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I'm considering switching to a Dvorak-based keyboard layout, but one optimized for programming (mostly) Java and python (e.g. DDvorak, Programmer Dvorak, etc.). What particular keyboard would be best for such an undertaking? I'd consider either natural or straight keyboards.
Thanks.
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The Programmer Dvorak keyboard layout is the most comfortable and efficient layout for programmers. While the traditional Dvorak layout inherits awkward symbol locations from QWERTY, Programmer Dvorak makes the symbol row more intuitive.
If you are interested in making a switch from QWERTY to a new layout, then Colemak may be easier simply because there are fewer keys that are changed due to the same period and comma keys. To change to a Colemak layout is a very similar process to switching to Dvorak on a Mac.
The world record for fastest typing was set using a Dvorak keyboard. Barbara Blackburn of Salem, Oregon, achieved cruising speeds of 150 to 170 words per minute, and peak speeds of 212 wpm — that's an incredible 17+ key presses per second!
Although the typical keyboard features the QWERTY key layout, you should consider using a Dvorak keyboard layout. Reducing finger travel to the most commonly-used letters in English and learning to touch type may reduce hand and wrist strain and improve typing efficiency.
I strongly discourage you from learning a layout that has been heavily optomized for any one programming language (or even a class of them..) it's much, much easier to change languages than keylayouts, and you'll have a lot of trouble finding the tweaked layouts on any random computers you need to use.
That said, I've used dvorak for years (something like 7-8 years now) on a Kinesis Contoured keyboard and it works wonderfully. The kinesis is programmable, switches between qwerty/dvorak, and you can remap the keys all you want (so you could try out ddvorak or programmer dvorak pretty easily, without making software changes, if you wanted).
The contoured keyboard also forces you to touch-type more "correctly", since you can't easily reach across the keyboard with the wrong hand.
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