When using WASD or ESDF, which finger do you put on W or E?

[Ardid.7203]

Dactilography and Mecanography ("Typing") in fact DO work quite well, making people write way faster when properly implemented. The use of better keyboards like Dvorak also improves the word per minute ratio a bunch.

BUT: this only has to do with writing, no relation at all with gaming.

 

I whish I could buy a good spanish dvorak keyboard... but the product is so niche they don't even send them to south-america.

[ProtoGunner.4953]

> @"Maikimaik.1974" said:

> > @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said:

> > One of the most bizarre things I have seen in life is that I am the **ONLY** person who ever uses the homerow method. In all my typing classes they made us put our index fingers on F and J, and so I learned to type using that method. Apparently everyone else on Earth just threw that out the window and started using their own bizarre hand placements to do things.

> >

> > I'm a strict homerow user. My ring finger sits on W.

>

> Most people I know had those classes, yet pretty much none of them uses the ten finger system. It's unnecassarily hard to learn and actually not really that much faster than using different ways of typing. And on top of that I find it fairly uncomfortable to move my fingers like that.

> My teachers in typing class even told us that typing class is more a way to get to know the basic keyboard layout, not specifically to learn the 10 finger system.

>

> Edit: apparently the 10 finger system is called Touch typing in english, didn’t know that.

 

Er... what? I use it, 80% of my coworkers use it. Someone _not_ using 10 finger system is regarded rather as undereducated... Anyways, still using WSAD like 90% of all players. Mainly coming from shooter games back in the 90ies, where you had to reach shift for running and space for jumping.

 

I use skills 1, 2 and 3 with ring and middle finger, 4 to 10 with an MMO mouse (Logitech G600).

[Silmar Alech.4305]

> @"Danikat.8537" said:

> > @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said:

> > One of the most bizarre things I have seen in life is that I am the **ONLY** person who ever uses the homerow method. In all my typing classes they made us put our index fingers on F and J, and so I learned to type using that method. Apparently everyone else on Earth just threw that out the window and started using their own bizarre hand placements to do things.

> >

> > I'm a strict homerow user. My ring finger sits on W.

>

> I suspect relatively few people ever had typing classes. The only people I know who did are my sister-in-law and a woman I work with, who both did it as part of secretary training.

I am one of these but as far as I know this is only included in dedicated classes, not in school. I took a typing class in an evening class in parallel to school, because my father recommended this. It was one of the best classes I ever had. It enables you to type as fast as you think, so you can immediately write down what you think. It also enables you to type effortlessly, flawlessly and without strain. You just type, you don't think about it. It is as my thoughts flow to the screen without thinking about it.

And because of this course, the first thing on every game I play is to change the keyboard mapping from WASD to ESDF.

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

When I say "typing classes", it wasn't a class made specifically for typing. It was a computers class that I had back in my ghetto middle school 17 years ago. Among all the other generic multimedia programs that we had to learn, we also had basic typing tests. For the final exam, the teacher had to fashion a home-made eye-guard out of a cardboard box, so she could confirm that we were touch typing. Now, if my index fingers aren't sitting on those little bumps in the middle of the keyboard, I feel like a heretic.

 

Even back then, for the final exam a lot of people ended up with utter gibberish when they typed blind. I thought it was just because of the substandard nature of that school, but apparently the homerow method is pushed by some disconnected secret organization, and my ability to do it grants me entrance into the keyboard Illuminati.

[StinVec.3621]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> I map to the arrow keys myself.

 

I do as well.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said:

> When I say "typing classes", it wasn't a class made specifically for typing. It was a computers class that I had back in my ghetto middle school 17 years ago. Among all the other generic multimedia programs that we had to learn, we also had basic typing tests. For the final exam, the teacher had to fashion a home-made eye-guard out of a cardboard box, so she could confirm that we were touch typing. Now, if my index fingers aren't sitting on those little bumps in the middle of the keyboard, I feel like a heretic.

>

> Even back then, for the final exam a lot of people ended up with utter gibberish when they typed blind. I thought it was just because of the substandard nature of that school, but apparently the homerow method is pushed by some disconnected secret organization, and my ability to do it grants me entrance into the keyboard Illuminati.

 

Back in HS I took typing back at a community college. The teacher was impressed at how fast I was typing while being accurate until she walked by my desk and saw that I was just 2 finger pecking REALLY fast and keeping a mental buffer of what was on the page.

 

I never could understand her complaint. The whole point is to type fast and accurately, right? What does it matter if I was using the method she thought was 'right' or if I was using another method?

