I’m starting to learn to touch type correctly on a keyboard, but typing something like :q with the pinky finger always feels so awkward to me. Is it worth using it?
Definitely. Keep your palms high to make it easier for the pinky to reach. If you rest your palms on the keyboard, it will make it awkward to use the pinky for keys in the upper rows.
Not for me, but then again I have residual nerve damage in my pinky fingers from a case of meningitis back in 2004.
However, I do still use my left pinky for the left shift key, and my right pinky for the enter key. At least those keys are big enough that the mild numbness doesn’t cause me to miss those keys.
Yes. All the time.
Yes, I decided i wanted to learn touch typing a while ago, I switched to a different layout from QWERTY called Coleman, it’s fairly similar but puts the most common letters on the home row or near your first and second fingers, while keeping the position of common shortcut keys like Z, X, C.
I also switched my keyboard to an Ortholinear style which i found helped with my accuracy as i was learning.
Similarly I learned to properly type (which means using your pinkies) with Dvorak back in 2007. I stuck with it since anything is a gain beyond QWERTY &
_on the home row helps with programming & config.If you haven’t learned to touch type, you may as well use a layout that is gonna strain you less in the long run.
Yeah. I use it for ctrl, shift, enter, etc.
Yes, I use Dvorak exclusively, and touch type.
Yes. I’m using the standard typing system on an ANSI keyboard which requires pinkies.
Yes, i do and yes, it’s worth it.
Also, practice the number row, too! That’s my weakest area by far. I can touch-type everything else but i always have to check the number row.This advice can’t be overlooked. When I was in HS I was out sick for the week we practiced the number row and man, many, many years later I still can’t blind type numbers (but can on a 10key).
