LNL Summer: Why do we use the QWERTY keyboard?
The QWERTY keyboard wasn't designed to be fast or logical. It was created in the 1870s to stop typewriter keys from jamming - and to suit telegraph operators working in morse code. Since then, more efficient layouts like Dvorak have been invented, but none have stuck. So how did QWERTY become "locked in" to our machines, our workplaces, and even our muscle memory? Guest: Gianfranco Di Giovanni, Content Director for ABC Radio Perth and consumer technology journalist Producer: Rebecca Metcalf *This show originally aired on 15 September 2025
Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast · Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Show Notes
The QWERTY keyboard wasn't designed to be fast or logical. It was created in the 1870s to stop typewriter keys from jamming - and to suit telegraph operators working in morse code. Since then, more efficient layouts like Dvorak have been invented, but none have stuck. So how did QWERTY become "locked in" to our machines, our workplaces, and even our muscle memory?
- Guest: Gianfranco Di Giovanni, Content Director for ABC Radio Perth and consumer technology journalist
- Producer: Rebecca Metcalf
*This show originally aired on 15 September 2025