 

[Rinn.2375]

I'm using QWES. QE for strafe left/right and WS for forward and backward. With action cam it's the best for me. But indeed, i'm using my middle finger for W ;)

[LadyKitty.6120]

Kitty mainly uses WASD with middle finger on W, but she sometimes swaps ring finger on it to reach 5 and F5 quick. But most of the time she doesn't need to do so 'cause very long fingers.

[Thelgar.7214]

Middle finger on W. I'm flipping off everyone in WvW all the time.

[Stevieboy.4192]

I use the arrow keys, mouse in left hand...

[Arden.7480]

What do you need this information for?

[VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig.]

I do OKLÖ with middle finger on O. Also J is turn about, M and Ä is dodge, U is use.

[jbrother.1340]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said:

> > When I say "typing classes", it wasn't a class made specifically for typing. It was a computers class that I had back in my ghetto middle school 17 years ago. Among all the other generic multimedia programs that we had to learn, we also had basic typing tests. For the final exam, the teacher had to fashion a home-made eye-guard out of a cardboard box, so she could confirm that we were touch typing. Now, if my index fingers aren't sitting on those little bumps in the middle of the keyboard, I feel like a heretic.

> >

> > Even back then, for the final exam a lot of people ended up with utter gibberish when they typed blind. I thought it was just because of the substandard nature of that school, but apparently the homerow method is pushed by some disconnected secret organization, and my ability to do it grants me entrance into the keyboard Illuminati.

>

> Back in HS I took typing back at a community college. The teacher was impressed at how fast I was typing while being accurate until she walked by my desk and saw that I was just 2 finger pecking REALLY fast and keeping a mental buffer of what was on the page.

>

> I never could understand her complaint. The whole point is to type fast and accurately, right? What does it matter if I was using the method she thought was 'right' or if I was using another method?

>

 

Was that the point? Or was the point to learn what was being taught to you and then decide after which of your two skill for this works better for you? How can you even know which will work better until you go as far as you can in both techniques and then compare?

 

In the end the only thing that matters is what you are comfortable doing. Your teacher had a different motivation than that. Both are valid ways to type. You are not wrong but neither was she.

[Wakthor Thorwak.2819]

i have 5 finger 1,2,3,4,5 3 being middle finger i gues? since thumb is 5 so 1 is on shift wich never change place 2 is on a never change either 3 is on w never change either 4 is on d i swap between d and e with finger 4 becuse skill on e 5 my thumb is on space bar and swap to x when i need to dodgeroll othersie i use my razor naga for 1-9 skills

[Egrimm Van Horstmann.7921]

I use W S with middle, E D with index, and Q A with ring finger. Thumb is for jumping.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"jbrother.1340" said:

> > @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > > @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said:

> > > When I say "typing classes", it wasn't a class made specifically for typing. It was a computers class that I had back in my ghetto middle school 17 years ago. Among all the other generic multimedia programs that we had to learn, we also had basic typing tests. For the final exam, the teacher had to fashion a home-made eye-guard out of a cardboard box, so she could confirm that we were touch typing. Now, if my index fingers aren't sitting on those little bumps in the middle of the keyboard, I feel like a heretic.

> > >

> > > Even back then, for the final exam a lot of people ended up with utter gibberish when they typed blind. I thought it was just because of the substandard nature of that school, but apparently the homerow method is pushed by some disconnected secret organization, and my ability to do it grants me entrance into the keyboard Illuminati.

> >

> > Back in HS I took typing back at a community college. The teacher was impressed at how fast I was typing while being accurate until she walked by my desk and saw that I was just 2 finger pecking REALLY fast and keeping a mental buffer of what was on the page.

> >

> > I never could understand her complaint. The whole point is to type fast and accurately, right? What does it matter if I was using the method she thought was 'right' or if I was using another method?

> >

>

> Was that the point? Or was the point to learn what was being taught to you and then decide after which of your two skill for this works better for you? How can you even know which will work better until you go as far as you can in both techniques and then compare?

>

> In the end the only thing that matters is what you are comfortable doing. Your teacher had a different motivation than that. Both are valid ways to type. You are not wrong but neither was she.

 

Maybe it is being haughty or something but according to the teacher a good WPM was some number. I could already do faster than that so I could not see how it would be any better to use their method. Not that it makes a lot of a difference for two major reasons.

 

1) I am a programmer and was even doing some programming back when I took that course in HS. While there is a bit of a debate if touch typing is useful to a programmer or not the fact is you spend much more of your time thinking about what to code than you do in the actual act of typing it out. It is not unusual to spend an entire day analyzing a problem and the final change comes down to a few lines (maybe more if you count deleted test code). If you were judging a programmer on typing speed they would fail by doing that, even though that is standard for the profession.

