[ltp] No "hardware" Dvorak reconfiguration possible with Thinkpads

[David A. Desrosiers]

	Last night I started thinking about improving my typing speed 
using dvorak instead of qwerty. I'm at around 100-120wpm, and want to 
reduce the movement across the keyboard to type. 

	Changing the layout to support dvorak is easy.. so I figured I 
would also pop off the keytops on my Thinkpad (a T42p) and reconfigure 
them so it would be easier for me to hunt-n-peck my way back up to 
120wpm using dvorak, since I don't even look at the keyboard now for 
qwerty.

	Bzzt, no can do, not on a Thinkpad...

	IBM decided to change the underlying "scissormount" for the 
"F" and "J" key on the keyboard (the ones with the raised dimples), so 
they can't be put anywhere else on the keyboard but on those two 
locations. Likewise, you can't put the "U" where the "F" is now, or 
the "H" where the "J" is now. The "scissormount" is flipped backwards 
(180 degrees) on those two keymounts.

	ARG! 

	Short of sanding off the keytops (which I'd rather not do), or 
using an external keyboard (which removes the portability of the 
laptop), what other solution is there for this? Do any companies make 
aftermarket keytops for recent Thinkpad models? Does IBM sell keytops 
for dvorak that I can pop onto here?

	I googled around for quite a while, without finding much. 


David A. Desrosiers
desrod@gnu-designs.com
http://gnu-designs.com