Colemak
{{Short description|2006 keyboard layout for Latin-scripts}}
File:KB US-Colemak.svg Colemak keyboard layout (US)]]
Colemak is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets, designed to make typing more efficient and comfortable than QWERTY by placing the most frequently used letters of the English language on the home row while keeping many common keyboard shortcuts the same as in QWERTY.{{cite web|url = http://www.colemak.com/|title = Colemak keyboard layout|access-date = 2011-08-29|archive-date = 2020-02-28|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200228110555/https://colemak.com/|url-status = live}} Released on 1 January 2006, it is named after its inventor, Shai Coleman.{{Cite web |title=FAQ - Colemak |url=https://colemak.com/FAQ#Why_is_it_called_Colemak.3F |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=colemak.com}}
Most major modern operating systems such as macOS, Linux, Android, ChromeOS, and BSD support Colemak natively. Microsoft Windows supports Colemak as of Windows 11 update 24H2.{{cite web | url= https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2024/01/26/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-26040-canary-channel/ | title= Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040 (Canary Channel) | date= 26 January 2024 | quote= Added the Colemak keyboard layout. | publisher= Microsoft | access-date= 2024-05-29 }} A program to install the layout on older versions of Windows is available.{{cite web | url= http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=Windows | title= Colemak keyboard layout | quote= ergonomic, fast and easy to learn QWERTY/Dvorak alternative | publisher= Colemak | access-date= 2013-02-23 | archive-date= 2014-06-25 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140625111931/http://colemak.com/wiki/index.php?title=Windows | url-status= live }} On Android and iOS, the layout is offered by several virtual keyboard apps like GBoard and SwiftKey,{{cite web | url= https://support.swiftkey.com/hc/en-us/articles/201483582-How-do-I-change-the-keyboard-layout-e-g-QWERTY-to-AZERTY-with-Microsoft-SwiftKey-Keyboard-for-Android- | title= How do I change the keyboard layout (e.g. QWERTY to AZERTY) with Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard for Android? – SwiftKey Support | quote= Supported layouts include [...] Colemak | access-date= 2020-09-25 | archive-date= 2020-10-29 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201029082749/https://support.swiftkey.com/hc/en-us/articles/201483582-How-do-I-change-the-keyboard-layout-e-g-QWERTY-to-AZERTY-with-Microsoft-SwiftKey-Keyboard-for-Android- | url-status= live }} as well as by many apps which support physical keyboards directly.{{cite web | url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=varzan.extraKeyboardLayouts | title= Extra Physical Keyboard Layouts | quote= Adds a few choices to the list of layouts to use when a physical keyboard is connected e.g. via OTG or Bluetooth. | access-date= 2020-09-25 | archive-date= 2021-02-13 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210213124605/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=varzan.extraKeyboardLayouts | url-status= live }}{{cite web | url= https://github.com/ColemakMods/mod-dh/tree/master/android | title= mod-dh/android at master · ColemakMods/mod-dh | website= GitHub | quote= Colemak Mod-DH layouts for a physical keyboard connected to an Android device via USB or Bluetooth | access-date= 2020-09-25 | archive-date= 2022-01-30 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220130044540/https://github.com/ColemakMods/mod-dh/tree/master/android | url-status= live }}
Overview
File:Buchstabenhaeufigkeit Colemak.jpg
File:Buchstabenhaeufigkeit QWERTY.jpg
The Colemak layout was designed with the QWERTY layout as a base, changing the positions of 17 keys while retaining the QWERTY positions of most non-alphabetic characters and many popular keyboard shortcuts, supposedly making it easier to learn than the Dvorak layout for people who already type in QWERTY without losing efficiency. It shares several design goals with the Dvorak layout, such as minimizing finger path distance and making heavy use of the home row.{{cite web |url=http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?colemak |title=Colemak – Popular Alternative |last=Krzywinski |first=Martin |work=Carpalx keyboard layout optimizer |location=Canada |publisher=Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre |access-date=2010-02-04 |archive-date=2019-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418212108/http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?colemak |url-status=live }} 74% of typing is done on the home row compared to 70% for Dvorak and 32% for QWERTY.{{Cite web |url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/computers/why-you-should-ditch-the-qwerty-keyboard-layout-for-one-of-two-other-options/news-story/c0d468e999d4eee6e2532ee474b88686 |title=Why you should ditch the QWERTY keyboard layout for one of two other options |last=Dunn |first=Matthew |date=2017-11-30 |website=news.com.au |access-date=2018-02-09 |archive-date=2018-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211132824/http://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/computers/why-you-should-ditch-the-qwerty-keyboard-layout-for-one-of-two-other-options/news-story/c0d468e999d4eee6e2532ee474b88686 |url-status=live }} The default Colemak layout lacks a Caps Lock key; an additional Backspace key occupies the typical position of Caps Lock on modern keyboards.
