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Will touchscreen free us from QWERTY?

Posted by marktmarket • 1/02/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: innovation, keyboard, qwerty, touchscreen, tradition

Just blogged about the rage on smartphones and touchscreens and an older talk by Jeff Han on the advantages of multi-touch interfaces:

thecriticalthinker.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/tradition-over-innovation-qwert...

Despite all the innovations in interfaces, we are still held hostage by the traditional QWERTY layout which has been obsolete for decades.

Will touchscreen liberate us finally?

User Comments

1/02/09

jefftompkins71

I sure hope not. And what is it with people complaining about having to type? I mean, is it really that much of a burden?

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1/02/09

drjay1966

Why's it obsolete? Would another arrangement of letters work better? And, if so, couldn't that be done on a keyboard as easily as on a touch-screen?

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1. 1/02/09
  
  marktmarket
  
  The history of the QWERTY is basically a mechanical limitation of early typewriters... a limitation that no longer exists since the electric typewriter decades ago. QWERTY is simply now a tradition that we've come to be accustomed to.
  
  Then again, who knew we'd still be typing in the 21st century?
1/02/09

wehireu

There are either other keyboard layouts, or a two wand drum like system tapping away which could be far faster than a keyboard.

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1/02/09

MrCheeseburger

Depends.

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1/03/09

legbamel

Since when is it obsolete? The reason for QWERTY is the arrangement of the most-used letters in close proximity to each other for the benefit of the typist, not the stupid machine. I don't see any difficulty with the layout, but then I type all day every day, essentially, so I'm very much accustomed to finding the "e" with my middle finger.

JT, I'm with you. Seriously, the only reason people don't want to type is because they keep making keyboards smaller and smaller. But how many icons can you fit to choose from before they're too small to identify (and select). Allowing someone to type in an answer allows for infinite responses. That's not so hot on, say, a limited menu but for more complicated questions how do people propose giving a response? If typing is so hard, is reading far behind? Why learn those little squiggles when you can just pick a picture?!

Whoops. Hold on while I put away my soap box.

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1/03/09

MadameX

I'd hate like hell to be "freed" from the easy and comfortable layout I've been using for more than 25 years.

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1/03/09

swashedAnnie

Personally, I like qwerty, not just because it sounds cool, but because I like typing. I like feeling the click of the key. I've never been a fan of touchscreen, probably due to bad experiences with the LG chocolate phone.

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1/03/09

Frankz0509

Agree here, I still like QUERTY a lot better than touchscreen interfaces. I'm never --EVER-- gonna ditch this.

Well, that's unless they invent touchscreen interfaces with physical 3D modeling (the screen has bumps corresponding to the interface on the computer).

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