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Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

blog.scottlogic.com

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Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#121

Post by lostapathy »

auslegung wrote: post #9
sdenton4 wrote: post #8

...And you will never be able to use a random keyboard it in the world again...

That isn’t my experience. I have an ErgoDox EZ, and while it’s married to QWERTY, I’ve customized everything else and have 4 layers I regularly use. I also use my MacBook’s keyboard when not at my desk and I never have a problem context switching. I also recently got a windows laptop and put pop_os on it, and after a few days was able to context switch between OSes with different keyboard and different shortcuts with…

What are your 4 layers? I only really live in 2

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#123

Post by meken »

coryrc wrote: post #70
meken wrote: post #24

I, myself, went down a similar rabbit hole years ago. I could probably write a similarly long blog post, detailing all the twists and turns, highs and lows of that period. Reading this was kinda triggering some repressed PTSD from it lol. The highs and lows, thinking that you've found the perfect layout, only to encounter an edge case which there's no solution for and giving up. The continual wishful thinking that "o…

How do you type 2?

Ah, good question.

Alt + 2 gets you 2. If you press 2 by itself, then you get tab.

A similar thing with 3. If you press 3 and release it, you get 3. If you hold 3 and press another key k, then you get Ctrl+k.

This works by using the "to_if_alone" feature in karabiner. e.g. https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/docs/json/typical-comple...

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#124

Post by durandal1 »

dkersten wrote: post #57
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The makers of the Ergodox EZ (it's open source so you can get Ergodoxes from various sources as well as build your own) also make the Moonlander, which is a step closer to the Kinesis in shape. I looked into it as a potentially more mobile alternative to the Kinesis but decided to stick with the Kinesis. I'm hoping if my current keyboard ever dies Kinesis will have a new QMK-based version that comes in two halves, or…

> the Moonlander, which is a step closer to the Kinesis in shape Just took a look, doesn't really look much difference. I mean the 3d curvature of the keys, your hand is kinda in a semi circular channel. I just find it comfortable, especially to reach the furthest rows of keys from the home row. Its not a huge deal, just something I like about the Kinesis. I also use the Kinesis foot pedals -- does something similar…

Believe it or not, I was an Advantage II user but switched to Moonlander because I find it easier to type on. For some reason my pinkies always felt weak typing on the Kinesis.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#125

Post by jacobajit »

jen729w wrote: post #105
kostarelo wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's super interesting, thanks for sharing. Is the magic keyboard and trackpad considered to be ergonomic? I wonder what's the difference then in split keyboards and such.

Tangential: I find using an actual (Mac) laptop, with the trackpad in front of the keyboard, to be very ergonomic. This is on a desk with a screen attached, so I’m not staring down at the laptop screen. Rather than the hand sweeping all the way over to the right to reach the mouse, it just twists a little towards the trackpad. The palms never really leave their rests. I don’t use it like this a lot, but when I do I e…

I've always wished for an external trackpad and keyboard combo in this layout, basically a Macbook without the screen to use with your monitor setup. Reaching to the side for the trackpad frequently seems much slower and less ergonomic. Plus the fixed relative layout of the trackpad and keys helps orient myself.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#126

Post by klysm »

cjbprime wrote: post #119
Symbiote wrote: post #113

I'm keeping a gallery (just for a quick overview) of ergonomic keyboards. It might be useful for others interested in this thread. There's a lot of options, from something you can order from a large retailer, to a kit to solder yourself, to just plans to download. https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

Thanks for the gallery! I'm surprised there aren't more integrated pointing devices (like TrackPoints).

I wanted to build a custom keyboard with a track point but couldn’t find any suppliers. Does anybody know of any?

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#127

Post by unsui »

jerezzprime wrote: post #85

Why is there not an ergonomic keyboard with trackball or some other cursor device built in, so I can use the cursor and mouse buttons without moving my hands out of place? I currently use (and love) am Advantage 2, but I would happily drop another $400 on an ergonomic keyboard with mouse.

On my Kinesis Advantage2, I have added the following mini touchpad (attached via velcro and 3M double-sided tape for the cable): https://www.ergonomictouchpad.com/mini_touchpad.php

The touchpad is in the middle area right above the right-thumb keys, within easy reach of my index finger without having to lift from the home row. Works great.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#128

Post by throw42349739 »

tharne wrote: post #77
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The makers of the Ergodox EZ (it's open source so you can get Ergodoxes from various sources as well as build your own) also make the Moonlander, which is a step closer to the Kinesis in shape. I looked into it as a potentially more mobile alternative to the Kinesis but decided to stick with the Kinesis. I'm hoping if my current keyboard ever dies Kinesis will have a new QMK-based version that comes in two halves, or…

Dactyl manuform user here. That's definitely my only complaint. The dactyl is the absolute perfect keyboard, except for the fact that it's a nightmare to transport anywhere. If I have to take it anywhere I carry it in a paper shopping bag with nothing else in it. It's not a cheap keyboard either, so getting one for work and one for home is a hit to the wallet. I recently grabbed a keyboardio atreus for travel and lap…

Have you tried the Dactyl-Manuform mini ? https://github.com/l4u/dactyl-manuform-mini-keyboard

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#129

Post by jsmith12673 »

petercooper wrote: post #3

Quite the rabbit hole and definitely worth the read :-) This seems a good place to bring up an odd experience of mine. I've had carpal tunnel for decades but no longer get many flare ups. After trying numerous keyboards, the solution turned out to be using Apple's Magic Keyboard and whatever their huge trackpad is called. The key for me seems to be low key travel, a smallish keyboard (to avoid any stretching), and av…

Similar experience here.

The only setups I can use for >1month are the Kinesis Advantage and MX Ergo, or the butterfly keyboard and trackpad.

I've chocked it up to the super low travel keys and not having to put any force on the trackpad.

Besides that I've tried the MS Sculpt keyboards plus all sorts of mechanical and chiclet keyboards. None of them have been comfortable

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#130

Post by fdsfawfds »

nine_k wrote: post #106

My 2¢. I used a traditional keyboard, and could not stop peeking at it. I of course remember where each key is, but aligning my hands to it was periodically required, so that I could keep hitting the right keys. Then I used a traditional-layout split keyboard. It was easier on my arms, but not much on my hands, and I still needed to peek at the keyboard(s) to readjust my fingers. The fact that traditional keyboards s…

Silent reds are good. Tactile feedback is overrated, silent low force push is great.
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