QWERTY forever: path dependency
The QWERTY Keyboard Will Never Die. Where Did the 150-Year-Old Design Come From?
The invention’s true origin story has long been the subject of debate. Some argue it was created to prevent typewriter jams, while others insist it’s linked to the telegraph
Jimmy Stamp; Updated by Ellen Wexler (Updated: February 25, 2025 | Originally Published: May 3, 2013) includes embedded 3:35 video and several interesting historical photographs
Those who have learned to touch type most likely have wondered about the illogical, unalphabetical arrangement of the letters on the keyboard. But we have learned to live with it, and some of us have become highly proficient at it, while others spend their whole lives hunting and pecking for the desired letters.
A few years after the iPhone’s debut, an innovative new keyboard system started making headlines. Known as KALQ, the split-screen design was created specifically for thumb-typing on smartphones and tablets. It was billed as a more efficient alternative to the ubiquitous QWERTY keyboard, named for the first six letters in the top row of keys.
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