Why the English alphabet starts with "A", but the computer keyboard starts with "Q"?

Question

If you want to tell me the arrangement of the locations of the 26 letters on the keyboard makes typing easier, then, my question is why it's easier ?

Answer 1

In a nutshell:

QWERTY also attempted to alternate keys between hands, allowing one hand to move into position while the other hand strikes 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.

Here's the whole history portion of the Wikipedia article on the current computer keyboard layout, called QWERTY:

The QWERTY keyboard layout was devised and created in the 1860s by the creator of the first modern typewriter, Christopher Sholes, a newspaper editor who lived in Milwaukee. 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. Sholes solved the jamming problem by rearranging the the keys. A disputed issue is the effect this rearrangement of letters had on maximum typing speed. Some sources assert that the QWERTY layout was designed to slow down typing speed to further reduce jamming. Other sources assert the rearrangement worked by separating common sequences of letters in English.[citation needed] Ostensibly, the hammers that were likely to be used in quick succession were less likely to interfere with each other.[3]

It has also been suggested the top row was designed to have all the letters for the word "typewriter" so that typewriter salesmen could "peck" the word "typewriter" more quickly and easily without appearing to have to "hunt" for the keys.[4] This was in the period when typing was considered women's work and men rarely could type. [citation needed]

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 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.

An unfortunate consequence of the layout, for right-handed typists, is that many more words can be spelled using only the left hand. In fact, thousands of English words can be spelled using only the left hand, while only a couple of hundred words can be typed using only the right hand. This is helpful for left-handed people.


So, the typewriter keyboard (and thus the computer keyboard) was arranged that way for any or all of these reasons:
- to prevent adjacent keys' bars from jamming together
- to slow down typing speed, preventing jams from happening so frequently
- to separate commonly used letters (also preventing jamming)
- to try to separate the keys so that most words would involve alternating between left and right hand keystrokes

Answer 2

Many people think the qwerty keyboard was invented to slow down early typists-to keep them from jamming the keys/sluggish typewriter. But, was actually invented to speed typing up by pairing most commonly used letters in a way the 'type bars' in the typewriter would not hit together. (typewriters with keys - not the electric ones, have bars to control the keys and often would hit together) So..instead of the letters in alphabetical order they were moved to not hit together inside the early typewriters.

Here is an excerpt from an article and the link to it's webpage.
It shows both the Sholes and Dvorak key arrangements.
The Dvorak keyboard has all vowels and the 5 most used consonants arranged on the 'home row' of keys.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dcrehr/whyqwert.html

The name "QWERTY" for our typewriter keyboard comes from the first six letters in the top alphabet row (the one just below the numbers). It is also called the "Universal" keyboard for rather obvious reasons. It was the work of inventor C. L. Sholes, who put together the prototypes of the first commercial typewriter in a Milwaukee machine shop back in the 1860's.

When Sholes built his first model in 1868, the keys were arranged alphabetically in two rows. At the time, Milwaukee was a backwoods town. The crude machine shop tools available there could hardly produce a finely-honed instrument that worked with precision. Yes, the first typewriter was sluggish. Yes, it did clash and jam when someone tried to type with it. But Sholes was able to figure out a way around the problem simply by rearranging the letters.

Answer 3

It doesn't make it easier. The modern keyboard was designed when typewriters came out. If a person typed too fast on a typewriter the levers that stamped the letters onto the paper would jam. The keyboard was designed to slow the typist down enough so that he or she wouldn't jam the typewriter. As time progressed, the arrangement of letters stuck and it has become the modern keyboard.

Answer 4

Hi,

A man named Christopher Sholes invented the keyboard in the early 1870s. Keys became jammed easily when they were struck too rapidly. He actually laid out the type to slow down the typist so the typewriters wouldn't jam any more. The most commonly used letters were spread all across the keyboard. Letters often used together, like "ed", use the same finger, thus slowing down the process.

Sholes' layout, however, no longer applies. Dr. August Dvorak invented a new layout in 1932 that addressed the inefficiencies of the first. Currently, all operating systems (Microsoft, Apple, Linux, etc.) ship with his simplified layout as well as the common "QWERTY". Dvorak's keyboard has failed to replace the original, though, for many reasons: lack of awareness; lack of studies proving the Dvorak keyboard is, in fact, superior; and an inablility to convince schools and companies to convert because having typists learn both layouts would lead to a reduction in efficiency. This reasoning is diminishing, however. It is easy to learn different layouts online and many people find themselves happier with Dvorak's layout.

Answer 5

The letters were arranged to prevent jamming on the old mechanical type writers. The letters were printed on the paper by little arms that swung up and impacted an inked ribbon. The key board was set to reduce the likely hood of two arms interfering with each other as they swung. The layout is purposely inefficient.

Answer 6

when typewriters first came out, secretaries and other users would type too fast for the machine to handle, causing the levers to jam. in order to correct this problem, the keys were arranged at random so that common letter combinations would not be together, etc.

this "qwertyuiop" setup isn't used in all countries: i know that in France the setup is different than in the US.

Answer 7

The keyboard does not start with anything. The positioning was made by the frequency of use of different letters & ease of access.

Answer 8

i dont know babe. maybe the 1st keyboard started with A, then they found that its easier this way and that. after years of rearrangement we got our keyboards today.

why dont you do a little practice? imagine your keyboard alphabet starts with A, try to type a sentence :) inconvienient?

Answer 9

There are different keyboard configurations for different reasons.
I Cr 13;8a

Answer 10

Alwaysmoose is right. Keys most often used are positioned for stronger and more flexible fingers.