111–120 of 373 posts
http://adereth.github.io/blog/2014/04/09/3d-printing-with-cl...
http://adereth.github.io/blog/2015/11/19/clojure-slash-conj-...
clojure wrapped openscad to live design your keyboard from emacs/cider.
'(have fun)
- you will mostly work on the same place (or you accept the burden of traveling with your keyboard and be "that guy" when you set it up. Personally for the same hurdle, I prefer a secondary screen on the go)
- you will mostly work on the same machine (or you have multiple keyboards, one for each machine, and if you are in a data center or tech support, you move with your keyboard).
- you will not be exposed to many different keyboards, or layouts (e.g: you don't need to go help users and customers on their machine that don't allow plugging in, you don't teach, you don't use your phone a lot, etc). Switching layouts all the time is a nightmare.
- you can afford the initial lower productivity (e.g: you are not a freelancer that needs a regular output).
- cables and taking space are ok. Taste is taste, after all.
- you have the money, and find it is better invested in this than say, a better screen, mouse, graphic card, battery, etc. And renewal. Or you have enough to have it all.
- you are certain of this model is what you need or you can afford trying many. There are many ergonomic keyboards. They are all special and expensive in their own way.
- your layout is available. I'm french, I use AZERTY. Or you are fine learning to type with the wrong letters, or using stickers. I often buy/user computers in/from the US, and just type from memory after setting the QWERTY to an AZERTY layout. One of my friend like Dvorak (actually Bepo, the fr version)...
- nobody else than you will use your computer. Or you have several setup and are ok to switch every time.
Now I understand that as it's my job, optimizing this key element of it makes sense.
But hell, that's a lot of per-requisites.
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 separat…
Aren’t the Ergodoxen already two separate units it is there a cable limitation? I was looking at buying one or a similar split keyboard for the reason you stated.
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?
If you are able to make a mechanical keyboard (like the person in the linked story is), couldn't you include a trackpoint and buttons?
Check out the "Dactyl-ManuForm": https://github.com/tshort/dactyl-keyboard > a parameterized, split-hand, concave, columnar, ergonomic keyboard.
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'm on year 5 or 6 with a self built ErgoDox. it's really tough to imagine going back to anything else full time. I ended up building another to keep at home. Not sure how much it's changed, but I was able to build both of mine <= $200 each.
Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys? For me, Mechanical keyboards cause fatigue as the key travel, regardless of which flavor of the key type, is too much. I prefer using Apple's new magic keyboar with numpad. It has a 1mm or so travel and feels fantastic.
It's not just you. The main benefits are around aesthetics and reliability, and sometimes comfort/feel. I'm a faster typer on chiclet keys than mechanical (after years of practice on both), although I'm not sure I'd agree that the chiclets are better for my hands -- presumably less key travel means more force traveling into your fingertips. But! There are low-profile switch mechanical keyboards now, and they're very…
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 use a modified version of the default symbol layer that's more programmer friendly (I think) and I put the toggle for this layer under my right index finger. I feel like I'm more accurate now because it's not just my right pinky doing all the symbol work.
https://configure.ergodox-ez.com/ergodox-ez/layouts/aN90b/la...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
For me the hesitation is that it's a lot of money for something I don't know if I'm going to like it or if it's going to make me more productive. It's an expensive experiment, especially considering the vast variety of different styles, layouts, pressure sensitivity, etc, etc.
After that for about another decade, I bought a new keyboard each year, often anywhere from $20-50, and it was always disappointing... I'd put up with it for the better part of a year and move on. I'd tried several of the more popular mechanical keyboards, never quite the same.
I then found Unicomp was still making them... though not exactly the same, still really nice imho. I use one of the 103 key models at home. I've since switch to a cherry mx brown das keyboard at work to spare my coworkers the noise. In the end, the $120 or so I spent for a keyboard that's lasted me years is far better than one I've swapped out at least once a year.
I'd probably consider it if I had any signs of RSA or actually liked split keyboards at all. Ironically, moving to a mechanical keyboard with a tactile feel, the RSA symptoms I did have have since gone away. I've still tried several other KBs and styles since then, my only suggestion is stay away from mechanical keyboards under around $80 as they're often knockoff switches that are not as good and don't feel the same.