Typewriter Video Series - Episode 72: Efficiency and Keyboard Layouts

[@carriageofnoreturn.1881]

I think the first two reasons you posit for the apostrophe being shifted sit best with me: I was taught to touch-type in the 1980s on manual machines which had blanked key tops (and I still find that I prefer a shifted-8 after all these years!). I also agree that the relative size of the character means that the more solid impression possible by using one of the main fingers would have been better than relying on the weaker little finger. I'm really enjoying this series - I'm working through them all in turn, and I'm enjoying them as much as your 'confessions of an office junkie' ones. Thank you for putting in so much time and energy. John

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Thank you!

[@KurisuYamato]

A fun fact, many old computers used the classic typewriter layout for their keyboards, at least before the IBM-PC took over. My Commodore 128 (and thus a Commodore 64 as well) have " over the 2 and ' over the 8, among other conventions (of course they have a 1 / ! key, but you know what I mean. This is part of why I enjoy later Smith Corona machines - they do have the more modern layout, with a dedicated ' / " key in some cases, among other modern conventions, give or take. Something interesting is that I find myself able to swap between "modes" easily - using a typewriter I hit shift-8 for ' and the like, and on PC I naturally go back to normal typing - oddly though until very recently I could never "get used" to this on the Commodore - I think the need to type on a typewriter, rather than use other things on the old computers I mention before makes more of an impotus for a mental "switch" between typewriter and computer modes - thankfully now I have no issue typing on the Commodore since I guess I now register it as "typewriter" typing... which oddly, doesn't cause issues when I DO use a more modern typewriter - I know to type for each machine as I use it better and better, which I guess is how the brain really is wired to work, right? When I get to making my own typewriter videos I should do a similar one, discussing my particular machines layouts and what I mention above. Documenting variations can prove useful to people shopping for machines!

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I look forward to your videos.

[@danlinder2249]

Another great video! Thanks Joe!

[@kennygk79]

Try pressing your apostrophe and period (both) while holding the spacebar down Before letting it space up; that allows the explanation point build-up on some old manual models.

[@pkrail]

Love my little green 5TE, the holy grail of portable electrics imo

[@johnyoung4747]

Exclamation points should be hard to make and time consuming so they are rarely used. And you can cut down on apostrophes by not using them incorrectly. I suspect the + and = were added as part of the Space Race revolution in education to accommodate scientific notation.

[@BobSmith-dx9bj]

iPhone doesn't have numbers without hitting the num key. But android has the top row with numbers. Still there isn't any standards. If you would recommend a manual typewriter which one would be more like a modern (current keyboard) keyboard? Thanks

[@Joe_VanCleave]

In general the typewriters made in the 1970s and later had the number 1 key. The switch-over was sometime in the late-1950s to mid-1960s. You'll have to examine online photos to be certain, if you're interested in a particular model available for sale. I'm not aware of any manual typewriters with the apostrophe as a lower case key on the home row, as in the Smith-Corona Electric mentioned in the video; but if you find one, let us know.

[@mikecaputi2615]

?

[@JoePani1]

Thanks, now I know I'm an old fart. When you say that the 1950's typewriter had a keyboard similar to "even a 30's style" , you made the 1950's sound a little behind the times, 20 years really is not that great a gap.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

You're right ... it's only twenty years, WWII was only ten years prior.

[@TypewriterMinutes]

You're not exaggerating about the shifted apostrophe. It's a constant, mild irritation for me.