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If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

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Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#71

Post by lexicality »

I don't really understand why people want such tiny keyboards.

The most comfortable (and healthy!) way to type is to have your hands a shoulderwidth apart so you don't have to compress your arms. I used an ergodox infinity for a while which was fantastic in terms of back pain but terrible in terms of everything else.

I currently use a Kinesis Advantage 1 which I'm tempted to dremel in half so I can get proper separation. It's that or learn how the Dactyl is configured so I can add enough keys to it to be useful :/

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#72

Post by robto »

I'm currently held back from going into the mechanical keyboard world because I'm hooked on the thinkpad trackpoint stick and mouse buttons below the spacebar - I've got a thinkpad and two usb keyboards with the dot and mouse buttons, and I use them on every computer I touch. Are there mechanical keyboards with built in mouse functionality?

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#73

Post by reaperducer »

sedatk wrote: post #48
rwmj wrote: post #6

He built his own keyboard and still included a huge CapsLock key in the place where god intended Ctrl to go?

I know it's regarded as blasphemy but I sometimes use Caps Lock.

Some occupations require caps lock. Broadcast journalism, anything where data will be exchanged with legacy systems, etc...

For some reason people on HN think if something isn't useful for their specific workflow, then nobody should have it or use it.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#74

Post by lexicality »

overkalix wrote: post #70
ganonm wrote: post #49

Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…

$300 for the simplest keyboard...

hipster tax ;)

(also, y'know - hand made products)

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#75

Post by zeroego »

I just bought a Leopold FC980M mechanical keyboard with brown switches. I was hesitant to buy into the hype for a long time. The keyboard cost $130 after shipping, which is expensive for a keyboard in my opinion. But, I can confidently say it was well worth the money. If you do a lot of typing I would seriously recommend giving a mechanical keyboard, specifically a Leopold, a shot.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#76

Post by hwwc »

ganonm wrote: post #49

Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…

Ergodox EZ was also a game-changer for me. It's been key in solving some posture problems, and I love having a programmable keyboard.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#77

Post by stevehawk »

overkalix wrote: post #70
ganonm wrote: post #49

Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…

$300 for the simplest keyboard...

complaining about $300 for a great keyboard is like complaining about a pricey bed. You use it for how many hours of the day if you're a programmer/engineer? Maybe it's worth spoiling yourself.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#78

Post by reaperducer »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #20

I want a keyboard with an extra row of keys (I could use for additional characters in a custom layout) between the letters and the numbers. Is this possible?

I once had an IBM keyboard with two very long rows of function keys (I think they were labeled PF1, PF2, etc...) above the numbers. There must have been 30 of them.

The keyboard was a beast. Weighed as much as a Fiat and the fat cable terminated in something that looked like a Centronics connector.

Then one day the computer was replaced by a Wang terminal with a svelte, modern keyboard and it felt like the future was finally here.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#80

Post by cyphar »

ganonm wrote: post #49

Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…

I'll be honest, I bought an Ergodox EZ a year or so ago and have consistently struggled to get comfortable using it. I have set up quite a few useful macros for programs I use daily like tmux as well as making it more vim-friendly (after many interations) and yet I still find it a serious chore to get past the fact that the keys feel un-naturally placed. Eventually I just give up and switch back to my laptop keyboard (I'm usually trying to write something and it feels like the keyboard is blocking my natural stream of typing) and so the cycle continues.

I guess my question is -- did everyone else switching to the Ergodox EZ have this problem? And should I just push myself to suffer through it more? Or is it the case that I should revisit my layout (again) to figure out if there's a way to further optimise it so it feels less foreign? One of the really frustrating things is that there isn't a natural place to put fairly common programming key combinations such as "()", "{}", "=+", or "-_" -- does everyone else just use layer toggles for that?

EDIT: Ah, I see your layout makes fairly significant use layer toggles. And you also had trouble with "on-boarding" for the first few weeks -- I guess I just need to force myself to use it then. I might take yours and modify it to add some of the tmux and i3 macros I have defined.

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