Colemak

KB_US-Colemak

Buchstabenhaeufigkeit_Colemak

Buchstabenhaeufigkeit_QWERTY

KB_UK-Colemak-DH

Colemak is a modern alternative keyboard layout designed for touch typing in the English language. It was created by Shai Coleman in 2006 as an improvement over the traditional QWERTY and Dvorak layouts. The name "Colemak" is a portmanteau of the creator's surname, Coleman, and "Dvorak."

Design and Features

Colemak was designed to increase typing efficiency and comfort by reducing finger movement and promoting a more balanced workload across all fingers. The layout retains many of the common shortcuts and key positions from QWERTY, making it easier for users to transition.

Key Placement

The Colemak layout rearranges the keys to place the most frequently used letters under the strongest fingers. For example, the home row contains the letters A, R, S, T, D, H, N, E, I, and O, which are among the most commonly used in the English language. This arrangement minimizes finger movement and reduces the risk of repetitive strain injuries.

Transition from QWERTY

One of the advantages of Colemak is its similarity to the QWERTY layout. Only 17 keys are moved from their QWERTY positions, which helps users adapt more quickly compared to other alternative layouts like Dvorak. Additionally, common keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and Ctrl+Z remain in their familiar positions.

Advantages

• **Efficiency**: Colemak is designed to reduce finger movement, which can lead to faster typing speeds and less fatigue.
• **Ergonomics**: By distributing the typing load more evenly across all fingers, Colemak can help prevent repetitive strain injuries.
• **Ease of Learning**: The layout's similarity to QWERTY makes it easier for users to learn and transition.

Disadvantages

• **Compatibility**: Some software and hardware may not support the Colemak layout out of the box, requiring additional configuration.
• **Learning Curve**: Despite its similarities to QWERTY, there is still a learning curve for users who are accustomed to the traditional layout.

Adoption

While not as widely adopted as QWERTY, Colemak has a dedicated user base and is supported by most modern operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. There are also online communities and resources available to help new users learn and practice the layout.

See Also

• Keyboard layout
• QWERTY
• Dvorak Simplified Keyboard
• Typing
• Ergonomics

Related Pages

• Keyboard layout
• QWERTY
• Dvorak Simplified Keyboard
• Typing
• Ergonomics