Nope, not at all. Although it is recommended that you either relabel or
rearrange the keycaps of your keyboard, if possible.
If you're on a Redhat system, run 'kbdconfig' and select 'dvorak'. If
not, then change the content of '/etc/sysconfig/keyboard' to
KEYTABLE="/usr/lib/kbd/keytables/dvorak.map"
manually. You may have to reboot the machine in the latter case for the
change to take effect.
Next, you will have to reconfigure your keyboard for X-windows. Edit
the applicable line in 'XF86Config' to
XkbLayout "dvorak"
then change the following lines in '/usr/lib/X11/xkb/symbols/dvorak'
key <AE12> { [ equal, plus ] };
key <AD12> { [ bracketright, braceright ] };
to
key <AE12> { [ bracketright, braceright ] };
key <AD12> { [ equal, plus ] };
to correct the keymapping error which has ']/}' and '=/+' in the wrong
order.
And that's it! Be forewarned, however, that adapting to a new keyboard
arrangement and becoming a slow typist all over again can be a very
frustrating experience. Just hang in there, and you should get back up
to and surpass your old typing speed in about a month.
A good tutorial course to help you get started can be found at
http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jcb/Dvorak/dvorak-course/
Best of luck.
-- Bill K. ( b i l l y @ c a f e . n e t ) **** WARNING **** All unsolicited bulk e-mail received at this address will be promptly reported to the sender's system administrator, and to law enforcement authorities whenever applicable.