It's hard to imagine that our "computer" is already an eighty-something old man.
In 1941, the world's first electronic computer was born; in 1968, the first mouse prototype was born; the display was born a little earlier, and in 1922 there was a so-called CRT monitor, but the electronic screen was connected to the computer, thanks to Apple-I in 1976.
However, compared to these young "post-20th century", the QWERTY layout on our keyboards has been widely used as early as 1874.
Typewriter with QWERTY button layout 丨Unsplash
Before and after it, countless key layouts and input devices appeared. But now, almost 150 years later, when we sit in front of the computer, still habitually put two index fingers on the "F" and "J", skillfully touching back and forth between QWERTY, fingers feeling the touch of the keycap, the office echoing the rhythm of "clicking and clicking", everything is so natural.
Naturally, we even forgot to ask: Why are you still using the QWERTY keyboard?
From the dance of the demons to the arrangement of a single keyboard
This was not the case in the beginning.
In an era when typewriters were still widely used, the key layout was still very rich. A variety of creative layouts still exist, such as the piano-like double-row layout and the subsequent four-row layout, as well as the JCUKEN layout, which was born in 1917. Unconsciously, however, the key layout was almost only QWERTY, and it continued from the typewriter to the computer.
Whether it is The Latin language of Europe and the United States, or japan that uses the pseudonym of the business card, even China, which clearly has an independent spelling system - pinyin, without exception, useSWERTY as the key layout. In addition, although there are some places where the keyboard used is not the same as the QWERTY, such as the QWERTZ keyboard (German), the AZERTY keyboard (French), and the QZERTY keyboard (Italian), they are actually variants of QWERTY.
QWERTY Keyboard Distribution 丨 Adapted from BBC Capital
To trace how the QWERTY layout came about, it is impossible to avoid its inventor, journalist Christopher Latham Sholes. In 1874, a gun manufacturer began selling "Sholes & Glidden" typewriters based on Shores' invention. This typewriter quickly became the "first influencer" of the keyboard industry, and the key layout it adopted was very close to QWERTY.
A Wholes & Glidden typewriter 丨Wikipedia, uploaded by Elcobbola
It's hard to guess why a journalist would invent, but an 1878 U.S. patent document clearly states that Shores was indeed the inventor of the typewriter. As for why Shores came up with this layout, one mainstream theory is that QWERTY prevents the typewriter from getting stuck. Before Shores' invention, when people typed quickly on a typewriter, the lead-letter linkage rods of commonly used letters would collide with each other, resulting in blockages. So Shores rearranged the letter layout to separate the common letters (though W and E are still adjacent) so that people don't press them at the same time.
So, does this design slow down typing? In fact, the QWERTY keyboard is not slow, and has even won many typing competitions. At the same time, several large typewriter manufacturers formed the Typewriter Alliance in 1893 and agreed to adopt the QWERTY key layout. These events have paved the way for QWERTY's success.
Shoals' patented illustration, this button layout has been very close to the modern button layout 丨 U.S. Patent No. 207,559
However, just as the QWERTY keyboard was on the rise, it ushered in a strong competitor - dvorak keyboard.
In 1936, the American educational psychologist August Dvorak applied for a patent for the Dvorak button layout. Based on the frequency of letter use and the physiological structure of the hand, this layout claims to have the characteristics of faster typing, easier learning and reduced fatigue. Dvorak says dvorak layouts reduce finger movements and typos compared to the standard QWERTY layout.
Dvorak Keyboard attempts to challenge QWERTY Keyboard 丨 adapted from BBC Capital
Unfortunately, even though Dvorak was sought after a lot, even briefly promoted by Apple, it didn't shake QWERTY's position. Fortunately, systems such as MacOS and Windows still support the Dvorak keyboard, which gives followers some comfort and hope.
The mystery of QWERTY
Is QWERTY really superior to other keyboards to survive until now?
At least dvorak's proponents don't think so. They cite studies to support their argument that Dvorak is more dominant in terms of speed. For example, a study conducted during World War II showed that Dvorak typists were 74 percent faster than QWERTY typists. The "path-dependent" theory in economics has been used to explain why QWERTY dominates.
However, some critics point out that the studies that proved Dvorak's higher efficiency were biased and that the experiments were not rigorous, such as excessive differences in samples.
In a paper called "The Fable of the Keyboard," economists Liebowitz & Margolis point out that Dvorak's experiments can be traced back to Dvořák himself, and therefore have an interest in him. They also cite other studies showing that Dvorak's typing efficiency and ergonomic advantages are not obvious. In addition, they believe that the QWERTY keyboard has been handed down to this day as a result of market competition.
To this day, the theory about why QWERTY keyboards are popular remains controversial. But in any case, it is an indisputable fact that it has become the keyboard standard.
And we, too, are brought into an endless loop of habit formation by this standard: we teach our children to use the QWERTY keyboard because it's everywhere. Why is QWERTY keyboard everywhere? Because we teach our children to use it too.
