You seem to be on target and have a good grip on how it developed........
The scrip can vary......similar to various types of script we use, even in English.
However those of us who can read Hebrew well, pick up on most of the various ancient scripts without too much difficulty...particularly when the source text is identified.
Around the 11-12 century another variation of script came intop existance and is generally referred to as Rashi script. Rashi, an acronym, wrote the major commentary on the Old Testament and Talmud, without which it would have been very difficult for later generations to understand the depth of the words contained within both the Old Testament and Talmud.
I don't know why he introduced a new script, and it's not as if it made writing any easier say for example as script writing does to printing.
Basically today we are taught 4 varying types of written script characters as opposed to the two taught in English...namely print and scrip.
There's the script version as appears in the parchment hand written Torah........next is the print version as appears in the prayers books and other text books including the Talmud, which by the way is in Aramaiic, transliterated with Hebrew characters......then there is the regular script version....and lastly the Rashi script.
Together with being taught the English alphabet at the same time.....quite a bit of knowledge acquiring starting at the age of 3-4 years of age...............
when I tell that to some of my non Jewish colleagues, they freak out....but we managed and the kids of today manage it as well.
Guess at that age kids have minds like sponges......
