You can find lots of ways to orient yourself, though.
Space and Caps-lock are enough to orient me on any keyboard I've used for more than a minute or two. Space and Enter orient on the right hand.
Basically - if my left pinky is touching the line between caps lock and shift on the left side of those keys, and my thumb is touching the bottom of the space bar, I know exactly where my middle fingers are resting.
With the added bonus of not contorting my wrist and fingers into a very uncomfortable space.
I have very large hands, and the "Proper" finger placement would be a guaranteed RSI injury for me.
I type (mostly) correct, but this is true. I'm still using one of the first keyboards I ever bought and the f and j keys have become worn down, so I seem to have learned ways similar to what you're describing.
Different keyboards with macros or weirdly formatted buttons throw me for a loop with this method though, while the f and j keys guarantee correct positioning.
Space and Caps-lock are enough to orient me on any keyboard I've used for more than a minute or two. Space and Enter orient on the right hand.
Basically - if my left pinky is touching the line between caps lock and shift on the left side of those keys, and my thumb is touching the bottom of the space bar, I know exactly where my middle fingers are resting.
With the added bonus of not contorting my wrist and fingers into a very uncomfortable space.
I have very large hands, and the "Proper" finger placement would be a guaranteed RSI injury for me.