Touch Typing?

[Tuirc]

I took typing in HS ca 1964. In those days, there were maybe 40 girls and 3 boys in my class. Our school's heating system was radiators that were "on" and then the teacher regulated the temp. by opening windows. Of course, the boys were placed at the back of the room - where the windows were opened. Frozen fingers do not type well. But, after all - boys would never need to know how to touch type, right? Boys who take typing are sissies, right??

I took typing when I was in an all boys military school. The class was full every semester.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, I took typing in high school. It sure helped me during my programming years.

 

[Sulli]

I was fortunate to take a typing class in middle school. Thought it was silly then. But now I'm glad I did. Finished class with 75 words per minute. It's only improved over the years.

 

[Koolau]

Touch typing, I do peek a little sometimes. I had typing class in 9th grade (manual and IBM Selectrics). IT is my profession so there's a certain level of expectation on the typing side.

By the way, I learned on a typewriter that did NOT show the letters/numbers/symbols. At the front of the room was a large picture layout of the keyboard for reference. There was not way to "peek."

I still recall learning the keyboard by: FFF-JJJ-DDD-KKK-SSS-LLL-AAA-SEM/SEM/SEM.

I really did like my teacher - other than her propensity to ignore the boys (and freeze our fingers off.)

 

[FLJim]

Took typing in high school - mom said I had to! Great decision - got drafted into the US Army after college and typing ability landed me a great job in the 1st Cav Division personnel mgmt shop. Might have saved my life, who knows?

 

[REWahoo]

Took typing in high school - mom said I had to! Great decision - got drafted into the US Army after college and typing ability landed me a great job in the 1st Cav Division personnel mgmt shop. Might have saved my life, who knows?

My eldest brother had a similar story. Took touch typing in HS then was drafted into the Marine Corps in the early 1950's. His fellow draftees were all shipped out to Korea while he stayed at Camp Pendleton as the company clerk.

For some reason he never liked it when I called him Corporal Klinger...

 

[Car-Guy]

My eldest brother had a similar story. Took touch typing in HS then was drafted into the Marine Corps in the early 1950's. His fellow draftees were all shipped out to Korea while he stayed in Camp Pendleton as the company clerk.

For some reason he never liked it when I called him Corporal Klinger...

No self respecting Marine would like it.

 

[sdtech]

kicked out of class

In ninth grade we figured out if you loosened a screw on the platen (the roller that the paper goes round) that when you pulled the lever for a new line the platen would fly off the typewriter. We loosened them all before class and of course when the class started with a speed test, all of the rollers shot to the walls and floor in moment. Worth it!

 

[FLJim]

My eldest brother had a similar story. Took touch typing in HS then was drafted into the Marine Corps in the early 1950's. His fellow draftees were all shipped out to Korea while he stayed in Camp Pendleton as the company clerk.

For some reason he never liked it when I called him Corporal Klinger...

During the Vietnam era we were called both "Remington Rangers" and "Chairborne Rangers". Call me anything as long as I'm typing on a manual Remington rather than an M-16.

 

[More Cowbell]

Touch typist here. Took a 6th grade summer school typing class using the old Underwood typewriters. “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Learned to type 2 spaces after a period. Later my parents bought me a Brother portable (ha!) electric typewriter with its own case.

In college, I learned ed/ex/vi editors and nroff/troff on the DEC PDP/11s, and used the daisy wheel printers for papers. (Goodbye electric typewriter!) That led to my first student computing job, helping people format their papers and teaching them how to use UNIX. Which was a stepping stone on my career as a programmer.

Later, as a high school computer teacher, I also taught keyboarding in the business applications classes. “If you can type faster and more accurately than me, you will get an A in the class.” No one ever did. I learned how to use the keypad in keyboarding class, but never used it frequently enough to set the muscle memory. These days, you can find typing and keypad training lessons online.

As mentioned upthread, touch typing is not necessary for writing code, especially these days with code completion baked into editing environments. DH is a 2 finger typer, always looks at the keyboard, and he has never experienced carpal tunnel syndrome due to typing.

I prefer mechanical keyboards with Cherry Brown switches because of the feel. I also prefer TKL keyboards (wired for desktops, Bluetooth for tablet/smartphone) and a separate Bluetooth keypad as needed for number entry. DH goes for a compact 68% wired mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown switches.