Is it possible that the Colemak button layout, born in 2006, replaceSWERTY? 丨 Adapted from BBC Capital
One-handed input, benchmarking QWERTY
In addition to the several key layouts mentioned earlier, a lot of other devices have been developed in an attempt to re-challenge the dominance of the QWERTY keyboard.
Take the Twiddler keyboard, for example, a one-handed input device. Before the touch screen era, most mobile phones used T9 keyboards, and each number represented 3 to 4 letters. And, of course, there's BlackBerry's full-keyboard phone, which was once a symbol of compulsion. We were able to get the full record at the end of a large meeting, thanks to the shorthand keyboard.
Twiddler
And now, this attempt has not stopped. Both small companies and giants are trying to change the current input habits of QWERTY.
Take Tap, for example. It's a rubber-like brass knuckle sleeve that operates one-handedly and wirelessly connects to your smartphone, with an accelerometer in each sleeve and uses the accelerometer to convert the tapping motion of your finger into letter input. It tries to free you from the clunky physical keyboard that you can complete by tapping anywhere. In the scenario tap envisioned, your keyboard could be your thighs, your arms, or even someone's forehead.
Imagine James Bond's slender fingers gliding gracefully over the Bond girl's naked back, and then a line appears on the screen: Writings on the wall.
Tap finger sleeve
Although tap's $179 price tag far exceeds that of a keyboard used by the average person, tap is an input device for everyone in its founder's vision. In his opinion, those who are blind can easily use Tap to complete the input, and he has even imagined how to use Tap to enter Chinese. There is a tool called TapMapper that also allows users to customize tap layouts.
However, the user experience of this device is not good, because you need to enter different letters with different finger combinations, and this combination is not very habitual: A is your thumb, B is your index finger plus little finger, and C is all the fingers except the index finger. Compared to the traditional experience of typing a letter in one click, this way of doing it can be said to be very "counter-instinctive".
What will the keyboards of the future look like?
Finger-tracking touchscreen keyboard DotKey
In the eyes of Art O'Gnimh, head of Logitech's keyboard and mouse business, the keyboard is a device that will last for many years, but he also believes that other technologies will make it less important. For example, input methods with predictive functions, such as Gmail's smart reply and smart composing functions.
But if there's anything that convinces us to replace the keyboard, or change the current QWERTY layout, it has to be able to greatly improve the efficiency of communication. We can improve our typing speed without spending too much on the cost of learning.
Will it be voice input? After all, this feature is already standard in smartphones. If you've used it recently, you'll find that the current speech recognition accuracy is also quite high. However, it does not apply to entering certain serious and formal texts, because the essence of speech input is "casual", which is completely in conflict with "caution".
So will the future be an era without input interfaces?
LIVES
Neurable is a Cambridge-based startup that is working on an input device that "thinks is what you get." They used a VR headset full of electrodes to track brain activity and used machine learning to identify which letter you wanted to enter. When you type a few letters, it also automatically completes the entire word. The goal of this device is to be able to enter 8-14 words per minute. That way, it's enough for some text message replies. But it is clear that such an invention cannot become a "keyboard terminator".
In addition to Neuralable, there are other "brain-computer interfaces" like this, such as CTRL-labs. This is an armband that detects the activity of muscle fibers in the arm. It can be used for many purposes, such as replacing gamepads. It also predicts what text you want to enter without moving your arm.
Thomas Reardon, the company's CEO and co-founder, said CTRL-labs can adapt to the typing habits of different users. For example, the little finger of his own right hand is actually thinner, which on a traditional QWERTY keyboard will cause problems when typing p. However, CTRL-labs will not be like this, and the system can be re-planned according to the user's usage habits, so that the fingers do not have to move too much when typing.
CTRL-labs
However, the ideal is very full, and it is difficult to go public. The device won't be available as a developer version until the end of the year. However, although it can recognize finger and arm movements through muscle twitching, it has not yet directly translated it into the function of typing.
Rearden admits that the product isn't good enough for him to throw away his old-fashioned 80s IBM Model M keyboard. Although this keyboard is "thunderous" every time you type, it is still very reliable.
Still inseparable from QWERTY
Our little ones may not necessarily rely on the QWERTY keyboard as much as we do. But they also use it because the traditional keyboard is still very good compared to all the alternatives. And in an age that is increasingly devoid of "physicality," it's great to have a physical keyboard that can be touched and tapped.
After all, compared to the current "mind-reading helmet" and finger sleeve that has to wait half a day to enter a letter, it is obviously more comfortable to enter a QWERTY keyboard!
By Rachel Metz
Compiled: Bearkiii
Editors: EON, Ent, Xiaokui Li
This article is compiled with permission from MIT Technology Review and has been significantly changed
Original address:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611620/why-we-cant-quit-the-qwerty-keyboard/
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An AI
An advanced AI like mine doesn't require a keyboard at all.
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