No, it won’t make you type faster (or probably not by much… top speed typists all use Dvorak, but I didn’t notice any improvement) or more “cheaply”, but it is easier on your hands, and reducing finger fatigue makes it a clear winner in my book.

How to switch:
Windows NT:
    Start ➙ Settings ➙ Control Panel ➙ Keyboard ➙ Input Locales ➙ Properties ➙ Keyboard Layout ➙ US-Dvorak
    Hit “OK”, then “Apply”.

Windows 9x:
    Same, but you’ll probably need to insert the install CD when it says, as the layout isn’t part of the default install, so have it ready.

Windows XP:
    Start ➙ Control Panel ➙ Regional and Language Options ➙ Languages ➙ Details ➙ Settings ➙ Default Input Language ➙ United States-Dvorak
    If it’s not availabe, under “Settings” go to Installed Services ➙ Keyboard ➙ Add and select it, then you’ll be able to set it as the default.

Linux console:
    “loadkeys dvorak” will change the current keymap to Dvorak. (Or sometimes “loadkeys dvorak/dvorak”, look around /lib/kbd/keymaps.) Making it the default usually involves setting the “KEYTABLE” attribute in /etc/sysconfig/keyboard to whatever you used with loadkeys.

X11 on PCs:
    xmodmap pentdvor.xmod

X11 on Sun 5x keyboards:
    xmodmap sun5dvor.xmod

Other X11:
    First, run xmodmap -pke > qwerty.xmod so you have the current keymap safely saved in case things get messed up. You’ll want to copy “xmodmap qwerty.xmod” into a cut buffer so you can paste it with only the mouse.
    Run xmodmap q2d.xmod
    This maps the Qwerty keysyms to Dvorak, and can fail sometimes, like if two keycodes generate one of the moved keysyms. Because it operates on keysyms, not keycodes, this file will rearrange your keyboard again if you run it twice, producing garbage. Good thing you have that recovery command in the cut buffer, right?
    You can save the keymap you produce with q2d with “xmodmap -pke > dvorak.xmod” and return to it with “xmodmap dvorak.xmod” after that. If you’re not quite happy with it, you can tweak the xmod file yourself, or get the “xkeycaps” program which will do it for you.