37 chief

Well-known Member
How did you learn to type. I took typing in school. One of the classes I actually got some good useful information from. I can't type very good now, my fingers don't move like they used to. Thank goodness for spell check. Stan
 
Summer class in high school. I actually got up to 60 words a minute on a manual machine. I actually knew a woman who could type faster than an IBM Selectric. The ball would keep jamming.
 
You know, it's funny someone brought this up. Some of my friends and others were in a group talking about education and what we may have done right and wrong in the past.

I graduated from high school in 1967, before computers, cellphones, and other things that are now part of the daily drudge. I did OK in school, taking all the hard courses and such, so that my last year was kindof an easy ride. I had a teacher tell me to take typing in the summer between the junior and senior year, that I would need it someday. Summer school??

Turns out it was one of the most useful things I ever learned, although I didn't think so at the time. I went on to college and made my way through life's ordeals. Then came computers, and my job at the time meant I had to use one. Still didn't have one at home, only a typewriter that was out of date already.

So here I was, pretty much average at most of the work I was doing, but way ahead of my peers because I could type better than "hunt and peck". Fast forward to today--even the simplest task requires basic typing skills. This is not bragging on my part, I could never do 30-40 words a minute, but I can do OK without errors most of the time, and it's really nice being able to sit here like I'm doing right now, with my laptop (in my lap), watching TV without having to look at the keyboard.

That month during the summer that year was one of the most important and useful things I ever did in the long run.
 
I took typing the other half the year I took SEDT (Safety Education Drivers Training) and I got my license in the schools new 1956 Buick Special. I passed and can sorta remember the keyboard but I make too many errors. At least the carrage return lever is gone. LOL
 
When I was a Freshman in high school in 1969, we were required to take typing, accounting and shorthand. These were all introductory classes into business and each one was three months long. Typing and accounting turned out to be helpful, shorthand not so much.
 
I two finger hunt and peck. My mother taught typing in highschool and kept after me to take it, of course typing was if no consequence to me at the time. Many years later after PCs came into our lives mother always gave me a ribbing about being right,,,,
 
Took a class in high school and never used it until 20 years later when I got my first computer. I was amazed at how quickly it all came back and I typed without a problem.
 
I bought a program for an Atari computer that would teach typing. I learned how to find all the number keys but never did learn the punctuation. I regret not taking typing in high school. At that time I didn't think there would ever be a need for it.
 
I took it in Junior high. When I was in 7th grade the school had manual typewriters. I took typing class in 9th and by then they had electric typewriters. I was impressed and thought to myself "what will they think of next". Bill
 
> I actually knew a woman who could type faster than an IBM Selectric. The ball would keep jamming.

Yes, a fast typist can out-type a Selectric. But it normally wouldn't jam the ball; the ball just has to catch up at the end of the line. My typing teacher demonstrated this back in high school. There's really nothing to jam in a Selectric, unlike a manual or conventional electric typewriter where the typebars can collide.
 
I took a year of typing in high school. I'm a passable touch typist, but I also learned a lot about formatting letters and reports in the class. That knowledge has served me well in real life. When I was still working, I was surprised how few of my co-workers could touch type, even though they spent much of their day typing.

For almost thirty years much of my work was in the UNIX operating system. The standard UNIX text editor is called "vi" and is an anachronism from back in the days before computer keyboards had keys to position the cursor. They were basically teletype keyboards, so there were no arrow keys, and no page up/down, home or end keys. They had just the standard typewriter keys, plus "ctrl" and "esc". So when using vi, everything is done using just those keys: cursor position, page up/down, search, open, close and save are all done using the letter keys plus ctrl and esc. I got to where I was very fast with vi, and just like a touch typist only has to think of a word and it appears on the page, when I edit a file in vi I don't consciously think of what I need to do to move around in the file. It's just an extension of my touch typing.
 
