Author Archives: mike@standardsmichigan.com

QWERTY: This is the most common keyboard layout used in English-speaking countries. The name “QWERTY” comes from the first six letters on the top row of keys. This layout was originally designed to prevent typewriter keys from jamming by placing commonly used keys further apart.

AZERTY: This is a keyboard layout used primarily in French-speaking countries. The letters are arranged differently from QWERTY, with the A and Z keys switched, and some additional special characters included.

QWERTZ: This is a keyboard layout used primarily in German-speaking countries. It is similar to QWERTY, but with some letters rearranged and some additional special characters included.

Dvorak Simplified Keyboard: This is an alternative keyboard layout designed to increase typing speed and efficiency. It places the most commonly used letters in the home row, and the least used letters on the outer edges of the keyboard.

Colemak: This is another alternative keyboard layout designed for increased typing efficiency. It also places the most commonly used letters in the home row, but has a slightly different arrangement than Dvorak.

Unicode: This is a standard for encoding characters from a wide range of writing systems, including Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, and Chinese, among others. It allows for the input and display of text in multiple languages and scripts on the same  keyboard.