Input Devices : QWERTY Keyboard

Almost all general purpose computers are supplied with a keyboard. A keyboard has over 100 keys on it. When you press a key a number (code) is sent to the computer to tell it which key you have pressed. The keys are arranged in four groups :

The keys on a keyboard are usually arranged in the same order as those on a typewriter. This layout of keys is called QWERTY because Q-W-E-R-T-Y is the order in which the letters occur on the top row of the keyboard. Some newer designs have the letters arranged in a different order. Most people find the QWERTY arrangement best as they have had some practise using it, but some users trained on the new keyboards claim that they can type faster than the fastest typists can on QWERTY keyboards.

GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004