INF1520
Assignment 3 2024
Detailed Solutions, References & Explanations
Unique number:
Due Date: 15 July 2024
QUESTION 1
1.1.
The QWERTY keyboard layout, designed by Christopher Sholes in the 1870s, was
specifically engineered to address mechanical challenges in early typewriters. Sholes
needed a way to minimize the jamming of type bars, the metal arms corresponding to each
key, which would collide and entangle when adjacent letters were struck in quick
succession.
To mitigate this issue, Sholes strategically arranged the keys to space out commonly used
letter pairs. Although not the most efficient layout for speed or ease of use, QWERTY
effectively spread out frequent pairings and reduced clashes, enabling smoother operation
for typists. Despite the advent of more efficient layouts like Dvorak, QWERTY became the
de facto standard due to its early adoption and widespread acceptance. It remains deeply
ingrained in user habits and systems, resulting in its continued prevalence in modern
computer keyboards.
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