How come a computer keyboard is not in alphabetical order?

Answer 1

They were originally in alphabetical order. However, pairs of letters that were next to each other could jam the typewriter if they were hit right after each other. Christopher Sholes rearranged the letters so that common pairs were not right next to each other.

Answer 2

Here's the story ...

When initially introduced, the typewriters were utilized by typing with only two fingers. The development of 10 finger typing is attributed to a Mrs. L. V. Longley in 1878. This was followed shortly afterwards by the concept of "touch typing" attributed to Frank E. McGurrin, a federal court clerk in Salt Lake City, whereby typists would type without looking at the keys, having memorized their locations.

These new techniques, and some famous typing competitions, demonstrated the worth of the new machine and led to greater acceptance. However, proficient typists easily caused the typewriter mechanisms to jam.

To address this, Sholes had an ingenious idea. He discovered that many English words contained combinations of letters next to each other in the alphabet, for instance ABBey, DEFEct, HIGh, etc., which occurred frequently. With the help of a teacher called Amos Desmore, Sholes determined the combinations that occurred most frequently, split them and placed the component letters far away on the keyboard of his machine. And this is how the QWERTY layout was born. (The layout is referred to as “QWERTY” because of the arrangement of the keys in the upper row).

As a result of this rearrangement, the keys that were used most frequently were not as easily accessible to the typist. Thus, the QWERTY layout effectively reduced the speed at which human users could type, thereby preventing their jamming the mechanism too often.

Answer 3

Didnt pay attention in Typing/computer/ business class?

The QWERTY keyboard layout was devised in the 1860s by Christopher Sholes, a newspaper editor who lived in Milwaukee, who was also the creator of the first modern typewriter. Originally, the characters on the typewriters he invented were arranged alphabetically, set on the end of a metal bar which struck the paper when its key was pressed. However, once an operator had learned to type at speed, the bars attached to letters that lay close together on the keyboard became entangled with one another, forcing the typist to manually unstick the typebars, and also frequently blotting the document.[1] Sholes solved the problem by working out which keys were most likely to be hit in rapid succession, and then repositioning them on the keyboard as far from each other as possible.[2] The QWERTY arrangement solved the jamming problem not by forcing typists to slow down, but by separating common sequences of letters in English. Pairs of keys that are frequently struck in succession were placed as far from each other as possible, so that the hammers that were likely to be used in quick succession were less likely to interfere with each other.

The home row (ASDFGHJKL) of the QWERTY layout is thought to be a remnant of the old alphabetical layout that QWERTY replaced. QWERTY also attempted to alternate keys between hands, allowing one hand to move into position while the other hand strikes home a key. This sped up both the original double-handed hunt-and-peck technique and the later touch typing technique; however, single-handed words such as stewardesses, lollipop and monopoly show flaws in the alternation.

Answer 4

Originally they were in alphabetical order, but typists got sore fingers quickly because they had to move around so much and the original typewriters jammed a lot.

The QWERTY keyboard that we use today was designed to eliminate jamming of old-fashioned typewriters and sore fingers by placing all the most used letters closest to where a touch-typist's fingers lay.

Tests have been done and typists can type MUCH faster with this keyboard because they don't have to move their fingers as far

Answer 5

It's historical: when the typewriter was invented the keys would jam if someone typed too fast. So the QWERTY layout was actually designed to slow people down by making typing more difficult! There have been other, more efficient keyboard designs since then such as Dvorak, but the QWERTY layout has become standard and people are very resistant to change.

Answer 6

The 'QWERTY' keyboard layout was designed when Typewriters were still being used, which jammed very frequently, the 'QWERTY' layout was designed with this in mind. It's designed to ensure slow typing (odd isn't it?) and reduce jams in Typewriters.

Now-a-days several different keyboard Layouts have been created, the most famous of these is Dvorak's. Which is laid out so normally you have to press a key with one hand, then the other. Which maximizes typing speed.

So for the simple answer to your question, it is to ensure slow typing, and therefore less Jams in machines.

Answer 7

Have you ever typed and tried not to look at the keyboard? The keys are placed in a way that your fingers can hit them. It makes things easier.

Answer 8

ha ha is this a real question, they're spoke of as qwerty keyboards that placed up date computers via one hundred years, they're like that so previous formed typewriter mechanical key stalks do no longer stick at extreme velocity, and the format in basic terms caught..

Answer 9

has to do with the history of typing.....the most common keys are placed in the "central" area of the keyboard. It also dates back to typesetting and the way that printing presses were setup.

Answer 10

Not completely sure, my typing instructor never told us why, but I think its placed in an order so that the most used letters are easier to get to. (Placed strategically?)