Author：Maria Lena

Also known as Sholes keyboards, QWERTY keyboards refer to the five consecutive letters in the upper left corner of the keyboard. This type of keyboard has the layout used for Latin languages and is the most commonly used keyboard in the United States.

This PC keyboard is based on the design of the first typewriters. Until the late 19th century, typewriter keys were arranged in alphabetical order. In 1872, Christopher Latham Sholes (1819-1890) developed the first typewriter, which featured the QWERTY keyboard, so named because the first six letters near the top left of the keyboard are Q-W-E-R-T-Y.

Best Low-Cost On Keyboards

	Redragon S101 Wired Gaming Keyboard	$46.99 at Amazon	See It
	Dacoity Gaming Keyboard 104 Keys All-Metal Panel	$29.99 at Amazon	See It
	NPET K10 Gaming Keyboard USB Wired Floating Keyboard	$23.99 at Amazon	See It
	KLIM Chroma Wireless Gaming Keyboard RGB	$33.97 at Amazon	See It
	Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Ultra Slim Combo	$41.99 at Amazon	See It

The original keyboard key layout was two rows in alphabetical order. Well, the layout is such that the writing strips of the most commonly used monograms are all next to each other, so that the keys get stuck when tapped quickly one after the other.

Attempts to solve this flaw resulted in a rearrangement of the keys. In 1868, Sholes teamed up with educator Amos Densmore in order to arrange the letters on keyboards to allow better spacing between commonly used keys used in combination. As a result, this initially made it difficult for people to find the letters they needed to type efficiently. The new layout was designed to improve typing speed, and place keys less likely to be struck in rapid succession on opposite sides of the typewriter. This was done so that the machine would be less likely to jam.

The arrangement solved the interference problem, but created two others. First, many common letters are not located in the centre row, also called the "home row." Second, some of the most common letters are concentrated on the left side, favouring left-handed typists. For example, the most common letter, "E", is a stretch for the left middle finger, and the second most common letter, "A", is typed with the weaker finger of the left hand.

QWERTY keyboards vs other keyboards

So, should I switch from QWERTY? That depends. If you spend most of your day typing on a computer, it's worth looking into. The speed gains and injury reductions are real and add up over time. However, there are some warnings you should be aware of.

You will experience a big drop in typing speed as you learn a new design. How long will it take? A fast learner might only need a week, but others may need over a month or more. However, with the help of typing tutors, this problem will only be temporary.

In addition, most of these keyboards have a special numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard, which facilitates tasks that require number entry. And above all, the main functions of the function keys (not available on compact keyboards), which speed up our daily tasks. Mainly if we use it for our routine work tasks.

What are the F1, F2, to f12 keyboard keys use for?

· F1

o Opens help menu

o [Control + F1] [ 1 / 12 ] Hides/displays menu options in Excel and Word when pressed

· F2

o [Alt + Ctrl + F2] opens the document library in Microsoft Office

o [Ctrl + F2] shows print preview in Word

o Renames a folder/file in Windows Explorer

o Edits the active cell in Microsoft Excel

· F3

o Opens the search function in Windows Explorer

o Opens the search function in Firefox and Chrome

o [Shift + F3] allows you to change the font state in Word, between upper and lower case letters

· F4

o [Alt + F4] closes the open window

o Puts the cursor in the browser's address bar.

· F5

o Refreshes the web browser or folder.

o Starts PowerPoint slide show.

o [Ctrl + F5] refreshes the browser, also clears the cache.

o Opens "Find and Replace" in Microsoft Office

o [Shift + F5] Refreshes web cache 

·  F6

o Page Turns in a split screen in Microsoft Word

o [Ctrl + Shift + F6] allows you to switch easily between Word documents

· F7

o [Alt + F7] performs a spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word

o [Shift + F7] opens the thesaurus in Microsoft Word

· F8

o [F8] in Excel enables extended mode

o Selects text in Word

o Pressed while booting the computer opens Windows Safe Mode.

·  F9

o Send and receive emails

o [Ctrl + F9] insert empty fields in Word 

· F10

o Marks elements of the active window

o [Ctrl + F10] maximizes the window in Word

o [Shift + F10] does the same as right-click

·  F11

o Exits and enters "full screen" mode

o [Shift + F11] adds a new spreadsheet in Excel

·  F12

o Opens "Save As" in Word

o [Shift + F12] saves the Word document

o [Ctrl + F12] opens a Word document

o [Ctrl + Shift + F12] print Word document

Why do we have a QWERTY keyboard?

The prevailing theory is that Sholes had to redesign the keyboard to cope with the old typewriter's flaw, which is slightly different from the most common models in thrift stores and on the market.

If a user quickly types a series of letters that are close together, the machine can jam. So Sholes redesigned the key layout to separate the most common letter sequences.

In theory, the QWERTY system should maximize space for common letter combinations. This theory is easily debunked for the simple reason that "er" is the fourth most common letter combination in English.

Despite the factual basis, minimal distraction is a priority, so the designers did not seek to achieve this by imposing lower typing speeds. Instead, they focused on an "alternate hand" design, which increases speed and reduces distractions.

Finally, if you want to try it without spending so much money, here is a brief list of qwerty keyboard according to user reviews and cost/benefit ratio:

o Perixx PERIDUO-605, Wireless.

o Perixx PERIBOARD-512B, Ergonomic.

o CHERRY SX USB.

o Adesso AKB-132UB.

o FIODIO Membrane gaming keyboard.

o Aluratek (AKBLED01FS) USB, Illuminated.

o Adesso AKB-132UY USB, Luminous.

Above all, you should also consider that today's smartphones have a qwerty key layout on their main keyboard. For this reason, if you are not using it yet, maybe switching to this keyboard can be easier and more useful than you think.