Getting Started

This page explains how to get Plover running on your computer.

Requirements

• Keyboard with n-key rollover or steno machine compatible with Gemini PR, Baron TX, Treal, or Stentura protocol. Stentura protocol requires a serial or serial-to-USB connection. The other steno protocols will work through serial, serial-to-USB, or regular USB. Keyboards without n-key rollover can try to get by without by rolling or arpeggiating keypresses as explained here

Installing Plover

Choose the instructions based on your operating system

• Ubuntu Linux
• Other Linux
• Windows
• Mac
• Solaris
• FreeBSD

Testing Installation

1. Start Plover
   1. Press Alt-F2 and type "plover" into the textbox
   2. Click on the Plover icon (a large green 'P')
   3. A red 'P' should appear on the top-right of the menu bar
2. Open a text editor
   1. Press Alt-F2 and type "gedit" into the textbox
   2. Click on the gedit icon (looks like a open notepad)
3. Type a message into the text editor using Plover (assuming you're on a qwerty keyboard)
   1. Click on the red 'P' on the top-right of the menu bar (this should make it turn green)
   2. Simultaneously press R, N, and O (left index finger on 'R', right thumb on 'N', and right ring finger on 'O')
   3. Simultaneously press R, F, and V (left index finger between 'R' and 'F', and left thumb on 'V')
   4. Simultaneously press J, K, L, and ; (right index finger on 'J', right middle finger on 'K', right ring finger on 'L', and right pinky finger on ';')
   5. Simultaneously press D, V, J, O, and [ (left middle finger on 'D', left thumb on 'V', right index finger on 'J', right ring finger on 'O', and right pinky finger on '[')
   6. Simultaneously press U, I, O, and P (right index finger on 'U', right middle finger on 'I', right ring finger on 'O', right pinky finger on 'P')
4. If you wrote out the message "hello, world.", then congratulations! Your installation of Plover was successful!
5. As you could probably tell, it was quite tedious to tell you how to type a simple message. The key strokes probably seemed really random, too. But as you continue learning, you'll learn the steno key layout, proper finger placement, and pseudosteno ("HEL/LO/-RBGS/WORLD/FPLT" for the message above) to make life easier and things will start to make more sense.

Next Steps

• Check out the Quick References, designed to help you get going!