How do you type?

[Shados]

I always got yelled at by our typing teacher in elementary/middle school for not using the homerow method, but they gave up when I was constantly typing miles faster than everybody else.

Honest opinion, if you can NOT stare at your hands/keyboard while you type and you type at a decent rate, then it doesn't honestly matter.  Never did fully understand why the "home row" was supposedly better.

It's pretty obvious, really: dividing up the keyboard into regions and assigning one finger to each means you can hit more keys in the same amount of time because you have to move any given finger less on average. Can, not necessarily will, but generally most people who are fast typers and don't touch-type "properly" will be faster once they've learned to.

Speaking from experience and that of a few people I know (and assuming our experiences translate to other people at all), if you're interested in learning to touch-type correctly just get a software typing tutor program - preferably one with specific 'lessons' as well as general/specific training routines. Use it for maybe 30 minutes or so to pick up the layout/finger->key mapping etc., then use it for 5-15 minutes each day, and critically, touch-type for all other typing you do. Yes, you will most definitely be excruciatingly slow for a while, but hey, that's good incentive to learn faster. Generally speaking you'll likely be slower for up to a week or so, on par with your old method for a similar amount of time, and then you'll see consistent improvements for several weeks/months - assuming you keep up with actively using a typing tutor each day in addition to touch-typing for normal usage.

 

[KuJoe]

I think I'm going to give that a shot @Shados.

This post was typed very slowly using the home row method.

 

[eva2000]

hunt and pecker but i don't look at the keyboard

~75-90 WPM

 

[Awmusic12635]

Homerow typically.

80-90WPM average

 

[Aldryic C'boas]

It's also worth noting that I was a pianist for years before even knowing what a computer/typewriter was.. I suppose that made the notion of "specific keys per fingers" a lot easier to grasp.

Conversely, I would be very curious to see how fast 'proper' vs 'improper' typists could pick up simple piano songs based on that theory.

 

[mikho]

I constantly try to stop looking at the keyboard to see what I type but I use the backspace more then any other key.

 

[5n1p]

I constantly try to stop looking at the keyboard to see what I type but I use the backspace more then any other key.

"backspace" on keyboard and  "undo" in software are most usable

I use all fingers but haven't learn any method how to use it properly and I have stop'd looking at a keyboard after I bought Microsoft ergonomic , it really makes typing easy and makes you use all your fingers.

P.S. I hope you wont flame me because of "Microsoft" in post .

 

[mpkossen]

It's pretty obvious, really: dividing up the keyboard into regions and assigning one finger to each means you can hit more keys in the same amount of time because you have to move any given finger less on average. Can, not necessarily will, but generally most people who are fast typers and don't touch-type "properly" will be faster once they've learned to.

Speaking from experience and that of a few people I know (and assuming our experiences translate to other people at all), if you're interested in learning to touch-type correctly just get a software typing tutor program - preferably one with specific 'lessons' as well as general/specific training routines. Use it for maybe 30 minutes or so to pick up the layout/finger->key mapping etc., then use it for 5-15 minutes each day, and critically, touch-type for all other typing you do. Yes, you will most definitely be excruciatingly slow for a while, but hey, that's good incentive to learn faster. Generally speaking you'll likely be slower for up to a week or so, on par with your old method for a similar amount of time, and then you'll see consistent improvements for several weeks/months - assuming you keep up with actively using a typing tutor each day in addition to touch-typing for normal usage.

Exactly the way I learned it! I used KTouch to learn it. I was quite frustrated the first two or three days but after a week, I was back at my Hunt & Peck speed. One week later I was faster than ever before.

 

[notFound]

I don't really have a method like everyone else does. My small finger is always on the right shift because I use it so often and right thumb on the space bar but my left thumb also follows around going for the space bar some times or control and my left small finger on tab. The rest of my fingers Just go wherever they need to.

 

[sDsB]

Svorak (swedish Dvorak) nerd checking in. Using an old and crusty ergonomic keyboard that hasn't been rearranged. As such it is actually impossible for me to do anything but touch type. If I need to type a single letter, I need to put the hands in the right position and let the muscle memory do it's thing.

Not very fast because I have a high error rate. But I had that on QWERTY too, so it doesn't matter.

 

[mikho]

"backspace" on keyboard and  "undo" in software are most usable

I use all fingers but haven't learn any method how to use it properly and I have stop'd looking at a keyboard after I bought Microsoft ergonomic , it really makes typing easy and makes you use all your fingers.

P.S. I hope you wont flame me because of "Microsoft" in post .

Won't flame you at all, I'm a Microsoft person myself... well OS that is .

If I'm at my own computer it's most likely the laptops keyboard that I use, if I'm not typing away on a customers computer, Sometimes a little difference on the layout can make it so much harder. For instance if the enter key is as small as the backspace key or on some keyboards the home/end/pg up/pg dn keys are rearranged.

That makes it harder.

 

[jcaleb]

I type using 3 finger eagle's claw style

 

[HostUS-Alexander]

 

[MartinD]

Where's that from?

 

[HostUS-Alexander]

Where's that from?

http://10fastfingers.com/typing-test/english

 

[MartinD]

Hmm..


Visit the Typing Test and try!

That was a bit crap

 

[Francisco]

between that and the key layout, I don't have to worry about anyone messing around at my workstation anymore XD

Nor worry about the wife sleeping in on a weekend <_<

Francisco

 

[DearLeaderJohn]

Visit the Typing Test and try!

 

I should really think about changing my method, hmm.

 

[Francisco]

It's also worth noting that I was a pianist for years before even knowing what a computer/typewriter was.. I suppose that made the notion of "specific keys per fingers" a lot easier to grasp.

Conversely, I would be very curious to see how fast 'proper' vs 'improper' typists could pick up simple piano songs based on that theory.

Are you like Peter by chance?

>_>

Francisco

 

[MannDude]

Visit the Typing Test and try!

Guess I should mention that was about 98% accuracy.