ABC vs. QWERTY

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is barely on-topic, but I wanted to get the input from people who use
PCs a LOT, and this is the place those folks hang out <g>.  I?m considering
getting a large-key keyboard for my son.  He?s 2 ½ and already loves the
computer; he plays online toddler games all the time.  However, those games
are pretty much ?hit any key? games.  So now I want to start moving him
towards using actual keys.  The large-key keyboards tend to come in two
varieties: QWERTY and ABC layout.  The ABC layout puts the keys in
alphabetical order starting on the top left, and just wrapping along the
keyboard.

 

My wife worries that learning to type on the ABC keyboard might confuse him
later when he needs to switch to a normal-key QWERTY layout.  I can see her
point, but I tend to think that matters less for a hunt-n-peck 2-to-4 year
old.  It seems it would be much harder to move from one layout to another
once you?ve become a touch typist.  I don?t even like those ?ergonomic?
split keyboards, and the keys are the same.  (Heck, I have a real problem
using someone else?s 5250 emulation session when they HAVE THE DARNED ENTER
KEY IN THE WRONG PLACE.)

 

Sorry.  But hey, that even made it iSeries related!  <chuckle>

 

Anyway, I am leaning towards the ABC layout so it will be easier for him
now, but am I setting him up for frustration later when he needs to switch
to a QWERTY keyboard?

 

Joe