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What Is the Origin of the QWERTY Keyboard?

The QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow typists down to prevent keys from jamming. However, it's a better keyboard than most people realize.

  1. The QWERTY keyboard

    • The QWERTY keyboard gets its name from the six keys on the left side of the third row. Christopher Latham Sholes invented the keyboard in the late 1860s.

    Placement of Keys

    • Sholes placed the most commonly used keys as far apart as possible in order to prevent jamming.

    Dvorak

    • The QWERTY keyboard is often compared to the Dvorak keyboard, which was designed to make typing easier. According to conventional wisdom, it is only force of habit that has kept people from switching to the Dvorak keyboard. This story is often used as an example of how resistance to change leads people to behave irrationally, or at least inefficiently, and as an example of the failure of the market.

    The Fable of the Keys

    • S. J. Liebowitz and Stephen E. Margolis published an article called "The Fable of the Keys" in the Journal of Law & Economics in April 1990 that debunked the conventional QWERTY keyboard story.

    QWERTY Not So Bad After All

    • Liebowitz and Margolis gathered evidence that showed the Dvorak keyboard is not more efficient than the QWERTY keyboard. Sholes, apparently, had inadvertently designed a keyboard that was quite efficient for typists.

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