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The 40% Keyboard

tbf-rnd.life

271–280 of 334 posts

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#271

What's everybody's preferred "shit I'm developing RSI and need to make ergonomic changes" keyboards? Wrist and thumb is unhappy, if that's happened to any of you.

Same problem (actually worse than yours), have been using the employer-provided Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for more than a year, and resting a TouchPad (Magic TouchPad 2, I'm a Mac user) on the home/page up keys. It's inexpensive, comfortable and quick and easy to adapt to (not ortholinear, no weird layouts). The downside is the membrane keys... I'd love to have a mechanical shaped like this and with a recess for the TouchPad.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#272
post #26
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…

This is a real annoyance of mine. None of the real nice mechanical keyboards are available in a fullsize layout. A numpad is NOT negotiable for me...several creative apps I regularly use use the numpad for control (and no, the regular number row keys ARE NOT mapped to the same commands).

Take a look at filco. They have several full size options. I have the majestouch ninja 2 at home and love it. They are solid, built like a tank

https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_det...

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your mouse is closer so you don't have to move your hand as far. Not if you use a mouse left-handed ;) But more seriously, I grew up being trained to touch type in the classical way complete with ten-key exercises. I strongly prefer having a full numpad and I actually prefer the extra distance to the right for mouse usage. I've found over the years that the more I move my hands, the less likely I am to have discomfor…

God damn you cheating lefties! You cant have cake and eat it too! I really wish for keyboard options with numpad on the left. I am using numpad rarely but its handy to have when in need.

Actually, a programmable keyboard is great for lefties, you can have a numpad on a layer on the left part of your keyboard. Ah, and move the WASD and gaming keys to the right of the keyboard without having to modify all the games each time you play.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

God damn you cheating lefties! You cant have cake and eat it too! I really wish for keyboard options with numpad on the left. I am using numpad rarely but its handy to have when in need.

A keypadless keyboard coupled with a dedicated numberpad works great.

That is actually a great point.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#275
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…

I participated in two "Drop"s for the XMIT keyboards. First time I got the 60%. I love it, it's hooked up to a Raspberry Pi that I run as a terminal. Then I bought the 120-key Sun layout, oh man it's big! I never use the numpad or the extra function keys on the left. Having arrow keys is nice I guess.

Numpad is weird. I'm a leftie, my previous keyboard was a Microsoft Sculpt, I loved that because I could put the wireless numpad on the left(or lose it entirely).

I think as long as the shift key is the right size, I'm looking at you Logitech K400, and the arrow keys are ⊥, most keyboards are acceptable.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your mouse is closer so you don't have to move your hand as far. Not if you use a mouse left-handed ;) But more seriously, I grew up being trained to touch type in the classical way complete with ten-key exercises. I strongly prefer having a full numpad and I actually prefer the extra distance to the right for mouse usage. I've found over the years that the more I move my hands, the less likely I am to have discomfor…

God damn you cheating lefties! You cant have cake and eat it too! I really wish for keyboard options with numpad on the left. I am using numpad rarely but its handy to have when in need.

[deleted]

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#278

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…

Hahaha—that binary keyboard.

For me, I'm a happy full-size user—at home and at work.

Work: The discontinued Apple Magic wired (like: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/9/16872204/ma...)

Home: Logitech K840 https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/k840-mechanical-corde...

I find both fantastic. Having learned to use the numpad by navigating speedily through old hierarchical menus on a DOS-based POS system, I don't think I can let them go.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#279
post #222
post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not hard to learn to use the mouse with your non-dominant hand. It's just a couple of days of practice. And then switch between your left and you right every other day. Don't even have to flip the buttons, just learn to use the index for secondary and middle for primary clicks.

I am right handed but use my mouse left handed because growing up my Dad always had the mouse on the left side of the keyboard (because he is lefty). I used to move it to the right side, but gave up because the way our desk was basically required you to rerun the cable.

I'm left handed but always used the mouse right handed, but my standing desk's keyboard tray flexes too much with the mouse on the far right. It was incredibly easy for me to switch my mouse to the left side, centering my keys to the middle of the tray eliminating flex and bounce. I still use the same mouse button orientation, I found that switching the buttons makes it incredibly difficult to shift back to right handed at home or in public.

Re: The 40% Keyboard

#280
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…

I participated in two "Drop"s for the XMIT keyboards. First time I got the 60%. I love it, it's hooked up to a Raspberry Pi that I run as a terminal. Then I bought the 120-key Sun layout, oh man it's big! I never use the numpad or the extra function keys on the left. Having arrow keys is nice I guess. Numpad is weird. I'm a leftie, my previous keyboard was a Microsoft Sculpt, I loved that because I could put the wire…

Tenkeyless is the sweet spot for me. Still has arrow keys, but the numpad is gone.
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