Stan,
I learned to type in HS, over 50 years ago.
Now I use only one finger on smartphone.
Use both hands on computer. Only problem the wiring between my brain and fingers shorts out. Then the YT OCB spelling police go nuts.
You would think the spelling police would give a guy with a disability some slack.
George
 
Learned to type in USN. Had to type 30 WPM on a manual throw key typewriter to graduate. Most of my typing now is 1 finger on my phone. Still can type fairly well when using a keyboard on a computer, but only internet here is my phone.
 
I learned in High school,,was one of the few boys in the class,,and my fingers don't move like they use to ether,,Darn it
 
My typing is terrible!

Never took any typing courses, wish I had, probably too late now...

And my spelling is even worse! If it weren't for spell check ya'll would see what an idiot I really am!

The shiniest key on the keyboard is the back space key! LOL
 
Took class in jr high in early 60s. We all had manual machines with 1 or 2 electric that the class took turns using. When returning from the rice paddys of Vietnam I spent the last few months in the states with an easy job in the Army because I knew how to type. As some of the other guys have said, it actually was a class that has served me well in real life.
 
The typing class in high school had a waiting list to get in because it was one of the few class rooms that had A/C.

I just peck at the keyboard with 2 fingers. I notice since I got a smartphone that when I use my laptop I am waiting for the computer to anticipate my word so I don?t have to type the whole word.
 
I failed typing in HS. Sat next to a girl who took BEGINNING TYPING only because she needed it to get into ADVANCED TYPING. It was like sitting next to an IBM super computer! Only class I ever failed!
Learned to type the USMC way - Search and Destroy.....
 
I learned to type on a Remington manual typewriter in high school. Midway through the class year the school upgraded the manual typewriters with IBM Selectrics. At first we were banging on the keys of those Selectrics out of habit when all they needed was a light touch. And there was no more jambed keys. After I left high school in 1969 I did not touch a keyboard until our first computer came into our house in the early 90 s. Getting back on the keyboard was like riding a bike, it all came back like it was yesterday.
 
When a freshman in HS, I overheard a couple of upperclassmen speaking about ones father's WWII experience. Seems that he could type and had a desk job.

When a junior, I took typing. I found it very helpful later in College, and still do.

Dean
 
Had to take 1/2 year in order to graduate (67) but they didn't have anything to fill in the other half year so said, "why don't you just take a year? It might turn out to be useful and won't hurt." So I did. Never got to be better than 20 to 25 words I think and didn't use the skill until I got a typewriter in about 95 or so that was out for trash and fixed it up. Started using it a little because my hand writing is so bad. Then got a computer. With very little practice it all came back. I make a lot of spelling errors now but it is so easy to correct them as I type I don't worry much. It isn't like with a typewriter where it is a big deal to correct. I wasn't really thrilled about having to take the typing class but it has turned out well. When friends are over and I need to type something into the computer and they see me type without looking and using all fingers they are impressed. It has made it so much easier to use the computer/internet too.
 
I spent years writing assembler code for Dec 11s (initially paper tape system) and Motorola micros using a "dot" editor. I well remember when the paper tape system was replaced with an 256KB, 8" floppy disc system.

I actually have fond memories of those years.

Post is in reply to MarkB. I use Classic only.

Dean
 
I learned typing in HS ca. 1952. I was fairly proficient at it. It helped to get a job in a local bank, and then, in the Army, it got me out of duty in an infantry rifle company, and into headquarters/personnel. That made it more than worthwhile!!
 
Took it for 2 years, manual typewriter. We were taught by a great teacher, he would tape up your keys if he saw your eyes looking down and he'd call you a pecker if you did not get with the program. The assignments were useful, certainly a good skill to have learned. If you'll notice, there are raised hash marks on "F" & "J" on your keyboard, that is so you can feel where your index fingers belong when typing.
 
I took a semester of typing in high school.

Since I'm missing my left forefinger to the second joint as a result of a childhood accident, on the first morning of class I asked the teacher if I'd be able to do typing.

