Does anyone know who invented the querty keyboard and why the letters are grouped the way they are?

Hi, phoenix267!

If you'll click on the following link, you'll find sites that have the answers that you seek.

Invention of the QWERTY Keyboard - Google Search

Thanks!

Short answer - early typewriters were mechanical. Secretaries were SO FAST they were breaking the typewriters when certain key combinations were used together over and over.

So the letters were mixed up to slow the girls down and reduce breakage/jamming.

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Originally Posted by JBeaucaire

So the letters were mixed up to slow the girls down and reduce breakage/jamming.

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I don't think this is strictly true, the letters were mixed up so that letters likely to be typed one after the other were far apart. This actually enables fast typing as it means you are often alternating between hands.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Capuchin

I don't think this is strictly true, the letters were mixed up so that letters likely to be typed one after the other were far apart. This actually enables fast typing as it means you are often alternating between hands.

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You're saying the same thing I did, just more clearly. Keys that used to be next to each other used in combination over and over were hitting each other and jamming, a fault in the design that was easiest to rectify by reconfiguring the keyboard rather than redesigning the arms of the key punches.