What Is the Definition of a Qwerty Keyboard?
A QWERTY keyboard is the most common layout for an English-language computer and typewriter keyboard. It takes its name from the first six characters on the first row of letters; Q, W, E, R, T, Y.
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History
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The Qwerty keyboard was designed in the 1870's by Christopher Sholes, who also invented the typewriter. Originally the keys on the earliest models of typewriter were in alphabetical order but in order to avoid jams, Sholes designed a keyboard with commonly used and commonly grouped keys safe distances apart to allow for smoother typing and a better functioning product.
Cell phones
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With the growing popularity of text messaging and internet-capable cell phones, QWERTY key layouts are commonly found on most smartphone cellphones such as the Blackberry.
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Alternatives
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There have been alternatives to the QWERTY keyboard design such as the Blickensderfer and the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard. Neither has ever been as popular as the QWERTY.
Blickensderfer
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The Blickensderfer typewriter, which was produced from 1850-1917 used a keyboard layout that consisted of the most commonly used letters grouped together on the bottom row of the keys. They were D, H, I, A, T, E, N, S, O, R.
Dvorak
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The Dvorak keyboard, also called the Simplified Keyboard or the American Simplified Keyboard was invented by August Dvorak in 1936 to speed up typing. Dvorak studied the frequency at which letters were used and physiology of people's hands to lay out his keys. It is accessible in many modern computer operating systems and some ergonomically designed keyboards.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of John Ward
