T10 Input Method

by Thomas Heller

T10 is an experimental input method for computer keyboards that allows you to type without having to move your fingers on the keyboard. The T10 Input Method is somewhat based on the T9 input method for mobile phones, commonplace before the smartphone revolution, hence its name.

The main idea behind T10 was that it could improve typing speed, because fingers don't need to move. For the English language, this might work when suggestions are sorted by word frequency, but T10 would probably only really shine with (constructed) languages with exactly 10 phonemes and self-segregating morphology. In any case, T10 serves as an educational tool demonstrating how text input worked in the pre-smartphone era.

How to use T10: Place your fingers on the keys as follows: left pinkie on 1, left ring finger on 2, left middle finger on 3, left index finger on 4, left thumb on D, right thumb on J, right index finger on 7, right middle finger on 8, right ring finger on 9, and right pinkie on 0. (You'll need a physical keyboard for this. However, if you're on a touch device, you can still tap the buttons in the table below to get an idea of how T10 works.)

For example, type 2, 3, 3. The suggestions "dig", "egg", and "fig" will appear. Hit J one or more times to select one of the suggestions. It will be accepted automatically after one second or when you continue typing numbers for the next word. The D key can be used to undo the selection, or to erase text from the input or output. When the suggestion list is empty, the J key can be used to insert punctuation.

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Copyright © 2021 by Thomas Heller [ˈtoːmas ˈhɛlɐ]