OSDev.org

Woah... I make fun of my mom for not typing with 10 fingers. I'm surprised that their are so many tech savy people that do not use all 10 fingers to type.

I probably don't use all ten fingers, everyone learns to type in their own unique way.. I hated being pestered to align my fingers properly.

It seems as if I don't use my right thumb at all, something I just noticed.

Hah, same. Back when I was learning to type, the option was to choose either one of the thumbs and stick with it. Somehow the left one just feels right for the space bar.

I borrowed a typewriter from my grandma when I was a young kid (dunno, five or six or so); that's when I started to learn where the keys are on a QWERTZ keyboard. Later, I typed on a ZX-81 and a C64 and a C64 and an Amiga. During all that time, no-one bothered to teach me 10-finger touch-typing. By the time someone suggested I take courses, I was already at my current, pretty decent speed - so why should I bother switching systems?

My parents encouraged my siblings and I to complete some very old version (new at the time) of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. I must've been just starting elementary school at the time. Since then, I recall some attention to typing skills in school, but it wasn't until 7th grade that everyone was required to complete all lessons of a certain touch-typing-teaching software with no mistakes at a minimum rate of 30 wpm.

Between first learning to type and the required course, I had clearly developed some of my own small idiosyncrasies that the required software considered incorrect typing (such as a habit of favoring the left shift key; that is, using the left shift to capitalize any letter typed with the right hand as well as several letters typed with the left). However, I was hardly unfamiliar with typing and immediately adapted (only for the course, I still do favor the left tab).

The course was a joke and I completed each level at around 150wpm, sometimes higher. That is, of course, an unnatural speed that I can only really attain if I am copying text or know exactly what I plan to type. Even so, it's not very comfortable.

I've never learned to type properly, and, upon inspection, it would seem that I do not use my pinkies or my left thumb.

I think it really doesn't matter how fast you type if you're just doing programming. Most of the time, the bottleneck is not your fingers, it's your brain. But accuracy is really important, because if you mistype something it may screw you up way down the road and take days to figure out (esp. if you're dealing with a lot of similarly-named functions). That's why I'm not so surprised that there are people here who can't type super fast. There are definitely tasks that require the speed of 10 finger touch typing, but I wouldn't consider OS devving one of them.

I would advise against trying to learn how to type with 10 fingers if you're already used to your own developed layout. I mean, if you really have the effort to do it then nothing is stoping you. But I don't see it as something required. It would take alot of effort to re-learn how to type in a new way anyways. It's kind of like driving, you're not going to suddenly change the way you drive after years of experience just because it might save a few gallons or something.

I would rather recommend buying one of those ergonomic keyboards, if speed is your thing.

Even tho I'd like one of those expensive Logitech keyboards I still keep buying cheap 3$ PS/2 ones. Then I don't have to cry when it breakes, I just buy a new one. I have like a collection of keyboards in my room which I've used in the past, and virtually all of their alphabetic characters are blank. They're worn out from overuse, I guess..

I've been using the same keyboard for... seven(!) years now. With the exception of the cursor keys, all characters are still perfectly visible, if a little faded. When I noticed that the characters were fading, I overdrew them with alcoholic (or permanent) pen, and attached a small piece of transparent cellux tape on some of them. Although it may seem ugly to some, this has perfectly preserved the characters in addition to providing another important clue - you can tell by touching the key that it is protected by the tape, which aids when you type without looking on the keyboard.

This method, unfortunately, failed to protect the cursor keys. I used them too much and the cellux tape was eventually worn down, and I removed it.

Maybe not when your programming, but typing speed is important when your posting a message on a forum, writing a document, sending an email, sending an instant message and so on.

My middle school had a split 'Arts' course that was mandatory. 1/3 of the year was Art Art, 1/3 was Music, 1/3 was computers. During the computers segment we had to do typing at the start of every class, which was incredibly boring. I think it was 'All The Right Type', Or something along that line.

I think typing skills are a more important human skill than handwriting. When was the last time you wrote a hand written letter to a friend? When was the last time you wrote an email to a friend?

I type with all but my thumb on my left hand, and my 3 middle fingers & sometimes thumb on the right. Due to lack of any sort of computing course at my school I took administration which includes some computing and I'm being pestered to use all my fingers, which is annoying. The teacher assumes that no one can type properly without using just one/two fingers and staring at the keyboard for hours unless they use the home keys et al method.

I learned to touch type on an official typing course when I was about 14 or so, on an electric typewriter, just before we had a computer. Currently I type with only a subset of fingers, my right hand only thumb (for space bar), index finger and pinky (for shift), my left hand pinky for shift, thumb for space, and most other fingers depending on what fingers I just used (sometimes pinky does the 'A', sometimes my ring finger). I tried to train my right hand again, but I failed.


JAL

We had computer typing classes all through elementary school, age 7 through 10. The keyboard was covered by a fitted mat that had the little bumps on j and f but you couldn't see through them. So you had to watch the screen and it was supposed to tell you which fingers to use. Let me say I failed miserably at that, I would wait until she turned her back and then finger peck. My next computer teacher wasn't as watchful so I often got incredibly high scores by copying and pasting.

I've basically taught myself how to type after being in a bunch of computer classes where all we did was copy business letters and information into a spreadsheet. I always finished first so I could just chill or do homework from other classes.

Now I can type pretty fast when I need to. My biggest problem is with my accuracy. If I miss a letter a word or two ago I just backspace everything I've already typed instead of just moving the cursor and adding the letter. I'd say I go do a solid 50 wpm though even with all of that. Maybe upwards of 80 if its a long paper and its due tommorow.

Then I got carpal tunnel and any longer than about two hours at a computer causes me a lot of pain so I've slowed down my typing a little.