QWERTYnäppäinmääritys

QWERTYnäppäinmääritys refers to the most common keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. It is named after the first six keys on the top letter row of the keyboard, reading from left to right: Q, W, E, R, T, and Y. This layout originated in the 1870s with the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, one of the first commercially successful typewriters.

The design of the QWERTY layout is often attributed to Christopher Latham Sholes, who patented it. While common explanations suggest the layout was designed to slow typists down to prevent mechanical typewriters from jamming, historical evidence is less conclusive. Some theories propose it was arranged to separate frequently used letter pairs to avoid key clashing in early mechanical typewriters.

Despite the advent of more efficient layouts, QWERTY has remained the dominant standard due to its widespread adoption and the learning curve associated with retraining millions of users. It is used on most physical keyboards, computer keyboards, and virtual keyboards on smartphones and tablets. The layout has seen minor variations across different languages and regions, often incorporating additional characters or diacritics specific to those languages. The Finnish version, for instance, is often referred to as QWERTYsuomalainen.