[POLL] Which thumb do you use for the space bar?

15 Feb 2016, 22:55

Interesting to know, since I often see right handed people using their right thumb when I'm using my left one.

Am I weird?

15 Feb 2016, 23:03

Left thumb, when I'm paying attention.

Here comes the shocker. RIGHT INDEX FINGER when I'm not :shock:

I believe it comes from the position of my right hand when the keyboard is positioned too far to the left. E.g. when using a fullsize keyboard (all my life before 2011)...

15 Feb 2016, 23:05

Nope, I'm the same (predominantly right handed by space with left thumb). I think it was a habit that came from playing games more than typing when I was starting to use computers.

15 Feb 2016, 23:11

Good point with the WASD Games! Now I can imagine where it came from.

Do you also think about how much the left hand moves while typing? Sometimes I think my left hand is more precise in certain tasks than my right hand because of this training!

I tried the NEO layout twice to compensate that, but decided to let it go and not to go deeper since I am not a professional typist (e.g. the freaks in the courtroom and such) (and there are almost no keycaps options for that ^^)

15 Feb 2016, 23:48

Oh noes, I'm in teh minority of one! Right handed: right thumb. My left thumb owns the bottom row mods.

Looking forward to Chyros defending his indefensible finger spacebar action.…

16 Feb 2016, 00:18

Right-handed, right thumb most of the time.

16 Feb 2016, 00:39

Right handed, right thumb when typing.
But sometimes the left thumb presses the spacebar due to muscle memory from too much Autocad/3D modelling software.

16 Feb 2016, 00:53

I am right handed and right thumb predominates but the left thumb comes into play when it is more convenient.

16 Feb 2016, 01:18

Right, right!

16 Feb 2016, 01:50

Muirium wrote:Looking forward to Chyros defending his indefensible finger spacebar action.…

Hahaha I have no defence, I'm just a shit typist xD .

16 Feb 2016, 02:11

I also do the finger. I'm not sure why but I've always just use my right index finger for space. To make me more of a monster, I only use left shift and pinkies are really only used for modifiers and enter.

16 Feb 2016, 02:32

Right thumb, always the right thumb, and I always strike just below the gap between the B and N keys (QWERTY layout).

My left Shift key is largely unused.

16 Feb 2016, 02:35

*Right* Shift is your usual one? And I thought I knew you, man…

I use left Shift a lot more often than right. Not exclusively, like I've heard some people do, but it really is my usual. I chord mods much more with the left.

16 Feb 2016, 02:39

Muirium wrote:And I thought I knew you, man…

Few people do. Consider it a journey.

But I did whine about this in the F62/F77 thread way back, since the Fn key placement could interfere with how I use Shift.

16 Feb 2016, 02:46

Right handed, left thumb always.

16 Feb 2016, 06:53

I use both, but it's not random... (mainly the right one but when the right hand has just typed something on the far right it might happen that I use the left one)

16 Feb 2016, 07:06

My rule of thumb is.. (ok, that was an easy one), right. I was taught to type with old and purely mechanical Olivetti typewriters, so I guess the habit started there.

16 Feb 2016, 07:45

Always right with some exeptions:

"cd <space> ..."
"sdcv <space> ..."

I have only detected these ones but there may be some more when the keys are mainly on the left side I guess.

Regarding Shift, since I remapped caps lock to something random (it has not settled on something stable yet) I try to use the opposite shift to the key I am writing.

16 Feb 2016, 09:07

60% left, 40% right thumb.

I also think this is because of gaming with WASD.
Also I use my right thumb for Mouse button 1 and 2 at work.

16 Feb 2016, 09:29

I'm ambidextrous (no option for that, how discriminating!) and always use my right thumb for space. My left thumb is comfortably (?) resting on the front edge of the keyboard.

The only exception is when playing the odd fps game, then I'm using wasd and pressing space with my left thumb.

16 Feb 2016, 10:02

Khers wrote:My left thumb is comfortably (?) resting on the front edge of the keyboard.

My left thumbs seems to move randomly about: sometimes it rests softly on the spacebar but sometimes it's obscenely raised at an uncomfy angle, in an almost cramping manner. Lives his own live. I hope, he's happy.

16 Feb 2016, 10:48

Exclusively left thumb (which is why my customs have a 1u spacebar on the left), left handed. I also occasionally use it to press cvb on Qwerty boards. My right thumb just hangs around doing nothing.

16 Feb 2016, 14:06

Hmmm, I'm right handed and I use my right thumb.
But I'm considering training myself to alternate between thumbs, because of the weird wear patterns it leaves on the space bar... :mrgreen:

16 Feb 2016, 14:20

I use my right thumb but have never really noticed.

But I use shift Alternatively.

16 Feb 2016, 14:41

Right handed, usually with right thumb. My left thumb's primary responsibility is to hit "Command" (i.e. the modifier next to the space bar which you need a lot when you work on a Mac) and "Alt" (to enter umlauts and moving the cursor word-wise).

16 Feb 2016, 18:13

Is "both at the same time" meant to be left and right, alternating? I think that might have thrown some people off.

16 Feb 2016, 18:20

I sometimes use my right index finger... :oops:

16 Feb 2016, 19:29

Tuntematon wrote:Is "both at the same time" meant to be left and right, alternating? I think that might have thrown some people off.

Not alternating. At the same time. Like slamming your thumbs onto the spacebar with rage!

Who knows...

16 Feb 2016, 20:13

scottc wrote:I sometimes use my right index finger...

Go sit in the corner with Chyros! You two wise crackers have got detention.

Sometimes I'm sloppy and do it too. Especially when sitting typing with a keyboard on my lap. But keep it quiet, boys! These are not the things grownups talk about in outdoors voice. I don't want to have to revisit last week's unpleasantness about lavatories again. Understood?

16 Feb 2016, 20:22

I use left hand left thumb. Could be the gaming theory, but I think I did this before FPS was a thing. My left hand tends to remain in the same place while my right hand may wander to hit arrow keys or use the mouse. As a result the left hand gets space bar duty.

Edit: Just noticed the space bar on one keyboard has a smaller shiny spot on the right, so my right thumb may be getting a little on the side

[POLL] Which thumb do you use for the space bar?

Which thumb do you use for the space bar?

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