I switched to the Colemak keyboard layout ~2010 and have been using it since. On GNU/Linux with setxkbmap us -variant colemak and on windows with PKL.
At home, I use a TVS Gold keyboard - I like its tactile response but the keys are a little to sharp around the edges - ~10 years old now.
At work, I use a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 - ~ 6 years old now.
I used to type around 60wpm in QWERTY - used only 3 fingers on each hand. My unconventional typing style lead to intense, persistent pain between my left ring and middle finger knuckles while writing up my undergrad project reports. I initally blamed it on Emacs and switched to using a folded-in thumb for pressing control instead of my little finger(something I follow till date). However, I realized the pain was due to my unusual finger positions while using E and R.
I switched to Colemak in the first few months of my masters where I had a few light weeks when I could switch cold turkey. It took me around 2 weeks to get to ~20wpm and after a month or 2 I hit 60-70wpm. I can currently type at around 80wpm steady and haven’t bothered trying to type any faster.
[edit] I try to prioritize accuracy over speed - I did get a little more precise with pressing the keys after switching - but that can be primarily attributed to learning touch-typing and positioning my fingers on the home-row [/edit]
I don’t use any customizations other than changing the keyboard layout. Some people claim that replacing hjkl by enio in vim helps their case, but I keep things as vanilla as possible. I love the extra backspace instead of caps-lock.
side note: Not having touch-typed with all fingers before was an advantage. Putting my fingers on the home row automagically switches my mental mapping to colemak while positioning my index fingers over “k” and “d” in qwerty keyboards makes my hand start typing in qwerty instead. This helps when I am on some other person’s computer.
I switched to the Colemak keyboard layout ~2010 and have been using it since. On GNU/Linux with
setxkbmap us -variant colemakand on windows with PKL.At home, I use a TVS Gold keyboard - I like its tactile response but the keys are a little to sharp around the edges - ~10 years old now. At work, I use a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 - ~ 6 years old now.
How long did it take to learn Colemak for you, so that it became “normal” for you?
Did it make you type more accurate, as in making less typos?
Edit: Found an old comment of mine that may more accurately represent my initial reaction (after 2 years) https://forum.colemak.com/post/12525/#p12525
I used to type around 60wpm in QWERTY - used only 3 fingers on each hand. My unconventional typing style lead to intense, persistent pain between my left ring and middle finger knuckles while writing up my undergrad project reports. I initally blamed it on Emacs and switched to using a folded-in thumb for pressing control instead of my little finger(something I follow till date). However, I realized the pain was due to my unusual finger positions while using E and R. I switched to Colemak in the first few months of my masters where I had a few light weeks when I could switch cold turkey. It took me around 2 weeks to get to ~20wpm and after a month or 2 I hit 60-70wpm. I can currently type at around 80wpm steady and haven’t bothered trying to type any faster. [edit] I try to prioritize accuracy over speed - I did get a little more precise with pressing the keys after switching - but that can be primarily attributed to learning touch-typing and positioning my fingers on the home-row [/edit]
I don’t use any customizations other than changing the keyboard layout. Some people claim that replacing hjkl by enio in vim helps their case, but I keep things as vanilla as possible. I love the extra backspace instead of caps-lock.
side note: Not having touch-typed with all fingers before was an advantage. Putting my fingers on the home row automagically switches my mental mapping to colemak while positioning my index fingers over “k” and “d” in qwerty keyboards makes my hand start typing in qwerty instead. This helps when I am on some other person’s computer.