Keyboard Layouts

Why do computer keyboards have this strange arrangement? An old legend says that it makes the typing easier. The truth is, however, that this comes from the time of typewriters.

The type wheel (the types are small hammers in the shape of the letters) was mechanically connected to the keys. The letters were then arranged in such a way that the type wheel had to turn as little as possible for most words. Of course, this depends on the language, hence the difference QWERTY QWERTZ.

In addition, special characters have to be accommodated for many languages. Because this is not optimally comfortable for the hands, new ergonomic formats such as Dvorak have been invented. However, many people have become accustomed to the old typewriter layouts, which is why they are still very common.