Coleman states that he designed Colemak to be fun and easy to learn, explaining that Dvorak is hard for QWERTY typists to learn due to it being so different from the QWERTY layout.{{Cite web |url=https://colemak.com/FAQ#What.27s_wrong_with_the_Dvorak_layout.3F |title=What's wrong with the Dvorak layout |last=Coleman |first=Shai |access-date=2018-02-02 |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210235106/https://colemak.com/FAQ#What.27s_wrong_with_the_Dvorak_layout.3F |url-status=live }} The layout has attracted media attention as an alternative to Dvorak for improving typing speed and comfort with an alternate keyboard layout.{{Cite web |url=https://lifehacker.com/should-i-use-an-alternative-keyboard-layout-like-dvorak-1447772004 |title=Should I Use an Alternative Keyboard Layout Like Dvorak? |last=Klosowski |first=Thorin |date=2013-10-18 |website=Lifehacker |access-date=2018-02-09 |archive-date=2018-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303050312/https://lifehacker.com/should-i-use-an-alternative-keyboard-layout-like-dvorak-1447772004 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-i-quickly-mastered-a-superior-keyboard-layout-without-losing-productivity/ |title=How I Quickly Mastered A Superior Keyboard Layout Without Losing Productivity |last=Zukerman |first=Erez |date=2012-06-08 |website=Makeuseof |access-date=2018-02-09 |archive-date=2018-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302231453/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-i-quickly-mastered-a-superior-keyboard-layout-without-losing-productivity/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180521-why-we-cant-give-up-this-odd-way-of-typing |title=Why we can't give up this odd way of typing |work=BBC Worklife |access-date=2023-03-09 |archive-date=2022-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209190415/https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180521-why-we-cant-give-up-this-odd-way-of-typing |url-status=live }}
Variants
File:KB UK-Colemak-DH.svg Colemak-DH keyboard layout (UK)]]
A series of intermediate layouts known as Tarmak have been created with the intention of making it easier for new users to adopt the layout. The layouts change only 3–5 keys at a time in a series of 5 steps.{{cite web | url = https://dreymar.colemak.org/tarmak-intro.html | title = The Tarmak Transitional Learning Layouts | work = DreymaR's Big Bag – Tarmak | access-date = 2022-01-25 | archive-date = 2022-01-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220125202554/https://dreymar.colemak.org/tarmak-intro.html | url-status = live }}
Colemak has been criticised for placing too much emphasis on the middle-row center-column keys (D and H), leading to awkward lateral finger stretches for common English bigrams such as HE. To address these concerns, the Colemak user community developed a modified version of Colemak named Colemak-DH.{{cite web | url=https://colemakmods.github.io/mod-dh/ | title=Colemak Mod-DH | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728191708/https://colemakmods.github.io/mod-dh/ | archive-date=2020-07-28 | url-status=live | website=GitHub}}
The Colemak community has created several other modifications and variants; some of these are not directly related to Colemak but would work on other layouts as well.{{cite web | url = https://dreymar.colemak.org/ | title = DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks | work = DreymaR's Big Bag – Index | access-date = 2022-01-25 | archive-date = 2022-01-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220125202555/https://dreymar.colemak.org/ | url-status = live }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://colemak.com/ Official Colemak website] (including community forum)
- [https://colemak.org/ Community Colemak website]
- [https://colemakmods.github.io/mod-dh/ Colemak Mod-DH]
{{Keyboard layouts}}
{{Latin alphabet}}