[KlaymenDK]

My kids are not quite old enough to require keyboard input (doing it, not receiving it, ya dummy) but I have pondered this very question.

I have been using Dvorak almost exclusively for about 15 years now. It's not faster, that's a myth -- but it is much more easy on the fingers: depending on the nature of your prose, you'll save perhaps 30% finger movement. With Colemak, that number is less, but you gain a more comparable (to qwerty) shortcut-key layout.

Obviously, there are all sorts of adversities facing Dvorak typists: native hardware keyboard layouts, limits to the users ability to configure software keyboard layouts (for instance, you may be able to change it on your desktop -- but not on the lock screen!), and of course having to fall back to qwerty on other's devices.

Curiously, on a non-touch-typing device such as the touch screen of a tablet or mobile phone, I'm useless on Dvorak (perhaps exactly because Dvorak was designed for hand-alteration?), so there I'm by far more proficient with one hand on qwerty.

In the end, I think I will settle for showing them both layouts in use at their home, and let them decide which to use. However, @kqr makes a number of very good points, not least the RSI one.

There's also quite a lot of knowledge tucked away in this post: https://blog.hanschen.org/2010/01/30/dvorak-two-years-later-...

[gota]

> doing it, not receiving it

Thanks for the clarification

On a more serious note,

> having to fall back to qwerty on other's devices

This alone effectively nullifies my will to learn Dvorak

[federico3]

> It's not faster, that's a myth

This is false. There a plenty of statistics showing that Dvorak is faster (albeit it's true that the main benefits is around finger movement)

> native hardware keyboard layouts

Never been a problem: you don't need (or want) to look at the keys anyways.

> limits to the users ability to configure software keyboard layouts

Also not a problem: you cannot touch-type on a phone and also you type with thumbs.

[bluGill]

Studies often show Dvorak is faster, but when you dig you discover they are not comparing equivalent. People who learn Dvorak are more likely to be better typists. When you compare equals you discover that the speed of the mind is the limit not the speed of the fingers and so it makes no difference.

As I recall there is one exception: if you are just copying something without having to think about it dvorak is faster. This isn't a common job, but it does exist.