She replied, "I don't know why not", and held up one of her hands with two fingers messed up. And she was the teacher. I went on to pass a 100 wpm test.
 
My handwriting was so bad, they let me take typing a year early in the 8th grade, then I took advanced typing the next year. When computers came out in the early 80's, it put me well ahead of the curve. What a lucky break that was.
 
(quoted from post at 08:15:31 02/20/20) Best looking teacher I ever had also. Really enjoyed going to class.

Same here, hottest teacher in high school....she would get behind you and show you how to place your hands on the keyboard LOL! I do remember getting over 40 words a minute, which seemed to be the goal on a manual typewriter back then. We had two electric models, the girls got those.
 
I did 46 words A minute in high school on manual typewriter. Many more words than that but each mistake cost a word on the score.

Took on line test on computer. Same 46 words per minute.

I use a ergonic key board . Normal hands do not lay straight forward . Much more relaxng .

Letters are wore off most of my .keys.
 
High school class for me too. Topped out at 52wpm. Playing piano helps with finger dexterity. Seldom get a real keyboard. Can't get my fingers on this phone
 
high school manual typewriter 52 words was tops, pica and elite think was the two types,forgot what that means now and am not a typist more of pecking way thru.
 
I took typing in high school. Never got any good at it but there where a lot of pretty girls in the class. LOL
 
I didn't take typing in school. I wish I had. I'm clumsy, and I need an oiler to watch the screen for me while I watch my fingers. Sometimes I'll have a whole sentence typed before I discover that the caps lock is on.

I can send Morse code faster than I can type. I wish there was a way to link the two, but then there is the problem of proper capitalization that would clinker that idea.
 
Yet the YT spelling police think they are teachers that are required to correct a disabled person's spelling. Not to mention my eyes have difficulty seeing the small print on phone.
George
 
I took typing in high school also. Used it a little in college for a couple years, but then never went near a keyboard for 40 years. When we got the computer I never bothered to relearn those skills, and now use mainly just one finger. But I can still make pretty good time because I did remember where all the letters are. So I'm not searching for them.
 
I took typing in high school back in '71 & '72. Got up to 43 wpm on a manual unit. Only took the class to get through school and never imagined where it would take me.
First, 8+ years in the Navy using a teletype. Those machines run at 100 wpm with the tape going through the reader. I got so that I could pace the reader at that speed.
Second, 3 years teletype with the horse races sending to the Daily Racing Form. Then the next 12 years using Osborne computers starting in November '81. Got real fast on those old mechanical keyboards. 120 wpm and very few mistakes throughout the day.
Third, 23 years as a controls engineer. Lots of typing for documenting and programming ladder logic for PLC controllers.

I don't type near as fast as I used to but still good enough. I have an old teletype outside my office door. Get a lot of comments on it by potential customers visiting.
 
The stories of folks learning to type in the military remind me of an old friend of mine. When I was working as a civilian at MCAS New River, NC, one of my co-workers was a young avionics tech who happened to be a blazing fast typist. Naturally, when his superiors learned he could type fast, they took him off his real job and put him to work doing data entry. He was migrating a bunch of paper inventory records into some computer system. They had him on night shift when nobody else needed the terminal, so he'd come in in the afternoon, work for a couple of hours then goof off the rest of his shift. I asked him why he didn't just keep on typing and wrap the job up. He said "Mark, if these guys figure out how fast I can type, they'll never let me do anything else!" He dragged the job out over a couple of months, but I suspect he could have finished it in a week.
 
Ill try to write this without looking at the keyboard. Not having much luck so far. I took typing class in my hs senior year. It really helps knowing where to put your fingers although I have no real speed. I'm slow but accurate. Also, I notice that my computer is for some reason inserting the british spellings for words. If I spell color the way I want, the computer makes it colour.
 
PJH, I know what you mean about the CAP LOCK key! I hate that thing!

Found out you can go into "control panel", then "ease of access", and assign a tone to it so there will be a "beep" any time it is pushed. You do have to have speakers and the audio up to hear it.

