What is qwerty?

I made my living as a computer programmer for 40 years typing with 2 fingers even though I learned to use all fingers in high school. Anyone out there bypass speed for accuracy as well?

it was created to slow down the typists who were faster than the mechanics of the 19th century manual typewriters

I've heard somewhere that the layout of the "QUERTY" keys is based on frequency of letters used based on the positioning of a typist's fingers. That is, more frequenty used letters A, E,I,O,U,Y (vowels) & B,C,D,F,G, along with the other consonants are located/positioned near "dominant" (so to speak) fingers for more efficient typing. Make sense.

Sweet Senior, Did you know that the fastest speed typing was done on an old black manual typewriter! I used to love mine!!

Shelby Carpenter, Nah - I learned to touch type nearly fifty years ago and have used it regularly in work ever since so I've managed to retain both speed and accuracy. Mind you- at my age my fingers are the only nimble things left about me :)

ChampionNymph37634, it was designed to prevent the letter arms from jamming.

Europe is the only continent that can be spelled using only the top row of letters on a QWERTY keyboard. Just in case that question comes up.....

Shelby Carpenter, Yeah, like you, I learned typing in high school. I learned "home row". Many years later, I did medical transcription and my typing speed was 98 words/minute with a 0.3% error ratio! I

Shelby Carpenter, I type quickly with just three or four fingers. I failed 3rd form typing but since I'm a pianist, I picked up typing quickly enough when left to my own devices. Probably just as well because I'm dyspraxic and 8 broke my little finger severely back in July and it's never going to be fully functional again.

ChampionNymph37634, I don’t think bcdfg are frequently used letters. Rstln more common.

ChampionNymph37634, as others noted, I've read that QWERTY was designed to SLOW typists, to keep them from jamming together the pivoting mechanical typing arms in early typewriters. Note the letter 'A', while on the home row, is under the 'baby' or 'pinkie' finger of the left hand. And 'E', the most commonly used English letter, is typed by the middle left finger one row up. The Dvorak layout patented in 1936 claims 70% of keystrokes are on the home keys (vs. 32% on QWERTY), avoids using the more difficult bottom row (QWERTY places 'C', 'N', commas & periods there), splits the workload between the left and right hands more evenly and thus uses 63% of the finger motion required by QWERTY, allegedly reducing repetitive stress injury, spelling errors and typist fatigue. There is debate about these claims, however recent tests support Dvorak superiority. QWERTY likely predominates today simply because it had a sixty-year head start, even though hard-wired electric typewriters began to disappear in the 1980s. Inertia. Retraining of experienced typists and/or purchasing of two types of typewriters. Bureaucracy?

Player #8258475, Bless you! At my age my fingers are the least nimble parts I have, lol!

Shelby Carpenter, my typing skills resulted in scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana!

I've always remembered it as: "qwerty you ee op" That's the whole row - qwertyuiop.

Player #3532789, same here. still have it!

Shelby Carpenter, I got a scholarship to Purdue University with my typing skills and I am very Petite with small hands.

I still use all 10 fingers on the keyboard.

ChampionNymph37634, Actually it’s the opposite. It was designed to be slow and cumbersome.

Little Saint, aeiou and sometimes y...the word my...y is a vowel

Shelby Carpenter, I sure do!!!

Davy, Livingston, Or proprietor

my typing has really improved since I got a pc

my question! :)

Rubicon, it was designed to preve t

ChampionNymph37634, that does make sense and it's what I was told when learning to 'touch type' at college

Pearldiver11, yeah I saw that.. wow

I read somewhere that the top row includes all the letters in the word "typewriter", which made it easier for salespeople to demo.

TonyBaroni COYB, I learned it without knowing. I can type 120 wpm and am faster than computer can register it. frustrating.