Dvorak keyboard for a Thinkpad?

[Elhabash]

Does anybody know if there is a keyboard with the Dvorak layout available for the t series? I didn't find any on the IBM homepage, and don't really feel like changing / relabelling all the keys.

[Volker]

I have never seen such an acessory. Would be cool.

On the other hand side, dvorak is pointless if you do not touch-type. Since I never see the keys, I may just as well have the confusing labelling as an extra security measure

[Elhabash]

It would be helpful while starting to learn the layout, but after a while you wouldn't need it anymore, you are right.

I might give it a try with the normal layout and the Dvorak key mapping...

[Kenn]

I became pretty proficient with dvorak back in the day, but gave it up mainly because of the havok it played with common hotkeys. I could type pyfgc, but giving up the intuitive layout of the ctrl-zxcvbasf commands is what did me in.

[Elhabash]

Just thought of something: How much does a replacement keyboard cost approximately for a t40p?
I could switch the keys on that one (Don't want to risk my only keyboard)...

[Plinkerton]

I think they're around 30$.

[ZPrime]

there are companies out there that make stickers to go on the keys that give you extra letters; i have them stuck on my MS natural on my desktop.

for me too, hotkeys were the reason i ended up quitting trying to learn dvorak. i could see how much quicker/easier typing would be, but all of the muscle memory i had for hotkeys and command-line stuff would be out the window. plus, passwords are often "designed" with ease of typing in mind, they may use symbols that are harder to hit on dvorak...

[gruen]

as someone who uses dvorak on a daily basis, the best thing you can do is learn to touchtype with it (after all, that is the point). The reason being... no other public keyboard on the planet, as of yet, has dvorak silkscreened on there.

What i've learned- learning dvorak is hard... it's a steep learning curve, and once you've learned it you've forgotten qwerty. This is why i left all my keys in their original layout; it turns out that once you've mastered dvorak for a couple months, you're going to need to re-learn qwerty. It'll take a while, but it is possible to be able to use both at the same time. I frequently program and write comments in my code in qwerty, and then alt-tab to aim to talk in dvorak.

Long story short: don't change the keys- they're your reference for when you need to be able to switch back and forth. And while you're learning, tape a little diagram somewhere on your monitor (or use a keycap thing like the mac has), and don't look down!

ydco co m. yflcbi cb ',.pyf ,cydrgy abf p.iape urp yd. uajy yday c-m p.annf cb ekrpat mre.

read that, smarty pants

[Elhabash]

Man, it took me a while to decipher it. First I thought I was smart and just switched my keyboard to Dvorak. This brought me back to reality: I am not that smart!

Thanks for your advice, gruen. I will follow it, and also only start learning it when I have the time for being an even slower typer for a while...

I made a test-layout for myself, because the English one is not optimal for writing german, nor is it for writing French. I think that after a little research on the web I might have one now that's a good compromise for all three languages.
If no computer I will use but my own has Dvorak anyways, I can just as well use my own design without any drawbacks, I guess, if the English one doesn't work for me (Umlauts...).

[LaurenceSpiegel]

I've been using dvorak for years now, with nearly zero problems. With the XP dvorak layout I've rarely had a control key etc not work - they get remapped by Windows. There were rare exceptions.
If you can find a kb that outputs dvk in hardware you will have no issues.

Dvorak will reduce your risk of getting RSI (carpal tunnel syndrome). It's also more comfortable as your fingers do fewer awkward reaches.