I now have hereditary osteoarthritis in the base of thumbs and the little fingers, so it hurts to do certain multi-key sequences or during long typing sessions. (Learned to use computers before mice were common, keyboard shortcuts are so much faster than mousing.) Also, my keyboard with the Cherry Clear switches are too much for me now. I’ve programmed an Elgato Stream Deck and to do these sequences, but I can’t touch type those. I also have the latest version of Dragon Professional, it’s definitely slower, but it’s a viable alternative if you don’t want to look at a keyboard!

If you made it this far, well just goes to show that touch typists type far longer posts than non-touch typists!

 

[Pellice]

Touch typist here. Definitely has been a life skill plus!! But, I did not master thumbing for the phone. I wonder if that is an age divide?

I helped introduce general computer use into my university. I recall the difficulties in teaching senior administrators, all male, who had never typed a thing in their lives. To get enough text to show them how to do things, I had to have them type text in triple space.

 

[Agapostemon]

Are Cherry Brown switches what made the old IBM keyboard so satisfying to use? My DH uses a vintage IBM keyboard with an adapter that plugs it into the USB port, just to get that feel.

I prefer mechanical keyboards with Cherry Brown switches because of the feel. I also prefer TKL keyboards (wired for desktops, Bluetooth for tablet/smartphone) and a separate Bluetooth keypad as needed for number entry. DH goes for a compact 68% wired mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown switches.

 

[O2Bfree]

Are Cherry Brown switches what made the old IBM keyboard so satisfying to use? My DH uses a vintage IBM keyboard with an adapter that plugs it into the USB port, just to get that feel.

Is that the original IBM PC keyboard with a metal housing? If so, those couldn't be Cherry Brown switches. The CB switches came out in the early 1990s, but the IBM PC came out in the early 1980s.

I once took one of those keyboards apart to try to fix a couple dead keys. Big mistake. Springs and contact parts scattered everywhere. Definitely not Cherry Brown switches.

 

[More Cowbell]

Is that the original IBM PC keyboard with a metal housing? If so, those couldn't be Cherry Brown switches. The CB switches came out in the early 1990s, but the IBM PC came out in the early 1980s.

I once took one of those keyboards apart to try to fix a couple dead keys. Big mistake. Springs and contact parts scattered everywhere. Definitely not Cherry Brown switches.

Correct, the IBM Model M uses buckling springs. The worst key to take apart was the spacebar! Unicomp apparently still makes the Model M. People still buy the original IBM model Ms too.

I prefer the tactile feel and relative quietness of the Cherry Brown (or clones) switches over the original Model Ms. It’s easy to remove and install keycaps on modern mechanical keyboards. If you type a lot, anything that enhances the experience helps.

The Keychron K8 keyboard is plasticky, kind of tall, but had decent reviews, has Gateron Browns and was relatively inexpensive for a mechanical Bluetooth keyboard with MacOS keys. I got it to use on iPads, because I dislike typing on the screen. Has better tactile feel than the Logitech K810 keyboard that it replaces.

 

[old medic]

Defiantly hunt and peck guy here, and hated doing EMS reports. When I started, reports when hand printed, half the stuff was documented as you asked the Patient questions. Once at the ER and dropped off, I would step out, sit down, light a cigarette and be done writing before I finished my smoke. Then we went to computers to make thinks faster... So you had to write down the same info, then go back to the office and redone everything on the damn computer. Figure an hour for a simple call 2+ for a complicated one. If other calls came in, you quickly fall behind.
So the powers to be decided to get us PDAs to carry on the trucks.... typing with the 6 in stylus on a 1x4 inch keyboard bouncing down the road... looked like I typed with a stutter while sounding like I had Tourette's.

 

[Koolau]

Defiantly hunt and peck guy here, and hated doing EMS reports. When I started, reports when hand printed, half the stuff was documented as you asked the Patient questions. Once at the ER and dropped off, I would step out, sit down, light a cigarette and be done writing before I finished my smoke. Then we went to computers to make thinks faster... So you had to write down the same info, then go back to the office and redone everything on the damn computer. Figure an hour for a simple call 2+ for a complicated one. If other calls came in, you quickly fall behind.
So the powers to be decided to get us PDAs to carry on the trucks.... typing with the 6 in stylus on a 1x4 inch keyboard bouncing down the road... looked like I typed with a stutter while sounding like I had Tourette's.

Great description! Thanks for the giggle.