In the days of calculators and punched cards I was taught to key in numeric data with the left hand, so that the right hand was free for place keeping and writing down results.
Now with keyboards having the numeric keypad on the right , my left handed habit is rather awkward. I end up shifting the wireless keyboard way to the left, and I cant do that on a laptop.
So what do others do when faced with entering pages of numbers? The normal top row of number keys are way too inefficient for masses of data, and the numeric keypad on todays keyboards is nothing like as good as using a calculator, especially if you have my left handed habit.
One solution might be to redefine a block of alphabetic keys to have numeric values.
Card punches were like that . They used
y u i
j k l
m , .
to mean
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Yes the order was different on card punches, compared to modern keyboards.
Left hander - started a Data Entry job around 1985 (commonwealth public service) but already knew how to touch type from highschool, I NEVER use the numeric keypad…
There was a time ~5-6-7 years ago where I collected external USB numeric keypads to use as - GAME CONTROLLERS!
Here’s what REALLY gets my goat, the discrimination inherent in the game developer industry where they just assume EVERY SINGLE F–KING gamer is going to mouse with the right hand and use their left hand with WASD - I say F–K that!
I F–KING HATE WASD!
Once upon a time, most DOS era games would use EITHER/BOTH WASD keys AND the 4 directional keys below the SHIFT key on most standard keyboards…
And for my money - a numeric KEYPAD is a gross waste of desktop real estate!
Not if your muscle memory knows where they are… That data entry job was mostly noting down file (physical file) movements from a file room to various locations across a fairly large hospital campus, but also offsite to specialist rooms, and sometimes to other hospitals, and/or the head office (Veterans Affairs) in the CBD…
Each transaction (done in rows of about 25-35 at a time) was the # code number of the patient, either alpha-num-num-num-num-num-num (world war 1) or alpha-nnnnnnn (I think) and so on for Korea/Malaysia emergency and Vietnam… (different alpha)… and - EACH single transaction line included a 6 digit checksum…
e.g. “HB000535 H05 34534” (where WW2 file HB000535 is going to location H05, and has check digit 34534… In one 3 month period, i was CONSISTENTLY the fastest data entry operator, and I wasn’t using the numeric keypad!
You clearly do not key in lots of numbers.
Do you know if it is possible to map a block of character keys to numbers?.. a bit like the way vi maps character keys to arrows.
I am not left handed… I was just trained to be lefthanded when entering numbers.
I am left handed…
I used to use a calculator a few years later when I worked in payroll - WITH MY LEFT HAND…
Placing the numeric keypad on the right meant I was NEVER EVER going to use it, or be arsed to learn it…
I don’t now…
I DID back then nearly 40 years ago…
See my later post - 25-35 rows at a time of mostly numeric data, entered using the top row of numbers and I was consistently the fastest data entry operator! And I’m talking a thousand “pages” (screensful in IBM IMS mainframe sytem) of 30 rows each a day, of file relocation transactions…
I have a “Microsoft Sculpt Desktop Ergonomic Full-size Wireless USB Keyboard and Mouse Bundle” (what a mouth full) that includes a separate numeric keypad. It can be left, right, or wherever.
Well I sort of lied. I have that keyboard and numeric keypad but not the mouse. I can’t say for sure if there is a third mouse button or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if the wheel clicked. I have a few different Logitech mice that do that.
My favorite mouse right now is the Logitech MX Master 2S. They have a 3S but I don’t like the look of it as well.
as I wrote further up top - I have a collection of numeric keypads…
One’s PS/2, one’s Bluetooth, and two USB… but only ever intended to use them as game controllers… e.g. 8 for up, 4 for left, 2 for down and 6 for left in games… but that’s tedious…
I have a “gaming” keypad, with WASD roughly where 8, 4, 2 and 6 would be - and I NEVER have to remap anything in games anymore (shits me how Steam cloud cannot sync your keymaps - everytime I re-installed a game, I’d have to setup my custom keymappings again!)
I’ve just always used the top bar of numbers all my life - I did two years of typing in highshool, and used to use my mum’s portably typewriter at home - touch typing… Not even IBM selectric “golfball” electric typewriters we had at school (only 2 or 3) had numeric keypads…
Yeah, I do it too but it is not very ergonomic.
I can only really touch type effectively on a numeric pad
I am thinking of a wired (USB) numeric pad… just use it for data keying… they are cheap enough. Will linux see it as well as the normal Wifi keyboard?
