I have been using Dvorak at home since May of 2014, and it has been a really great experience. I finally know how to touch type and can even do it somewhat speedy. I often get above 50 WPM on typing tests.

When I suggest an alternate layout as something people should look into to make typing more comfortable and get rid of old bad habits on QWERTY, they often say they can’t do it because “what if I have to use a different computer”. So?

In the past week, I have had to use many other computers. Using Dvorak on them was very possible and rather easy. It wasn’t really a big deal that I had almost entirely forgot any sort of typing on QWERTY.

First off, you have to keep in mind that most people do not use blank keyboards. They have the QWERTY labels on there for you to use. If you forget most of the keyboard, it is okay to look down a bit. As such, if you happen to need to type a little something on a QWERTY enabled computer in a pinch, it is not impossible.

If you will be using that computer to type any large amount of text, or for more than just a couple minutes, I would say look into changing the keyboard. This sounds like a bit of a chore, but is actually rather easy. I found it was harder to get up the courage to actually go change the setting for fear of who may be watching me than it was to change it. It is a little easier on OS X, but not too hard on Windows 7 either. I have yet to run into a computer where I am blocked from changing it, but of course your mileage may vary.

Having a keyboard, such as a poker, that I could program to be Dvorak would have certainly been helpful. but is not a requirement. This is something for me to look into in the future as I do plan on using Dvorak long term. Not only would this get me in my native layout a little quicker, it would also get me off any crappy rubber domes and on to nice Cherry mechanical switches like I am used to using at home on my Quickfire Stealth.

Overall, I do not believe that the need to change the layout on others computers should stop you from making a switch to an alternative layout such as Dvorak or Colemak. They have many great advantages to the comfort of typing and while lack of default enabling is a con, it’s not a very big one in my opinion. Thanks for reading.