Frequently Asked Questions

What IS Dvorak?

"Dvorak" is short for The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard Layout. The standard keyboard layout that most people use (QWERTY) was developed to overcome mechanical problems on the original typewriter almost 150 years ago - mechanical problems that no longer exist! In 1932 Professor August Dvorak scientifically designed an improved keyboard layout based on research and logic.

What is The Dvorak Zine?

The Dvorak Zine is a 24 page zine that uses the power of Comics to promote Dvorak. It is broken down into three chapters: 1) The history of the typewriter and the development of the QWERTY keyboard; 2) An explanation of the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout and its many benefits; and 3) Easy-to-follow steps for setting up Dvorak on your computer and tips on how to learn it!  Head over to the Zine section to learn more.

What is DVzine.org?

DVzine.org is the companion website for the zine.  It has an online store for ordering the zine AND a web comic version that you can read right here! More importantly though, this site has TONS and TONS of helpful hints, typing tutors, FAQs, help files, Dvorak history and testimonials  about the Dvorak keyboard layout. We're hoping to become the #1 Dvorak resource on the web!

Is there a version of Dvorak for Spanish/UK English/Swedish/French/Czech/etc?

Please check the International section for the most up-to-date information we have about all variations of Dvorak for other countries.

I heard about a French translation of the zine. Do you guys want to make a translation of the zine in MY language?

At one point, we put a lot of work into creating a French translation of the zine, but unfortunately, after a lot of thinking and discussion, Frunch, Gabe and Alec decided to pull the plug on the book. After mentioning the French translation on our site, we were flooded with requests to do other versions of our zine in Spanish, Esperanto, Norwegian, Swedish and other languages. We realized that if we finish the French zine and release it, others will want to do the same thing.

While we are extremely honored that so many people across the world, want to spread the message of our zine, we no longer think that a direct translation is the best way to do so. Our zine is very specifically about an American invention, and American inventors dealing with the English language in a very specific way.

We encourage you to create your OWN zine, dealing with the specific history of your language's version of the Dvorak layout. If you want to use our zine as a reference about the history of the keyboard, or as a template of how to use comics to get across this information, that would be great! But we no longer wish to try and port our zine internationally.

We will of course continue to list links of international sites in the International Section of our site.

Is Dvorak hard to learn? Will I lose the ability to type on QWERTY?

No and no! Most assuredly, your QWERTY skills may slide from misuse, but you won't lose them. I recently met a 3-year-old who spoke Spanish and English. I told him I only spoke English and he had no trouble sticking to English. The human mind is a very flexible thing, so don't worry about losing the ability to type QWERTY - we've never heard of that happening. As far as learning Dvorak, I promise you'll be surprised how quickly you learn, especially if you get a Dvorak-aware typing program and commit to not typing anything in QWERTY while learning.

Have you heard of: One-handed Dvorak Layouts / The Arensito Keyboard Layout / The FrogPad / Fancy Keyboards / etc?

Although we have heard of most of these things, The Dvorak Zine team is trying to stay focused on the standard Dvorak layout: we know it works, we know it's easy to set up on almost any modern computer, and we know it makes us happy.  Our goal is to help the everyday typist improve their typing with Dvorak because it's simple, readily available, free, and beneficial.  For now, we're limiting our scope to that.  These other keyboards and layouts may be excellent, and if you are interested you should check them out, but they are beyond the scope, expertise, and ambition of the DVzine team.  :)

I read an article that said the Dvorak Keyboard isn't actually any better than Qwerty, that it's all just propaganda.  Why do you continue to promote it?

The sad history of the Dvorak Keyboard which the Zine touches on is not the whole story.  The article you read was probably either The Fable of the Keys, the REASON Magazine article, or another which uses these articles as a reference.  These articles are sort of like chain-emails that just keep coming back to you in an altered form, no matter how many times you tell your friends & family that they are hoaxes.

The Fable of the Keys is an article by some economists (who don't claim to know anything about typing) who are trying to disprove something called "Excessive Inertia Theory".  Basically, "Excessive Inertia Theory" uses the Dvorak vs Qwerty history as anecdotal evidence for what the theory is describing: Dvorak is better, but people still use Qwerty because they don't want to go to the trouble of changing (nevermind that almost no one has heard of Dvorak...)  The writers attack the theory by claiming that Dvorak isn't actually any better than Qwerty, and that's why it never became popular.

