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Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

#12

Post by dietsche »

My favorite keyboard is the Kinesis Advantage 2. It saved my software engineering career. I have them at home and work. Worth every penny. Their support is fantastic too.

Also, I use a Logi M575 trackball most of the time. But occasionally switch to my Evoluent vertical mouse if my hand needs a change.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

#13

Post by techhazard »

cjbconnor wrote: post #6

Ergodox EZ and a Zowie EC-1, sometimes a Realforce R2. The mouse has hardware buttons on the bottom for DPI and polling rate, and zero software. It's also the most comfortable mouse I've used and has lasted 5 years without any issues. I flashed a custom (open source) firmware to my Ergodox once, never messed with it since then. The Realforce also has no software.

I’m also very happy with my Ergodox EZ, and a trackball mouse.

The configuration of the keyboard is highly flexible and super easy, and no software on the pc is needed (only to flash the updated config).

I’ve also used a Kinesis Advantage in the past, which was amazing. But that was my boss’s, so I had to leave it.

Apart from that I’m using the Dvorak layout, which gives me a much better typing experience than querty; way less fingerstreching.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

#15

Post by saltcured »

Various generations of Thinkpad travel or fullsize keyboards. Unfortunately they seem to come and go from the market at least in the US. I mostly use USB ones, but also one Bluetooth model for piloting a media PC from across the room.

They have the same keyboard as their contemporary laptops with the Trackpoint pointing device and mouse buttons, which is my preferred input for programming and other text-based tasks. My older models have a small trackpad as well.

Some variants also

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

#16

Post by neversaydie »

I use a Fnatic MiniStreak mechanical keyboard. Somewhat cheaper than the top end brands, but still very good. There is software if you want to configure LEDs and macros and such (it's gamer gear, so it's bedecked in coloured lights), but you don't have to install it.

Mind you, that's true of most Logitech gear too - it'll work fine with basic Windows drivers, you don't have to install that G Hub Pro whatever-it-is stuff.

Some of their mice also have on-board memory for settings - you can configure them once using the software, write the config to the mouse, then not bother with the software again.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

#17

Post by jasomill »

I use a Logitech G502 (Windows, Mac OS, Linux), which works fine without the software after initial configuration (though I'm not certain about LED color options because I just configure them off, which is persistent).

I also use a WASD mechanical keyboard (Windows, Mac OS, Linux) where all configuration is done via DIP switches, and an Apple Magic Trackpad (on Mac OS only, so no third-party software is required; no idea how well it'd work on Windows or Linux, but if older MacBook Pro trackpad drivers are any indication, Windows driver support may be poor).

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite software-free keyboard and mouse?

#20

Post by tveyben »

karmakaze wrote: post #10

Currently I use relatively cheap mechanical keyboards--whatever was on sale or liked the look of. I improve my typing comfort with a custom layout. For a mouse I use a TUF Gaming M3[0]. TUF is a lower gaming brand of ASUS. It has configuration software that I set up on my Surface Go tablet. The mouse itself holds config in firmware and can use with any computer without software. The selling point for me is that I can…

I was looking for a cheap good mouse, so this was good to read (I have just ordered a handfull of 'your' TUF mice, so they better be good ;-)

I hope the scroll wheel fells like my Razer DeathAdder Elite, which have 24 "rough" steps per 360 degrees, other mice (like my Logitech M318e) have what feels like an 'infinite' number of fine steps (maybe there are 100 - it's difficult to count!)

It just feels so much better - also there's a lot more friction, making it easier to control (like stop at the right place)…

Thanks for the good input.

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