many enthusiast keyboards are “tenkeyless” precisely because the numpad is too far from the home row to be actually useful when you get efficient typing patterns worked out

i have a tenkeyless and use programmers dvorak (which is honestly imo pretty brain dead for its use of the num row and still is “fine” for numbers): you get used to it very quickly, and typing numbers with the numpad as an efficiency improvement is more than made up for by using both hands on the num row, and by it being far closer to the home row

aoidenpa@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 210d (6 replies)

How do they move diagonally in a roguelike game?

Thalfon@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 209d

With HJKLYUBN unlike these modern savages with their arrow keys.

Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 209d (4 replies)

How do they fly, or efficiently enter strings of numbers?

kogasa@programming.dev · 2 pts · 209d (3 replies)

Num row is plenty efficient. It takes some practice but is probably more efficient for typing mixed strings of letters and numbers, which is more common than long strings of numbers. As for flying, I dunno, same way anyone flies. Throw yourself at the ground and miss.

bstix@feddit.dk · 5 pts · 209d (2 replies)

Num pad is much faster for clean numbers than num row because you can use the thumb on zero, allowing you to use all 5 fingers without ever moving the hand.

However the secret to achieve true mad man number typing speeds is to use both hands. Num row is for the left hand. Num pad is for the right hand.

This can be optimized by positioning your left hand on 1 to prepare yourself for Benford's Law which tells us that a majority of numbers start with 1.

Actual numbers also includes many zeros (but rarely starts with one). The fat zero key on num pad has room for two fingers, just saying.

kogasa@programming.dev · 2 pts · 209d

Eight fingers with both hands vs four and a dedicated thumb for zero? The number of fingers isn't the limiting factor anyway. Like I said, if you're not typing exclusively numbers, the numrow is fine because it allows you to type numbers and letters without repositioning your hands.

pupbiru@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 209d

actually one of my grandparents was a typist at an accounting firm, and apparently num row is far more efficient for numbers in generally because you use 10 fingers and your thumbs are close to your “new home row” (aka the number row while you’re typing numbers), and whilst possible you’d never use both hands in the num pad because it’d be awkward and probably damaging to your wrists, and you’re rarely typing just numbers so having the num row closer to the home row is part of the efficiency calculation

… if we’re being pedantic, which we absolutely are

TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 210d

I tried it and agree that's that grossest thing here.

dingleberrylover@lemmy.world · 62 pts · 210d