Notes on how to switch between Dvorak and QWERTY keyboard layouts in various environments.
Also notes on my progress toward becoming a proficient Dvorak touch typist.
Mac OS X
- System Preferences -> International -> Input Menu.
- Check Dvorak and US Extended.
- Check “Show input menu in menu bar”.
- Set keyboard shortcut to switch between the two to Option-Command-Space.
Xorg
Temporarily switch in Xorg:
- To Dvorak:
setxkbmap dvorak - To QWERTY:
setxkbmap us
Linux
Debian, Ubuntu
Permanent switch in Xorg: sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg and say dvorak for keyboard layout.
Some HAL thing involving cp /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-keymap.fdi
/etc/hal/fdi/policy/(?)
http://jeromeandrieux.blogspot.com/2009/02/setup-dvorak-on-debian-with-xorg.html
Console: sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup
Linux kernel keymap: sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-data
FreeBSD
- Same as Xorg.
- ‘sysinstall’
kbdmapkbdcontrol -l "us.dvorak"- https://www.bobulous.org.uk/misc/usingDvorak.html
- For the console, in
/etc/rc.conf:keymap="us.dvorak" - On FreeBSD 8:
sudo cp -vi /usr/local/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-x11-input.fdi /usr/local/etc/hal/fdi/policy ;edit/usr/local/etc/hal/fdi/policy/10-x11-input.fdiand add<merge key="input.xkb.layout" type="string">dvorak</merge>.
Solaris
- Same as Xorg. (?)
xmodmap /usr/share/xmodmap/xmodmap.dvorak
Progress
- 20090228: I started my Dvorak quest this week. I’m averaging 6 wpm in gtypist, and probably slower in general. After scratching off my keyboard’s labels, I realized I don’t properly touch type QWERTY, but I could type 80 wpm. I should try to fix my QWERTY technique too.
- 20090229: Up to 10 wpm in gtypist.
- 20090308: Up to 17 wpm in gtypist.
- 20090411: Still not as fast as I used to be in QWERTY, but now I can’t touch type at all in QWERTY. I’m all Dvorak.
- 20100315: Probably faster in Dvorak than I was in QWERTY.
