Why are computer keyboards designed qwerty instead of abcdef?
If you think of a writing machine, they had little sticks attached to the letters. You press a key, stick raises and hits the paper, comes back. Now, you need to distribute the letters in such a way that the most common letters are not side by side, or this can cause a trouble with the little sti…
The Short Answer
If you think of a writing machine, they had little sticks attached to the letters. You press a key, stick raises and hits the paper, comes back. Now, you need to distribute the letters in such a way that the most common letters are not side by side, or this can cause a trouble with the little sticks hitting each other or getting in the way. Moreover, you also want the most written letters to be where the "best" fingers are: index and middle finger and leave the less common letters such as Q (english) for the furthermost line to be hit with your left hand little finger. Some keyboard layouts are a bit different depending on the language. French is AZERTY, german is QWERTZ.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Letters, little, sticks
This explanation focuses on letters, little, sticks and spans 125 words across 6 sentences. At 67% above the average Technology explanation (75 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “If you think of a writing machine, they had little sticks attached to the letters.” It then elaboratesultimately building toward a complete picture across 6 connected points.
How This Compares in Technology
Ranked #85 of 500 Technology questions by answer depth (top 18%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why computer keyboards designed qwerty instead of abcdef?
If you think of a writing machine, they had little sticks attached to the letters. You press a key, stick raises and hits the paper, comes back. Now, you need to distribute the letters in such a way that the most common letters are not side by side,…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Technology questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 125 words, ranked #85 of 500 Technology questions by depth. The key concepts covered are letters, little, sticks.
What approach does this answer take to explain computer keyboards designed qwerty instead of abcdef?
The explanation uses root cause analysis across 125 words. It is categorized under Technology and addresses the question through 1 analytical lens.