Why Isn't the Keyboard in ABC Order? The Surprising Story Behind QWERTY
Why Isn't the Keyboard Arranged in ABC Order? If you've ever learned to type, you've probably wondered: "Why isn't the keyboard arranged alphabetically?" Wouldn't A, B, C, D, E... be much easier to learn? Surprisingly, the keyboard you use every day isn't the result of modern computer design. It's a legacy from a machine invented more than 150 years ago . There Was Once an Alphabetical Keyboard Early typewriter inventors naturally considered arranging keys in alphabetical order. It seemed like the most logical layout. But when people started typing quickly, an unexpected problem appeared. Typing Too Fast Could Break the Machine Unlike modern keyboards, early typewriters used metal typebars . Each time a key was pressed, a metal arm swung upward to strike the paper. When commonly used letters were typed in rapid succession, the metal bars often collided and became tangled. The faster someone typed, the more frequently the machine ja...