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I’ve already done a post on Colemak, the alternative typing layout that I’m using on a regular basis. In this post, which is a summary of several posts I did on my previous blog, I’ll mention the tools I use to get up to speed with my typing.

gtypist

gtypist is a very simple, command line typing tutor for Linux. Colemak has provided a lesson set for gtypist here, which consists simply of a series of lessons which familiarize you with the key layout. The lessons are simple, and adequate for said purpose, but become repetitive.

gytpist itself is a great program, no bells and whistles, pure functionality. Try to aim for less than 1% errors on each lesson before moving on. I spent about 3 weeks on these lessons, your mileage may vary.

typespeed

typespeed is another simple command line program, which is layout agnostic. It’s a game, which gets you to type in words as they move across the screen, make sure you get them before the fall off the edge. A simplistic theme to be sure, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any good.

My top score is 575, on the normal English word list, beat it if you can. Speaking of word lists, the words can become repetitive, so you really should go ahead and add your own.

amphetype

I wouldn’t call amphetype a tutor, more like a trainer, with nice analysis tools and pretty graphs. Amphetype allows you to import books in the form of plaintext files, and it will select passages that are suitable for typing (minimal punctuation, etc.). You can then type these passages, and view your statistics after each one. It can tell you which digrams or trigrams you have trouble with, and can generate lessons for you based on these.

By adjusting the settings, it is quite possible to type your way through an entire book; it makes for both a typing practice and a literary experience.

I haven’t had enough opportunity to explore the full potential of amphetype, but what little I’ve seen is enough to convince me it’s a pretty good program.

These alone helped me through my trough of learning a new layout, and up into speeds far beyond what I’d been able to achieve before (roughly double, and rising). But as with everything, don’t overdo it. Keep it in moderation and it’ll be more than sufficient.