I looked for a way to disable it, but way over my head, unless someone knows a shortcut.
 
(quoted from post at 12:22:35 02/20/20) The stories of folks learning to type in the military remind me of an old friend of mine. When I was working as a civilian at MCAS New River, NC, one of my co-workers was a young avionics tech who happened to be a blazing fast typist. Naturally, when his superiors learned he could type fast, they took him off his real job and put him to work doing data entry.

Same thing almost happened to me when I reenlisted in the Navy. I was told to always make sure you get everything you expect in writing & signed. Got my new station in the Philippines and the commander tried to send me to the typing room. Didn't work, I had a signed contract saying I was to work in the teletype repair facility on top the hill overlooking Cubi Point. Best darned duty a sailor could have ever asked for.
 
Not on the typewriters I have, nothing. Never took typing but bought my first typewriter from my Aunt back in about 1957-1958 when she bought an electric but I still have that old type writer with glass in the sides and glass set in a metal ring on the keys. Also have one I bought new in about 1976 and totally smooth plastic keys. Also have a newer electric but not pulling it out now to check it.
 
The date bought new on that type writer was Feb. 9, 1976 acording to warenty card that never got sent in.
 
Yup, typing class soph class in HS. One of the skills that has paid great dividends over the decades. Also met a couple of nice girls that I continued to see all year.
 
I learned typing in the 10th grade, about 1957, and it is literally the skill by which I have made my living all these years, being a journalist or scribe in my various occupations. I made the progression through manual Royals or Underwoods in my first jobs; then the IBM Selectric which at the time seemed as good as it gets. Progressed into word processing which revolutionized the words-on-paper process. Being able to write down what I'd seen or heard made my work career quite varied and interesting. Even in the Army (MOS Information Specialist) my skills placed me into (or kept me out of) a lot of situations my fellow grunts did not share.

I haven't timed myself in a long time, but think I could still average 75 words a minute.
 
Very few students in Mrs. Armitage's Typing 10 class in 1960 didn't learn to type. She MADE you learn, no questions asked, she was small but mighty, even the biggest lugs and hoods buckled under to her demands. Meanwhile, here are all the world records for typing ...... see link below ....
Worlds records for typing .....
 
When I was in the 8th grade, typing was required. I was mad. Told my Mom that I wasn't going to be a secretary so I didnt need to learn how to type. Mom always had the right answers She told me that I was born because my Dad came home alive from the Korea during the war. He could type so the Marines made him a company clerk (his job was basically Radar's job on MASH). It kept him from the front lines. Who knows for sure but it got me thinking. So I decide it might be a good idea to learn to type. Little did I know that as an engineer I would be working on a computer most of my life. Including typing on an IBM card punch programing Fortran. At his point I have 50 years of typing under my belt......... or finger tips........ LOL
Thanks Mom.

PS my daughter can type accurately as fast as you can talk with no mistakes. Not sure how fast but it is well over 120 words per min. She can type faster that an old manual typewriter can reset the letter bars.
 
When I was in high school, the old typing teacher was teaching typing on the Mayflower. She retired in 1966. Mr. Russell, the high school principal hired a young lady, fresh out of college, Mrs. Pierce. She wasn't much older than I was then. She drove a '66 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, burgundy with white interior and eight-lug wheels. She was a handsome lady, one that the Good Lord had blessed with all the "A" parts, if you get my drift. She had long black hair almost to her waist. Her specialty was wearing mini shirts and patent leather heels. She was left-handed. When she wrote on the blackboard, it was a sight to behold. With the old typing teacher, there might be two or three boys in typing class. When Mrs. Pierce came on board, they had to find a larger room to house typing class. Every boy in high school took typing. I have always been competent at typing, thanks to Mrs. Pierce, although as I get older I'm grateful for the "backspace" button.......
 
I had typing in school and later on in my education also. Never really got the hang of it. I totally wasted my time there.
 
