The Fable of the Keys

This paper examines the history of the QWERTY typewriter keyboard, often put forward as the archetypical case of markets choosing the wrong standard. Contrary to the claims made by Paul David and Brian Arthur, we find virtually no evidence to support a view that QWERTY is inferior to DVORAK. Instead, using records of typing experiments, studies by ergonomicists, and examining the historical record of competition among different keyboard designs back when QWERTY first became dominant, we conclude that QWERTY is about as good a design as any alternative.

[1]  George Hendrikse,et al.  The Theory of Industrial Organization , 1989 .

[2]  J. Tirole.  The Theory of Industrial Organization , 1988 .

[3]  R. Posner,et al.  Trademark Law: An Economic Perspective , 1987, The Journal of Law and Economics.

[4]  Stephen E. Margolis.  Two Definitions of Efficiency in Law and Economics , 1987, The Journal of Legal Studies.

[5]  S. Liebowitz.  Copying and Indirect Appropriability: Photocopying of Journals , 1985, Journal of Political Economy.

[6]  Joseph Farrell,et al.  Standardization, Compatibility, and Innovation , 1985 .

[7]  C. Shapiro,et al.  Network Externalities, Competition, and Compatibility , 1985 .

[8]  P. David.  Clio and the Economics of QWERTY , 1985 .

[9]  Tie-In Sales and Price Discrimination , 1983 .

[10]  Hisao Yamada,et al.  Certain Problems Associated with the Design of Input Keyboards for Japanese Writing , 1983 .

[11]  D. Rumelhart,et al.  Studies of Typing from the LNR Research Group , 1983 .

[12]  T. Forester.  The Revolution in the Office , 1981 .

[13]  John C. Thomas,et al.  Behavioral issues in the use of interactive systems , 1976, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[14]  Robin Kinkead,et al.  Typing Speed, Keying Rates, and Optimal Keyboard Layouts , 1975 .

[15]  Ronald H. Coase,et al.  The Lighthouse in Economics , 1974, The Journal of Law and Economics.

[16]  Wilfred Beeching.  Century of the Typewriter , 1974 .

[17]  Steven Cheung,et al.  The Fable of the Bees: An Economic Investigation , 1973, The Journal of Law and Economics.

[18]  H. Demsetz.  Information and Efficiency: Another Viewpoint. , 1969 .

[19]  Nellie L. Merrick,et al.  Typewriting Behavior: Psychology Applied to Teaching and Learning Typewriting , 1936 .

[20]  Bernard Mandeville,et al.  The fable of the bees , 1926 .