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Comment by Zev | Hacker News Reader

In this new scheme I'd be learning a new movement for each capitalization and special character. Seems like it will be a while before I'd become nearly as proficient as I am now (65wpm).

(Not so) Breaking news: New things take some getting used to.

If you really managed to memorize three separate keyboards (regular, numeric, symbols) and all of the tap/hold options they have, props to you. But, memorizing three keyboards isn't something I've managed to do -- even after using iOS pretty much since the original iPhone first came out. But, I'd personally rather just have it all right there on screen, without having to hunt a key down.

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I think we are talking about different use cases.

I'm coming from the perspective that you shouldn't be looking at the keyboard when you type- virtual or not. Instead you are relying on robotic muscle memory to generate a specific character.

So in my view there's a lot more new stuff to get used to in the author's proposed scheme. We would be memorizing a distinct set of finger motions for every distinct symbol as opposed to a fixed set of taps to certain positions on the keyboard - some with one or more preceding modifier keys (that are always at the same keyboard position).

I'm coming from the perspective of the iPad is right in front of my face when I'm typing and how can I not look at the iPad when using it?

Apple took advantage of the iPhone to rearrange some parts of the keyboard. Ross is taking advantage of the larger key size on the iPad to do the same and (as far as I can tell) to scale back from having to memorize three different keyboards (thats not including the non-standard-but-still-available Email, URL, etc keyboard).

And honestly? It sounds like you don't want to have to learn something new again. Which is fine. But it doesn't make Ross's keyboard bad in any way, like you're claiming.

It's best to look at the text you're generating. Not the keys you are pressing.

I would LOVE to try out the author's keyboard. It's great that someone is at least trying to push touch screen typing forward. I remain skeptical that this form of text input could be faster or safer for your wrists- but it COULD be more enjoyable to use for short typing sessions which is also important.

It's best to look at the text you're generating. Not the keys you are pressing.

I haven't been able to separate the two on the iPhone/iPad; they're both on the same screen and relate to what I'm doing at that exact instant.

I would LOVE to try out the author's keyboard.

If you like, email me your UDID and I'll email you back with the demo app the author provides. Or maybe a build of Mobile Colloquy (an IRC client) with this, if I have time to hack it together.

> "But it doesn't make Ross's keyboard bad in any way"

Here's one way -- it's certainly bad to have UPPERcase be a DOWNward flick.

Perhaps he thought he wanted numbers above the lowercase letters on the top row to look something more like a real keyboard, but it's silly for the alphabet.

> "And honestly? It sounds like you don't want to have to learn something new again."

It seems this keyboard is chiefly for the sake of not learning any keyboard. Learn at least one, then complain about someone not wanting to learn another.

// I touch type qwerty, azerty, and qwertz. I've got nothing against learning punctuation on new layouts. If the goal is applying something new to make "hunting and pecking" easier, this system is great: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FITALY

It seems this keyboard is chiefly for the sake of not learning any keyboard. Learn at least one, then complain about someone not wanting to learn another.

Well, yes. But, you would have to unlearn the idea of switching between keyboards on the iPad to get used to flicking between keys ;)

He shouldn't have to learn something new. It's bad for business to tell potential users "You're just going to have to get used to our system".

Customers want a new tool/app/service to solve problems, not create new ones.

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