I took typing in 9th grade, for something to do. Joined Navy in 1970. First duty station was GTMO. Upon arriving, the Chief asked who could type. I said I could; only one out of nine reporting. I was assigned to the administration department (indoors, air conditioned, sort of), and all the others were assigned to the shipyard, to work on the ships that came in. So, typing was a good skill back then, and continues to be even now. zuhnc
 
"[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]How did you learn to type[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]"

Took Typing 1 as a senior in high school.

Only boy in the class with about 20+ freshman and sophomore girls.

Caught a lot of "[i:654c4848f0]grief[/i:654c4848f0]" from the guys, but had a lot of dates with several girls.

One the best courses that I took in high school.
 
Last two years of high school we had typing class and I'd have to say it has been one of the most useful. I look kind of scornfully at anybody pecking away with two fingers (or thumbs) because I was taught to use both hands, all fingers and thumbs without looking at the letters on the keys. I don't think I'd be so verbose if I had to painfully tap away one letter at a time. And some might say that is a good thing.
I think I hit somewhere in the sixty words a minute in class. And these were all the old manual machines with no letters on the keys. Yes, we had to learn and memorize all that. I have to say I had a hard time getting used to these electronic keyboards that take so little pressure. But now when I go back to the old antique manual typewriter once in a while I am shocked at the amount of pressure it takes to move those keys.
 

That's what I did in the Navy in 64. When I checked in to the outfit. I got a job in the aircraft maintenance office typing up air craft work orders. Good duty while it lasted. Stan
 
8th grade we had a semester of typing with a beginning wood shop the other half of the year. Never used it a whole lot, but it was easy for me as I'd been playing the accordion since 4th grade or so and my fingers were really nimble. Now, not so much and I certainly am no speed addict but it really stuck with me and was used many many times over the years, and then when 'puters came along............. Larry
 
don't know why but my junior year I took typing. I think I made to about 20 wpm which was in the lower end of the group. only boy in there. years later when I had to use the computer and make reports I was typing when n employee came in and made the comment about my typing ability. never did forget how to type but learning on the old fashion mechanical was surely different from the electronic we had at work. back when I learned it was mostly a girls thing.
 
We actually had a few computers around my high school before I graduated, but my schedule was so full I never had time for typing class. I took a course that was on the large-format floppy disks to learn typing during my lunch hour of senior year.

I am quite ambidextrous, almost equally adept with either hand, and still struggle to type. I also struggled with the piano lessons, wanting to play melody with my slightly-dominant left hand. I blame this for my typing struggle, since the right hand is supposed to be dominant on the keyboard...

I wish I was better at both skills.
 
I took it as an elective in high school....equipment was Royal brand, total mechanical. Story goes that the machines in those days (and back when first marketed) was so hap-hazard that they designed the keyboard the way is today to confuse the users, requiring them to take more time in finding the desired key which gave the machine time to comply with their key stroke.....Probably some merit to that.....why else is it so confusing.

Had no idea at the time what that one course would do for me later on in life (the computer generation) besides get me a wife of 49 ? years....I was coming out of class one day in April of my Sr. year coming down the stairs as she was coming up the stairs for her class. I needed a date for the senior prom. The rest is history!
 
Exactly the same situation in my Chemistry class. She was right out of college, a good 10, when she wrote on the board, all the boy's heads would bobble. She had a "Dunce" stool and cap in the front corner of the room adjacent to the American Flag to which we gave daily tribute!. The stool was occupied almost daily!
 

I had some open hours in high school, Sr. year, and didn't want to have another study hall so took a typing class. Had to learn on a manual since the electrics were reserved for the girls. Most practical thing I ever did in school.
 
I'm probably one of the youngest guys here (19) I learned from playing video games over the last few years, thats also how my spelling improved. My spelling is still bad but at least its readable.
 
I have to admit that when using a tablet or phone that does not have a real keyboard I am reduced to being a two finger or thumb typist too. Those onscreen keyboards are just not big enough to use the classic hands on style of typing for me.
 

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