 

2) A lot of the typing people do now is on phones. What is more, fewer phones each year have physical keyboards (the holdouts are usually Bluetooth accessories). Almost none have a full size physical keyboard unless you use a dock.

 

[Ardid.7203]

- If you type fast with 2 fingers, you'll type even faster with a proper typing technique. Maybe you don't need it, but the point for your teacher wasn't to have you typing as fast as you can with your actual method, but to teach you a better one.

- Sorry to be harsh with 99% of people in the planet, but using a qwerty keyboard (a design created for a mechanical typing machine) on a normal computer is questionable. Using it on a touchscreen phone is just "not rational" (Honestly, I would use a simple and direct derogatory term here, but it seems my post gets insta-warned when I do so). The area for your fingers in a "phone qwerty" is absurdly tiny. The letter distribution is not regular or smooth, the size of the letters is too small, everything is cramped and forced. Yes, it works because you are accustomed to it, but it is bad, believe me. Do yourself, your human ergonomics and dignity, and your typing proficiency a favor, and try something actually designed to work in small touchscreens. https://gizmodo.com/12-smartphone-keyboards-that-are-trying-to-reinvent-mob-1695151919

I personally use messagEase since 2016. It was hard to use at first, then I simply stopped resisting change like a maniac, and realized just how faster and comfortable it is to use something specifically designed for its purpose instead of an awkwardly adapted remain from something else.

[jbrother.1340]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"jbrother.1340" said:

> > > @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > > > @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said:

> > > > When I say "typing classes", it wasn't a class made specifically for typing. It was a computers class that I had back in my ghetto middle school 17 years ago. Among all the other generic multimedia programs that we had to learn, we also had basic typing tests. For the final exam, the teacher had to fashion a home-made eye-guard out of a cardboard box, so she could confirm that we were touch typing. Now, if my index fingers aren't sitting on those little bumps in the middle of the keyboard, I feel like a heretic.

> > > >

> > > > Even back then, for the final exam a lot of people ended up with utter gibberish when they typed blind. I thought it was just because of the substandard nature of that school, but apparently the homerow method is pushed by some disconnected secret organization, and my ability to do it grants me entrance into the keyboard Illuminati.

> > >

> > > Back in HS I took typing back at a community college. The teacher was impressed at how fast I was typing while being accurate until she walked by my desk and saw that I was just 2 finger pecking REALLY fast and keeping a mental buffer of what was on the page.

> > >

> > > I never could understand her complaint. The whole point is to type fast and accurately, right? What does it matter if I was using the method she thought was 'right' or if I was using another method?

> > >

> >

> > Was that the point? Or was the point to learn what was being taught to you and then decide after which of your two skill for this works better for you? How can you even know which will work better until you go as far as you can in both techniques and then compare?

> >

> > In the end the only thing that matters is what you are comfortable doing. Your teacher had a different motivation than that. Both are valid ways to type. You are not wrong but neither was she.

>

> Maybe it is being haughty or something but according to the teacher a good WPM was some number. I could already do faster than that so I could not see how it would be any better to use their method. Not that it makes a lot of a difference for two major reasons.

>

> 1) I am a programmer and was even doing some programming back when I took that course in HS. While there is a bit of a debate if touch typing is useful to a programmer or not the fact is you spend much more of your time thinking about what to code than you do in the actual act of typing it out. It is not unusual to spend an entire day analyzing a problem and the final change comes down to a few lines (maybe more if you count deleted test code). If you were judging a programmer on typing speed they would fail by doing that, even though that is standard for the profession.

>

> 2) A lot of the typing people do now is on phones. What is more, fewer phones each year have physical keyboards (the holdouts are usually Bluetooth accessories). Almost none have a full size physical keyboard unless you use a dock.

>

 

Not sure why I even bothered responding. Do anything you want, disregard the words of all the teachers you have in life... what could they possibly know?

[Menadena.7482]

Her 2, and only 2, measures were accuracy and speed. I surpassed both. I really feel no need to do a method by rote, especially as it has 0 to do with my work as a programmer (where WPM is about as useful in judging programmer skill as flower arranging) and my typing on a phone. Next?

[Celldrax.2849]

I just use standard WASD movement.

 

All my turning and strafing is controlled by the right mouse click.

[Donari.5237]

I don't actually use WASD. Except in ESO where mouse RMB/LMB together don't move me forward so I *have* to use W. I keep strafing and back peddling on my mouse side buttons in both GW2 and ESO; in ESO I use the ring finger on W so I can quickly hit E and R for interacting with containers and retrieving all loot.

 

I am too right handed to combo key things with my left hand, so if my fingers were moving me around the map I'd never be able to hit any skills.

[Ensign.2189]

I am one of those rare WERD users.