> Colemak is easier to learn, since it’s designed to be as similar to QWERTY as possible without compromising on efficiency.
I actually suspect that's a fallacy. When you learn & use something new, it's actually confusing when it's similar to something else. I have no issue with typing either Qwerty or Dvorak, but Azerty, where only a few keys are different from Qwerty, drives me nuts.
I haven't used colemak, but I suspect this isn't really a problem if you're going to do a full-transition and not use qwerty at all.
But if you have to switch between two layouts regularly then you definitely want something completely-distinct rather than something close-but-not-quite.
It seems like colemak is in the awkward position where you wouldn't even consider it unless you're already comfortable with qwerty, but you're also in a position to stop using qwerty entirely and switch all your keyboard layouts.
Maybe it's the case that YMMV. I didn't touch-type QWERTY, so I learned Colemak just fine. On the other hand, my friend who touch-typed QWERTY at 90 WPM also had no problem switching to Colemak. In addition, the official Colemak website states:
"Easy to learn – Allows easy transition from QWERTY. Only 2 keys move between hands. Many common shortcuts (including Ctrl+Z/X/C/V) remain the same. Typing lessons available."
Comments
> Colemak is easier to learn, since it’s designed to be as similar to QWERTY as possible without compromising on efficiency.
I actually suspect that's a fallacy. When you learn & use something new, it's actually confusing when it's similar to something else. I have no issue with typing either Qwerty or Dvorak, but Azerty, where only a few keys are different from Qwerty, drives me nuts.
I haven't used colemak, but I suspect this isn't really a problem if you're going to do a full-transition and not use qwerty at all.
But if you have to switch between two layouts regularly then you definitely want something completely-distinct rather than something close-but-not-quite.
It seems like colemak is in the awkward position where you wouldn't even consider it unless you're already comfortable with qwerty, but you're also in a position to stop using qwerty entirely and switch all your keyboard layouts.
Maybe it's the case that YMMV. I didn't touch-type QWERTY, so I learned Colemak just fine. On the other hand, my friend who touch-typed QWERTY at 90 WPM also had no problem switching to Colemak. In addition, the official Colemak website states:
"Easy to learn – Allows easy transition from QWERTY. Only 2 keys move between hands. Many common shortcuts (including Ctrl+Z/X/C/V) remain the same. Typing lessons available."