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Why do we use the QWERTY keyboard?

September 15
13 mins

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Episode Description

The QWERTY keyboard wasn't designed to be fast or logical. It was created in the 1870s to stop typewriter keys from jamming - and to suit telegraph operators working in morse code. Since then, more efficient layouts like Dvorak have been invented, but none have stuck. So how did QWERTY become "locked in" to our machines, our workplaces, and even our muscle memory?

  • Guest: Gianfranco Di Giovanni, Content Director for ABC Radio Perth and consumer technology journalist
  • Producer: Rebecca Metcalf
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