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Dasher: information-efficient text entry

Google TechTalks · talk · Watch on YouTube

Information theory & signal processingUX & UI designComputer vision, speech & NLP

What it is

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.

Why Hacker News recommends it

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

  • 2 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2016, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Dasher is fantastic, because it's based on rock solid information theory, designed by the late David MacKay.”

    Seminal talk on Dasher, built on information theory by David MacKay.

    DonHopkins, 2018-05 · Strong recommendation · in “Pie Menus: A 30-Year Retrospective: Take a Look and Feel Free”

  2. “Here's a talk from 2007 that explains it well”

    2007 talk explaining Dasher well.

    devilsenigma, 2016-12 · Recommendation · in “Dasher: Writing text really fast without typing or speaking”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: dasher, information theory, language models, accessibility, david mackay

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