The holes are rampant in their argument, but the most telling is that the study they used was poorly conducted, probably biased, and the original data from it was destroyed.  No other study has ever corroborated the results.

On the other hand, August Dvorak himself wrote an entire book called "Typewriting Behavior" about typing, Dvorak's area of expertise.  (Instead of a book on Economics for example!)  With the knowledge gained and research conducted in the writing of that book, he designed a keyboard layout.  People who have used that keyboard layout almost unanimously attest to its improved comfort, efficiency, and ease.

A number of more in-depth responses have been written to "The Fable of the Keys" and its offspring, and I won't embarrass myself by trying to out-write these gentleman: Marcus Brooks: The Fable of the Fable
 and Randy Cassingham: Letter to REASON Magazine.

Do you guys make any money on The Dvorak Zine?

Certainly not!  The Dvorak Zine is a labor of love for Alec, Frunch, and GCB.  In fact, it's a labor of love for our bank accounts, too!  Even if we sold a million Zines every day, we'd still finish in the Red.  The cost of the Zine barely covers materials and postage: all labor, and all the upkeep costs for the DVzine.org website, are covered by the creators.   We do accept donations to help with the extra costs.  Check the About page to learn more about why we created and maintain The Dvorak Zine.

What's up with the multiple-input language function on Windows? It's behaving very strangely!

Honestly, we sympathize! There are a number of factors that contribute to the problems you may be seeing. One is that Windows, unlike all other operating systems, toggles the keyboard layout on an application-by-application basis. This means if you are typing a paper in Word using Dvorak, but the computer's default input language is QWERTY (maybe because you share this computer with someone who is as yet unenlightened), then when you open Outlook to check your e-mail, it will be in QWERTY, and you'll accidentally type your password in Dvorak... etc. Also, the default "toggle key" on Windows is to hold the left-side ALT key while pressing SHIFT. You'd be surprised how often one accidentally presses this normally functionless key combination, causing a confusing typing situation! As a final lovely surprise, clicking on the "language bar" on the start bar to try to change the input language without a toggle-shortcut will take your active application out of focus: since the language toggle is specific to the program that is currently *in focus*, this isn't very helpful!

Don't give up hope! This is manageable. If you are using Windows XP, disable the regular toggle-key and assign special keystrokes to each individual keyboard layout. I like Alt-1 for Dvorak and Alt-2 for QWERTY. This way, you always know what you are getting when you press your shortcut keys, and you aren't likely to hit them accidentally! If you can track down a hardware-switched Dvorak keyboard (like the Dvortyboard), that can be a much clearer and simpler way to deal with the problem. Finally, there's always the option of buying a copy of the Zine for the people you are sharing your computer with, so you can get QWERTY removed completely!

Another option is to try this utility:  http://www.webone.com.au/~jkmclean/layout.zip (thanks Jonathan for the link!) which uses the "Dvorak keyboard layout for most functions, but not ctrl-key combinations."  Perhaps the best part about this utility is that it can completely replace window's confusing regional settings control panel.  Simply run the small application and you're instantly in Dvorak (and you can just add it to the windows startup folder). Turning on scroll lock toggles you back to QWERTY... very convenient!

I'm using Unix and your Linux instructions don't work for me. How do I get Dvorak?

We haven't got a Unix box to test with just now, but check out these instructions from mwbrooks.com, a classic Dvorak resource.

My company's computer guy won't let me mess with the computer to change it to Dvorak, what can I do?

Your best tools in this situation are the terms "RSI" and "ergonomics". Your workplace has a vested interest in keeping you both happy and healthy - and able to do your job! Tell the computer guy that you are concerned about repetitive stress and your research tells you that Dvorak will protect your working hands. Show him our easy instructions for changing the keyboard. Most importantly, be persistent: stand up for your right to work in the healthiest way you can. You only get one body, after all.

I share computers with co-workers/family/others, will typing Dvorak be a problem?

Admittedly, most of us have left a shared computer in the Dvorak layout accidentally when we walked away from it, and usually heard some frustrated complaints. An easy way to avoid this is to attach a sticky-note that says, "Keyboard working weird? Click here" with an arrow appropriate to your system. If the number of shared users is limited, just let them know! Give them a brief summary of why you are doing what you are doing, and they might just thank you (it won't hurt to have a copy of the Zine handy).

FAQ updated by GCB on June 23rd, 2005