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Computers seem to have been designed for s-l-o-w typists.
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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983
T e c h n o f i l e
A simple keyboard adjustment can speed up your computer
July 10, 2005
By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2005, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2005, The Post-Standard
Life's complicated enough without the added frustration of a dog-slow computer. If your Windows or Mac computer seems lethargic each time you type something, I might have a quick fix. It won't cost you anything.
For reasons only a psychologist might be able to figure out, computers seem to have been designed for s-l-o-w typists, the kind who press one key and spend a few seconds hunting for the next one. Maybe that was a good thing back when nobody knew how to type, but these days most of us can tap out a good rhythm while typing.
(A confession before we go further. I never took a class in typing, so I'm not as good at "touch typing" as I should be. But I can still type quickly as long as I peek at the keys.)
So the quickest way to put the snap back into your computer's keyboard is through a simple adjustment in the Control Panel of your Windows PC or the System Preferences of your OS X Macintosh. (Older Macs have the setting in their Control Panels.)
The Windows adjustment is within the "Keyboard" panel. The OS X adjustment is in a setting called "Keyboard & Mouse."
You'll see two sliders for the keyboard. When dragged all the way to the right, these two sliders get rid of all the sluggishness in your keyboard. If the keyboard seems a little too antsy with the sliders all the way to the right, try sliding them back a little.
You might find that the keyboard adjustment forgets its settings now and then -- when you unplug the keyboard and then plug it back in, for example. A quick readjustment can save you a lot of frustration.
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