[userbinator]

My average typing speed is ~140-150WPM and I can go over 200 in short bursts. I've only used QWERTY. Thus I don't think Dvorak or any of the other layouts has that much of an advantage.

However, I think the design of the keyboard's switches makes a huge difference; I can only reach those speeds on the keyboard I normally use, which is a pretty generic one with rubber domes, but where ~2mm of travel is enough to register a keypress, and the keyfeel is very light and bouncy. Before that I used a mechanical keyboard with (very) clicky Blue ALPS (https://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_SKCM_Blue ) switches, and struggled to reach 120WPM. Other keyboards I've tried timing typing speed on include a Thinkpad X60 (can barely exceed 100, but quickly tiring), Apple low-profile (80-90, very tiring), and the famous IBM Model M (75-80, impressively loud and extremely tiring.)

[joe_the_user]

By "typing speed", do you mean copying an existing text? That's the usual measure. But in a world where most people compose their text on their own computers, how useful is it now?

Or are you able to produce your writing/programming at that rate? If you can do that, you're in a remarkable category. My feeling is just moving your fingers to make word would be least impressive part of such a feat.

[userbinator]

Or are you able to produce your writing/programming at that rate? If you can do that, you're in a remarkable category.

It's the average speed at which people speak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute#Speech_and_li...

Thus being able to type at that speed means IM conversations and such can be carried out "at the speed of thought".

[joe_the_user]

I can't think of an instance where my 20-30 wpm typing held me back in a messenger chat - if anything, my typing speed in enough to present the other person with a wall of text, something to be avoided if you want to have a dialogue with someone.

And yeah, someone who speaks in full paragraph or essays is unusual. The average transcription of an extemporaneous speech shows a lot of "uh's", backtracking and so-forth.

[sebmellen]

Would you have a link to your keyboard? I'm looking for one just like that, after having used a mechanical keyboard much like the one you described for a while.

[userbinator]

Unfortunately, the only search result for the model number (KM-2601P)... is the HN post where I last mentioned it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12774137

I don't know much about its history, other than the fact that it was a cheap "freebie" from a PC long ago that I continued to use because it felt great to type on. It was probably manufactured in the late 90s.

The Internet is horribly forgetful and certainly not the treasure-trove of information it used to be: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16153840