Choosing a hobbyist steno writer
For most users, any of the commercially available hobbyist writers are perfectly adequate. However, if you intend to use Plover for languages other than English, or are intending to switch to steno full time, there are some important aspects to take into consideration.
Non-English language support
The layout used for the vast majority of English steno theories, known as the Ward Stone Ireland layout (WSI), may not be sufficient for other languages. The layout for Korean CAS , for example, uses 6 thumb keys and has an entire dedicated row for numbers. If you are intending to use Plover for other languages, have a look at the languages page for more details on the layouts supported by Plover.
If you decide to learn steno in a language requiring a larger layout, we recommend the following options:
- Nolltronics Multisteno
- StenoKeyboards Polyglot