On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 18:59:03 -0700, Steve Dirickson <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> I had read that the keyboard configuration was put in the >> current order, >> because the original placement was very efficient and the >> user could type >> much quicker, and the old machines would jamm constantly, so >> they placed the >> keys in an awkward order to slow their typing speed down. > >A popular myth that (as is frequently the case), while wrong, contains >a grain of truth. The "problem" of fast typists was, in fact, an >issue. The design solution was not, however, to "slow down" fast >typists to avoid jamming; it was to arrange the keys to minimize >jamming of the arms activated by those keys. You'll notice that the >most-used letters are split pretty evenly between the right and left >hands, and the arrangement is such that many frequently-used words or >word parts (the, and, for, man) are typed by alternating hands. > > >Steve Dirickson WestWin Consulting >[log in to unmask] (360) 598-6111 --------------------------------------------------------------------- I stand corrected. Thank you for clarifying. I will add your info to my trivia file. Randy Keefer