Colemak’s biggest asset: community
There have been several attempts over the past few years to design a keyboard layout that is more intuitive, easier to learn and more tightly optimised than qwerty or Dvorak. There are ones such as Asset, Arensito, Plum, Qwerf, the Capewell evolved layout, and others, but most of these were merely proofs of concept and attracted little attention beyond their original designer.
What makes Colemak different? For sure, it is well designed and fulfils its design goals very well indeed, but more importantly it is very well supported with an active and lively online community.
The Colemak forums are a fairly diverse and dynamic community with about 230 members, and are currently growing at a rate of about 15-20 a month. It is full of people who are willing and eager to help newcomers make the transition from qwerty.
I think this community aspect more than anything else is the single thing that makes Colemak stand out from the crowd. When you know you are not alone and that there are other early adopters out there who are going against the flow, it does a lot to encourage you to stick at it.
