5.0158 Alphabet Soup: ETAOIN SHRDLU; QWERTY (5/91)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 19 Jun 91 16:39:03 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0158. Wednesday, 19 Jun 1991.


(1) Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1991 13:16 MST (9 lines)
From: OCRAMER%CCNODE@VAXF.Colorado.EDU
Subject: Re: 5.0139 Rs: Letter Frequency

(2) Date: Tue, 18 Jun 91 15:15 BST (19 lines)
From: DAVID BARRY <UBJV649@CU.BBK.AC.UK>
Subject: RE:ETAOINSHRDLU

(3) Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1991 11:19:33 GMT+0300 (18 lines)
From: LBJUDY@VMSA.TECHNION.AC.IL
Subject: RE: 5.0149 Responses: etaoinshrdlu (4/100)

(4) Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1991 10:25 EDT (26 lines)
From: "Peter Graham, Rutgers U." <GRAHAM@ZODIAC.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 5.0149 Responses: etaoinshrdlu

(5) Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1991 10:10 CDT (19 lines)
From: 6160LACYA@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU
Subject: QWERTYUIOP

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1991 13:16 MST
From: OCRAMER%CCNODE@VAXF.Colorado.EDU
Subject: Re: 5.0139 Rs: Letter Frequency

Of course, the top line of the linotype was set up that way because the
letters occurred in that order of frequency in English, linotypists (if
that's the rightword for them) and cryptanalysts being, in the old days,
the people who had practical and theoretical need for such data. Owen
Cramer
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------30----
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 91 15:15 BST
From: DAVID BARRY <UBJV649@CU.BBK.AC.UK>
Subject: RE:ETAOINSHRDLU (Humanist discussion group Vol 5 no 0139 item 1)

Robin Smith says that ETAOINSHRDLU represents the first two keyboard
lines of a linotype and NOT letter distribution in English. He then
challenges us to provide a less useful bit of information.

Here goes:

qwertyuiop is the first line of the standard typewriter keyboard. The
"querty" layout originates from the fact that if you typed too fast on
the first typewriter it jammed. As a result we are all using a keyboard
designed to be sub optimum in english!!!! ie to SLOW people down so we
dont jam the machine needless to say the technical restraint has long
since evapourated but the investment in the standard key board is just
so immmense.

David Barry
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------25----
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1991 11:19:33 GMT+0300
From: LBJUDY@VMSA.TECHNION.AC.IL
Subject: RE: 5.0149 Responses: etaoinshrdlu

"QWERTYUIOP...is famous as the end-result of a very non-scientific fiddle
to try to put the most common letters in the most convenient places" - ??
On the contrary, the QWERTY keyboard is famous as the end-result of
an attempt to SLOW DOWN the typist by putting the most common letters
and letter combinations in difficult places, since early typewriter
keys would jam if you typed too fast. That, after all, is why the
DVORAK keyboard was conceived: to rid the world of the cycle whereby
the sins of the fathers were visited upon the children unto the nth
generation even though technology now allows you to type much faster
than the QWERTY keyboard does. (I have to admit I'm still sinning,
though; the trauma of relearning to touch type seems greater than the
promised gains).

Judy Koren
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------29----
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1991 10:25 EDT
From: "Peter Graham, Rutgers U., (908) 932-2741" <GRAHAM@ZODIAC.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 5.0149 Responses: etaoinshrdlu

I see the Humanities bulletin board is capable of transmitting folk myths
as well as scholarship.

1) The etaioin shrdlu sequence was indeed based on a conception of
letter frequency, precisely to locate the keys on the linotype in order
of frequency to keep the most used under the hands at all times. I have
operated a linotype and worked in a print shop. It is correct that one
does not rest one's hands on the keys (or the matrices fall down in a
cascade). The left hand, held at an angle, handled ETAOIN; the right
hand handled *all* other keys; and the division of labor was
approximately equal.

2) One can correct a linotype line by removing a matrix from the line
of matrices before sending it in for the slug to be case; it is somewhat
timeconsuming, but it could be done.

3) The folk myth about the typewriter keyboard I've heard is that it was
specifically designed (QWERTY etc.) to keep frequently used keys *away*
from each other because early typewriters jammed easily and speed was a
detriment. Is there an *authority* out there?

--Peter Graham, Rutgers University.
(5) --------------------------------------------------------------29----
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1991 10:10 CDT
From: 6160LACYA@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU
Subject: QWERTYUIOP

As I understand it, the arrangement QWERTYUIOP was arrived at for
precisely the opposite reasons that James O'Donnell gives. That is, in
the earliest typewriters, the users soon became proficient enough that
the typewriters were continually jamming. Consequently the keyboard was
arranged in order to _slow down_ the typists, and prevent jamming. Now
I'm not claiming the status of revealed truth for this, but if you've
ever seen some of the real early typewriters, you can certainly see how
they could easily jam.

(I'm tempted to forward this whole thread to the FOLKLORE people, and see
what they come up with.)

Alan F. Lacy
Marquette University
6160lacya@vms.csd.mu.edu