I can already type on a QWERTY keyboard way faster than I can think.
That's one reason I haven't adopted a Dvorak habit.
Most court reporters use software nowadays that renders their special stenotype skills obsolete.
Dvorak is much more comfortable than qwerty, in my opinion. I never actually cared about speed, it just feels better.
This. Using QUERTY immediately feels uncomfortable when i have to use it. Learned NEO2 which has layers accessed with modifier keys. Having a numpad under your hand is one of its' many advantages.
Dvorak keyboard's fatal flaw is when you have to type on someone else's keyboard. Standardization has its benefits, even if less than ideal. Trackballs have a similar issue.
I've exclusively used Kensington trackballs at home and work (along with trackpads on laptops I guess) since I was around seven years old, Dvorak since I was around fourteen.
I really don't use other people's computers that often, but mice aren't that hard to use (just uncomfortable) and I can still type in QWERTY at about 25WPM but I'd have to look at the keyboard a bit.
Trackballs and Dvorak are both more comfortable than their alternatives, but the real benefit is the reactions I get when other people try to use MY devices when they're not prepared lol
To an extent, Vim and Emacs have a similar issue, especially if you spend time customising these.
Often, the benefits from using an improved tool outweigh the costs of it being non-standard.
> Mchannon writes: "I can already type on a QWERTY keyboard way faster than I can think."
There are some days with a combo of slow thoughts and a tough problem that my brain can easily be out paced by paper and a crayon or even a quill pen.
> Most court reporters use software nowadays that renders their special stenotype skills obsolete.
What software?
It would need text-to-speech of the same accuracy; for that to be possible (how accurate is that?) I think everyone would have to be properly mic'd.
Also, TTS errors would need to be detectable somehow by the stenographer, or transcripts could go dreadfully wrong.