total waste of time, energy and money basically.

Now the form of arrangement that we are using today is known as ‘QWERTY’. The QWERTY layout was devised and created in the early 1870's by Christopher Latham Sholes, a newspaper editor and printer who lived in Milwaukee. Now, many have misconception that QWERTY keyboard was invented to slow typist down which is not true. QWERTY keyboard is made scientifically so that each most used letters are kept farther from each other which basically reduced the jamming problem a lot.

QWERTY Keyboard

But wait, we don't usually use typewriter nowadays. So, may be we can replace QWERTY keyboards with the easier keyboards that can help us type faster, right? There are many purposed keyboards for this and one them seems the most convincing - Dvorak Keyboard. Dvorak Keyboard is invented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak and his brother-in-law Dr. William Dealey. Dvorak layout uses less finger motion and reduces errors compared to the standard QWERTY keyboard as 70% of the typing can be done only by using home row compared to that about 30% on QWERTY keyboard. This reduction in finger distance traveled is claimed to permit faster rates of typing while reducing repetitive strain injuries, though this has been called into question and their criticism has in turn also been called into question.

Dvorak Keyboard

However, QWERTY keyboards are used all over the world and all the software and games are made for QWERTY keyboard most of which do not support Dvorak Keyboard. So, QWERTY rules after all and its very difficult to replace QWERTY by any other keyboards.

Have you ever used Dvorak Keyboard? Do you know any other keyboards? Please let me know in the comment below.