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The Fable of the Keys

Stan J. Liebowitz
University of Texas at Dallas - School of Management - Department of Finance & Managerial Economics

Stephen E. Margolis
North Carolina State University - Department of Economics

Famous Fables of Economics, Dan Spulber, (ed.), Blackwell Publishers, 2002
Journal of Law and Economics, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 1-26, April 1990

Abstract:
This paper examines the history of the QWERTY typewriter keyboard, often put forward as the archetypical case of markets choosing the wrong standard. Contrary to the claims made by Paul David and Brian Arthur, we find virtually no evidence to support a view that QWERTY is inferior to DVORAK. Instead, using records of typing experiments, studies by ergonomicists, and examining the historical record of competition among different keyboard designs back when QWERTY first became dominant, we conclude that QWERTY is about as good a design as any alternative.

Keywords: standards, compatibility, lock-in, qwerty, dvorak

JEL Classifications: K00, L00, N00

Accepted Paper Series

Date posted: December 12, 2007 ; Last revised: December 12, 2007

Suggested Citation

Liebowitz, Stan J. and Margolis, Stephen E., The Fable of the Keys. Famous Fables of Economics, Dan Spulber, (ed.), Blackwell Publishers, 2002; Journal of Law and Economics, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 1-26, April 1990. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1069950

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Contact Information

Stan J. Liebowitz (Contact Author) University of Texas at Dallas - School of Management - Department of Finance & Managerial Economics ( email ) 800 W Campbell Road Mail Station SM 31 Richardson, TX 75080 United States 972-883-2807 (Phone) 972-883-2818 (Fax) HOME PAGE: http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/
Stephen E. Margolis North Carolina State University - Department of Economics ( email ) Raleigh, NC 27695-8110 United States 919-513-2565 (Phone)