Dvorak Layout Claimed Not Superior To QWERTY

Michael Pyne sends in an article published at Reason Online 13 years ago, dismantling the entrenched myth that the Dvorak keyboard layout is a superior technology to QWERTY. The odd thing is that this 13-year-old article recaps research (refereed and published in a respected economics journal) 19 years ago. While we have discussed Dvorak many times over the years, I don't believe we have dug into this convincing-sounding refutation of the Dvorak mythology. The article is in the context of arguing against the conventional wisdom of "first mover advantage" — that the first product to market gains a large entrenchment benefit, such as VHS vs. Beta, MS-DOS vs. anything, etc. It's very much a pro-markets piece.

Comments

Re:On Markets

[marco.antonio.costa]

First of all, ANY regulation implies an unfree market and therefore 'unhealthy' - obviously excluding the prohibition on violence, theft and fraud, which are NOT 'regulations' by their very nature as post facto laws, an important distinction. And oligopolies or cartels are inherently unstable without State coercion to secure them, a monopoly is characterized not by market share, but by the lack of free entry.

Moreover, this perfect information 'requirement' for markets to function is just as rubbish as the neoclassical and Chicago school's fetish for perfect competition. Both imperfect competition and knowledge are PRECISELY what makes markets not just better, but _exponentially_ better at coordinating dispersed and decentralized information.

Saying 'people say markets always have optimal outcomes' is absurd and a straw-man. The correct statement is that markets consistently provide _much_ better outcomes than regulation and central planning.

Re:Not good enough

[vikstar]

It also is yet another customization of said laptop that discourages others from using it without supervision.

So that they don't stumble upon your tranny porn collection?