Trainer for Fast Fingers

Working with computers is a complex labor that requires acquiring and perfecting many skills for one to become truly efficient and proficient. Besides the basic knowledge needed for operating software programs, the skillful use of other resources is a must, especially if one needs to employ the PC as their main ''working tool.'' Such an ability is the fast and accurate typing that helps the one who masters it evolve in many directions. They will become more efficacious at their job because, if writing and correcting texts will take less time, one can attend to other aspects of their occupation that certainly need their attention.

Just like in the case of any other perfectible ability, for typewriting, practice makes perfect. It may seem tedious and stressing at first, particularly if you start from scratch, but, in the long run, you have only to gain by developing it and, once you'll reach a decent level, things will start looking brighter. Progress is usually attained at a fast pace, especially if you have the right ''coach.'' Finding the perfect partner is not an easy thing to do, but, if you search enough, you're bound to come across it. First of all, you need to know exactly what you're after and, once you establish that, you'll discover that there are quite a few options to go for.

A free tool, with a very solid feature pack that is designed for all ages to use is Kiran's Typing Tutor. This software uses a thorough approach that will eventually lead you towards your goal of achieving a good speed and quality in typewriting. The interface of the utility is more practical than eye-catching, but it's certain that the rough textures and average graphics will not draw your attention from more important things like practicing and constantly checking your typing skills.

The software is divided into several areas that start with the ''Typing Lessons,'' a set of 22 courses that takes you through the basics. If you're interested in the history of typewriting or want to know how you should position your fingers on the keys, you can take your time and read the information available here. This is not compulsory, so, if you think it won't help much, you're free to skip the step and get up close and personal with the keyboard.

Next on the list is the practice that will take most of the time for anyone who wants to really learn how to type the right way. Before starting the lessons here, you should decide which layout you want to use and select it from the Options menu. The choice is between Qwerty and Dvorak, though the latter is rarely used, so you're best off learning very well the former. From the ''Course'' menu, you can easily choose one of the seven sets that are designed to teach you all there is to know about typewriting. The Normal-Querty and Normal-Dvorak collections have no less than 150 lessons each. Here, you will also find dedicated courses for home keys, lower keys, upper keys, numeric keys and uppercase keys.

Of great help are a few functions specific to Kiran's Typing Tutor that will ease the operation and use of the keyboard. The first one is the ''Finger Preview'' that lets you know which finger should be used to press the respective key. Also, the letter or symbol that should be touched is highlighted on the virtual keyboard thanks to the ''Key Preview'' feature. Another little helper is the sound that accompanies by default the key presses, notifying you acoustically if you hit the right or the wrong button. All these can be activated or deactivated by visiting the ''Options'' menu of the application.

Any time you feel like the practice has helped you evolve and you feel ready for more, you can go to the proving grounds, in this case the typing tests' section. They're 300 in all, of which half assigned to the sentence level and the rest evenly distributed among ''Paragraph,'' ''Accounts'' and ''Coding.'' A particularity of this software is that it enables you to load your personal input when evaluating your abilities. This can be done directly, by writing or pasting the text, but also by means of an external text file. The evolution of your typing skills can always be verified if you simply go to the ''Progress'' area, where you'll find a set of graphs for accuracy, speed, measured in words per minute, and error level.

As mentioned right from the start, Kiran's Typing Tutor covers all ages and the entertaining part is also present here, because being all work and no play is simply no fun. A special type of practicing and checking the efficiency, as well as the accuracy, is by playing one of the games that are accessible from the dedicated section. Their principle is very simple: type the words correctly and as fast as possible to win. You can increase the difficulty for the games from the ''Options'' menu and have a real challenge on your hands once your skill develops past the intermediate level.

The software has a special section designed especially for children, so they can learn the keys and, at the same time, the letters (capital as well as lower case), numbers, colors and a set of words. Each keystroke is accompanied by a kid's voice that reads out loud that letter or word. This kind of exercise is very helpful for learning how to use the keyboard and also aids in the understanding of word pronunciation. Also note that the numeric typing is by no means left out or barely included in the above-mentioned modules. It has its own category with a hefty 200 lessons available, equally divided into four sets for you to choose from.

There are some more customizations available in the ''Options'' area that are related to the appearance of the application and the thresholds for advancing to the next course. Thus, you'll be able to opt for a favorite font that will be used in practice and testing. The list of available characters is that of the installed fonts, so anything that's on your system should be eligible. For the accuracy limit, you can input a percentage that, once reached, will take you to the upper level. Likewise, you have the possibility to set a minimum speed in words per minute that will automatically take you to the next lesson.

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