Live data from Hacker News

The 40% Keyboard

tbf-rnd.life

51–60 of 334 posts

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#51
post #35
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [1] This makes no sense because the colored keys imply you enjoy looking at your keys and their unlabeled nature implies that you don’t need to look at your keys while you type. i.e. a fashion trend. But you could still enjoy looking at your keyboard with the coloured keys while not using it to type at that exact moment.

It sounds like you both agree then. It's for fashion.

GP and I seem to disagree about the utility of fashion and/or appearance though.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#52
I'm a big fan of 75% keyboards. The layout retains nearly everything from a full-size keyboard except the number pad (i.e. there are F-keys, numbers, arrows, Escape, Home/PgUp/PgDown, etc.), but compresses it all into a single rectangular block.

For me, it's the perfect balance of compactness and usability. Fits snugly in my backpack but allows me to use my preferred set of keybinds since all the relevant keys are there.

Here's a site with a rundown of most of the popular sizes: https://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2017/08/full-size-...

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#53
I use many different computers every day, and for the past 3 years, I have preferred 40% keyboards to get the job done.

Basically, the smaller the keyboard, the easier the layout is to remember. When it fits completely under your hands, with no extra columns or rows necessitating hand movement away from the home row, you can then commit the layout to your body's muscle memory faster. It then becomes more efficient and comfortable to use.

EDIT: On my current layout, I do something pretty unconventional, which is saying a lot considering I'm using Dvorak. So I've mapped the B key on my Mods layer to Backspace, D to Delete, T to Tab, and E for Enter (just to name a handful). Now, I prefer this to having mods requiring a long pinky reach to either side. It's also liberating using a layer for an extra level of intention before hitting stuff like Delete, Backspace, and Enter. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've accidentally hit Enter one on a message or button when you didn't mean to. Especially if you've dabbled with HHKB layout. With this type of arrangement, worrying about that is a thing of the past.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#54

I'm a big fan of 75% keyboards. The layout retains nearly everything from a full-size keyboard except the number pad (i.e. there are F-keys, numbers, arrows, Escape, Home/PgUp/PgDown, etc.), but compresses it all into a single rectangular block. For me, it's the perfect balance of compactness and usability. Fits snugly in my backpack but allows me to use my preferred set of keybinds since all the relevant keys are th…

Mostly I prefer 40%, but when something conventional is required (Blender, TES Daggerfall, as examples) I too like 75%.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#55
post #21

I'm mostly typing on Corne keyboards now; a split kit keyboard with 42 keys, so still considered 40%, but fewer keys than most other 40% boards. (so you have to learn to cope with not having dedicated arrow keys, for example) I can't imagine ever going back to a non-split keyboard; for me, it's a much better typing position to have my hands shoulder-width apart rather than squeezed together. I think that's more impor…

The Corne's predecessor, the Helix, was a significant leap forward from the Let's Split design that inspired it. It had a lot of firsts. First split design with reversible PCB, first split with per-key RGB, first split with OLEDs supported on both sides - necessitating some custom OLED code in QMK that was ahead of it's time. The Helix and it's derivatives (like Corne) represent the apex of 2018's DIY radically designed small boards movement, and the Japanese DIY keyboard movement too.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#56
post #7

Call me cynical, but I think a lot of the small style keyboards I see around the office are more of a fashion trend than anything. I remember when the insistence was on number pads, and how dare they be removed from our laptops and desktop keyboards. Fast forward a few years and I was made fun of at a programming job for preferring a full keyboard with a number pads. I guess programmers are too cool to enter in dolla…

60% is the sweet spot for me. I don't need a dedicated numpad as the num row is sufficient.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#57
post #45
post #7

Call me cynical, but I think a lot of the small style keyboards I see around the office are more of a fashion trend than anything. I remember when the insistence was on number pads, and how dare they be removed from our laptops and desktop keyboards. Fast forward a few years and I was made fun of at a programming job for preferring a full keyboard with a number pads. I guess programmers are too cool to enter in dolla…

Make things as simple as possible but no simpler ! Personally I type two ways: 1) engaged. I type with my fingers on the home row. This is for when I'm actively involved and typing / editing. 2) casual. For navigating. I usually do it with my fingers on the arrow keys, sometimes hitting page up/down. I don't use my other hand. My typing will not be used for input. Sometimes I use the mouse / mousewheel. The 40% keybo…

The Planck default layout has a dedicated arrow cluster, The function key to the left of it can turn it into Page Up/Down, End, and Home.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#58
post #21

I'm mostly typing on Corne keyboards now; a split kit keyboard with 42 keys, so still considered 40%, but fewer keys than most other 40% boards. (so you have to learn to cope with not having dedicated arrow keys, for example) I can't imagine ever going back to a non-split keyboard; for me, it's a much better typing position to have my hands shoulder-width apart rather than squeezed together. I think that's more impor…

The original sin here is home row touch typing. I type like I play the piano- my hands move up and down the scale. But split keyboards are an anathema for this.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#59
post #7

Call me cynical, but I think a lot of the small style keyboards I see around the office are more of a fashion trend than anything. I remember when the insistence was on number pads, and how dare they be removed from our laptops and desktop keyboards. Fast forward a few years and I was made fun of at a programming job for preferring a full keyboard with a number pads. I guess programmers are too cool to enter in dolla…

No numpad is an ergonomic benefit. Your mouse is closer so you don't have to move your hand as far. The best way to have a numpad if you really need one, I have found, is to have a separate one like how the Microsoft Sculpt keyboard does it.

You still use a mouse?

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#60
post #21

I'm mostly typing on Corne keyboards now; a split kit keyboard with 42 keys, so still considered 40%, but fewer keys than most other 40% boards. (so you have to learn to cope with not having dedicated arrow keys, for example) I can't imagine ever going back to a non-split keyboard; for me, it's a much better typing position to have my hands shoulder-width apart rather than squeezed together. I think that's more impor…

I'd really like a keyboard with e-ink keycaps, so that they update as I flip between mappings. It'd be particularly useful when swapping between languages / character sets (e.g. Hebrew, Greek, ...)
Post reply on HN