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Dasher: information-efficient text entry

Google TechTalks · 7.1K views · 2007-10-09 · 53:46

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Overview

David MacKay's 2007 Google Tech Talk presents Dasher, a text-entry system driven by continuous gestures and a language model, reaching about 35 words per minute with one finger and 25 hands-free. It explains the information-theory reasoning behind the design.

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Regarded as the seminal talk on Dasher, recommended in threads on accessible and alternative text input.

Recommended by 2 HN people across 4 months · HN mentions 2016–2025

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What people said

DonHopkins · 2023-11 · Strong recommendation

I love David MacKay's brilliant work on the Dasher text input system, which draws deeply from his work on information theory -- imagine Dasher integrated with an IDE and code search and Copilot and language model! "Writing is navigating in the library of all possible books." -David MacKay We just allocate more shelf space to the more probably letters. [LINK] [LINK] [LINK] DonHopkins on May 18, 2018 | parent | context | favorite | on: Pie Menus: A 30-Year Retrospective: Take a Look an... Dasher is fantastic, because it's based on rock solid information theory, designed by the late David MacKay. Here is the seminal Google Tech Talk about it: [VIDEO] Here is a demo of using Dasher by an engineer at Google, Ada Majorek, who has ALS and uses Dasher and a Headmouse to program: [LINK] Another one of her demonstrating Dasher: Ada Majorek Introduction - CSUN Dasher [LINK] Here’s a more recent presentation about it, that tells all about the latest open source release of Dasher 5: Dasher - CSUN 2016 - Ada Majorek and Raquel Romano [LINK] Here's the github repo: Dasher Version 4.11 [LINK] >Dasher is a zooming predictive text entry system, designed for situations where keyboard input is impractical (for instance, accessibility or PDAs). It is usable with highly limited amounts of physical input while still allowing high rates of text entry. Ada referred me to this mind bending prototype: D@sher Prototype - An adaptive, hierarchical radial menu. [LINK] >( [LINK] ) - a really neat way to "d

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DonHopkins · 2018-05 · Strong recommendation

Dasher is fantastic, because it's based on rock solid information theory, designed by the late David MacKay. Here is the seminal Google Tech Talk about it: [VIDEO] Here is a demo of using Dasher by an engineer at Google, Ada Majorek, who has ALS and uses Dasher and a Headmouse to program: [LINK] Another one of her demonstrating Dasher: Ada Majorek Introduction - CSUN Dasher [LINK] Here’s a more recent presentation about it, that tells all about the latest open source release of Dasher 5: Dasher - CSUN 2016 - Ada Majorek and Raquel Romano [LINK] Here's the github repo: Dasher Version 4.11 [LINK] >Dasher is a zooming predictive text entry system, designed for situations where keyboard input is impractical (for instance, accessibility or PDAs). It is usable with highly limited amounts of physical input while still allowing high rates of text entry. Ada referred me to this mind bending prototype: D@sher Prototype - An adaptive, hierarchical radial menu. [LINK] >( [LINK] ) - a really neat way to "dive" through a menu hierarchy/, or through recursively nested options (to build words, letter by letter, swiftly). D@sher takes Dasher, and gives it a twist, making slightly better use of screen revenue. >It also "learns" your typical useage, making more frequently selected options larger than sibling options. This makes it faster to use, each time you use it. >More information here: [LINK] and here: [LINK] Dasher is even a viable way to input text in VR, just by pointing your head, with

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DonHopkins · 2025-06 · Recommendation

[LINK] DonHopkins on Nov 24, 2023 | parent | context | favorite | on: AI is currently just glorified compression I love David MacKay's brilliant work on the Dasher text input system, which draws deeply from his work on information theory -- imagine Dasher integrated with an IDE and code search and Copilot and language model! "Writing is navigating in the library of all possible books." -David MacKay We just allocate more shelf space to the more probable letters. Why isn't Dasher built into every operating system and mobile phone? [LINK] [LINK] [LINK] DonHopkins on May 18, 2018 | parent | context | favorite | on: Pie Menus: A 30-Year Retrospective: Take a Look an... Dasher is fantastic, because it's based on rock solid information theory, designed by the late David MacKay. Here is the seminal Google Tech Talk about it: [VIDEO] Here is a demo of using Dasher by an engineer at Google, Ada Majorek, who has ALS and uses Dasher and a Headmouse to program: [LINK] Another one of her demonstrating Dasher: Ada Majorek Introduction - CSUN Dasher [LINK] Here’s a more recent presentation about it, that tells all about the latest open source release of Dasher 5: Dasher - CSUN 2016 - Ada Majorek and Raquel Romano [LINK] Here's the github repo: Dasher Version 4.11 [LINK] >Dasher is a zooming predictive text entry system, designed for situations where keyboard input is impractical (for instance, accessibility or PDAs). It is usable with highly limited amounts of physical input while still all

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