Why are there different keyboard layouts?

You probably noticed that the letters on the computer keyboard are not arranged sequentially, but in a certain order, which is commonly called its layout. He was also present on old typewriters. The principle of their operation was unusually simple. A person hit the key with the desired letter with his finger, actuated the lever mechanism, after which the matrix with this letter hit the ink-soaked tape, which was in contact with a sheet of paper of the desired format, leaving an imprint on it. So gradually the required text was typed.

The most interesting thing is that the first typewriters used a sequential keyboard layout, according to which all letters were arranged in alphabetical order. At the same time, there was no key that allowed switching from a regular letter to a capital letter, and all text was printed only in capital letters. Printing speed, however, was low.

In addition, during the printing process, the levers with letters often clung to each other, which created additional difficulties. In the end, the reason for such hooks was found out. The thing is that in the English alphabet the most popular letters were located side by side. The person had to press “n” and then “o”. These letters were on adjacent keys. Almost simultaneous pressing of them led to jamming of the levers with matrices.

One way or another, but the conclusions were made. The result is a keyboard with a completely new layout, in which buttons with frequently occurring letters have been removed from each other. This layout is called “QWERTY”. We are still using it at the present time. It was this layout that was transferred to the computer keyboard.

To be honest, it is not without flaws. For fast typing with ten fingers, it is rather inconvenient. Much more rational is the layout proposed by Professor Arthur Dvorak. He created a three-row keyboard with the most popular letters in the top two rows. In this case, all vowels are on the left, and consonants are on the right. This layout allows you to evenly distribute the load on both hands, thereby significantly increasing the speed of printing.

Now let’s look at the layout of the Russian keyboard. The letters on it are also not in alphabetical order. The thing is that it was the Dvorak layout that was taken as its basis. Yes, it could not be otherwise. After all, the Russian keyboard appeared much later, and therefore it initially took into account all the shortcomings of foreign developments. The keys on it are arranged conveniently and rationally. The most popular letters were under the index finger, and under the ring and little fingers – all the rest. Of course, it is not without flaws either. So, for example, this layout does not have a separate key for a comma, which creates certain inconveniences when typing quickly.