QWERTY and the Search for Optimality

Neil M Kay

Research output: Working paper › Discussion paper

Abstract

This paper shows how one of the developers of QWERTY continued to use the trade secret that underlay its development to seek further efficiency improvements after its introduction. It provides further evidence that this was the principle used to design QWERTY in the first place and adds further weight to arguments that QWERTY itself was a consequence of creative design and an integral part of a highly efficient system rather than an accident of history. This further serves to raise questions over QWERTY’s forced servitude as “paradigm case” of inferior standard in the path dependence literature. The paper also shows how complementarities in forms of intellectual property rights protection played integral roles in the development of QWERTY and the search for improvements on it, and also helped effectively conceal the source of the efficiency advantages that QWERTY helped deliver.
LanguageEnglish
Place of PublicationGlasgow
PublisherUniversity of Strathclyde
Pages1-23
Number of pages24
Volume13
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Fingerprint

Optimality
Integral
Developer
Trade secrets
Accidents
Complementarity
Paradigm
Path dependence
Intellectual property rights protection

Keywords

  • qwerty
  • intellectual property rights
  • efficiency improvements

Cite this

Kay, N. M. (2013). QWERTY and the Search for Optimality. (24 ed.) (pp. 1-23). Glasgow: University of Strathclyde.
Kay, Neil M. / QWERTY and the Search for Optimality. 24. ed. Glasgow : University of Strathclyde, 2013. pp. 1-23
@techreport{e8ec25e124f241e4afaa08e22f7b30ba,
title = "QWERTY and the Search for Optimality",
abstract = "This paper shows how one of the developers of QWERTY continued to use the trade secret that underlay its development to seek further efficiency improvements after its introduction. It provides further evidence that this was the principle used to design QWERTY in the first place and adds further weight to arguments that QWERTY itself was a consequence of creative design and an integral part of a highly efficient system rather than an accident of history. This further serves to raise questions over QWERTY’s forced servitude as “paradigm case” of inferior standard in the path dependence literature. The paper also shows how complementarities in forms of intellectual property rights protection played integral roles in the development of QWERTY and the search for improvements on it, and also helped effectively conceal the source of the efficiency advantages that QWERTY helped deliver.",
keywords = "qwerty, intellectual property rights, efficiency improvements",
author = "Kay, {Neil M}",
note = "Published as a paper within the Discussion Papers in Economics, No. 13-24 (2013)",
year = "2013",
language = "English",
volume = "13",
pages = "1--23",
publisher = "University of Strathclyde",
edition = "24",
type = "WorkingPaper",
institution = "University of Strathclyde",

}

Kay, NM 2013 'QWERTY and the Search for Optimality' 24 edn, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, pp. 1-23.

QWERTY and the Search for Optimality. / Kay, Neil M.

24. ed. Glasgow : University of Strathclyde, 2013. p. 1-23.

Research output: Working paper › Discussion paper

TY - UNPB

T1 - QWERTY and the Search for Optimality

AU - Kay, Neil M

N1 - Published as a paper within the Discussion Papers in Economics, No. 13-24 (2013)

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - This paper shows how one of the developers of QWERTY continued to use the trade secret that underlay its development to seek further efficiency improvements after its introduction. It provides further evidence that this was the principle used to design QWERTY in the first place and adds further weight to arguments that QWERTY itself was a consequence of creative design and an integral part of a highly efficient system rather than an accident of history. This further serves to raise questions over QWERTY’s forced servitude as “paradigm case” of inferior standard in the path dependence literature. The paper also shows how complementarities in forms of intellectual property rights protection played integral roles in the development of QWERTY and the search for improvements on it, and also helped effectively conceal the source of the efficiency advantages that QWERTY helped deliver.

AB - This paper shows how one of the developers of QWERTY continued to use the trade secret that underlay its development to seek further efficiency improvements after its introduction. It provides further evidence that this was the principle used to design QWERTY in the first place and adds further weight to arguments that QWERTY itself was a consequence of creative design and an integral part of a highly efficient system rather than an accident of history. This further serves to raise questions over QWERTY’s forced servitude as “paradigm case” of inferior standard in the path dependence literature. The paper also shows how complementarities in forms of intellectual property rights protection played integral roles in the development of QWERTY and the search for improvements on it, and also helped effectively conceal the source of the efficiency advantages that QWERTY helped deliver.

KW - qwerty

KW - intellectual property rights

KW - efficiency improvements

M3 - Discussion paper

VL - 13

SP - 1

EP - 23

BT - QWERTY and the Search for Optimality

PB - University of Strathclyde

CY - Glasgow

ER -

Kay NM. QWERTY and the Search for Optimality. 24 ed. Glasgow: University of Strathclyde. 2013, p. 1-23.

Access to Document