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Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

aposymbiont.github.io

121–130 of 157 posts

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#121

This is super cool! I definitely could have used this when I found a photo of a split keyboard on aliexpress and it turned out to be the redox manuform. Relatedly, this site is missing the redox manuform

Thanks; I've added the Redox Manuform. I'm not sure how I missed it!

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#122
All would be fine for me if MS would fully integrate key rebindings. No chance in my business environment to install extra software. I could balance the use of both hands better if I can have the return key also on the left side or rebind R shift as left mouse click or whatever...

I need the full keyboard. All of it and accessibility of (some) keys to both hands would be great.

Most split keyboard and minimal keyboards make no sense anyway outside English environments.

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#123
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I forgot that I use Twitter sometimes and have pictures of another Moonlander experiment: mounting it to my chair! https://twitter.com/petersergeant/status/1356057651931537408 I did eventually get parts for both sides. One of the flexible arm clamp tripod mount thingies was not stiff enough to hold the keyboard up, but the other one was great. Since they were both the same part from the same order... it's kind of a c…

I tried mounting my Ergodox EZ to my chair like you (almost exactly too: 3D printed mount + gorillapod). I found the TRRS cable between the halves to be very very annoying to get in and out of the chair. How did you solve that problem? I once tripped and broke the mount (PLA is brittle) when I went to answer my intercom.

I bought a long TRRS cable and ran it behind the chair.

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On my keyboard, B is exactly equidistant between F and J so I couldn't even tell you which finger is correct for it. I wonder how it was decided which side it should go on in a split keyboard?

> On my keyboard, B is exactly equidistant between F and J so I couldn't even tell you which finger is correct for it. It's not about distance but about logic. If the right index finger does y,h,n and u,j,m then the left index finger does r,f,v and t,g,b. Otherwise your left index only does five letters while your right index does 7. Depending on how "badly" a staggered keyboard is staggered, some keys can be closer…

It's not at all clear that they "know what they're doing" in some way that makes what they're doing "correct."

If they and a majority of their customers learned to type Z with the left little finger, X with the ring finger, etc., that does not magically make that a better way to type than typing Z with the ring finger and X with the middle one.

Quite the contrary: If you bring your hands together naturally in front of you, they form an inverted V. In order to type the bottom row with the little finger on Z, you have to cock your wrist significantly, which is clearly worse from an ergonomics perspective.

If you bring your hands together like hands naturally come together, on the type of staggered keyboard virtually everyone learns to type on, an ortholinear one with be entirely wrong for you on the whole bottom row.

Designing around bad training may be a type of "knowing what they're doing," but it doesn't make it "correct," or even better.

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#126
post #122

All would be fine for me if MS would fully integrate key rebindings. No chance in my business environment to install extra software. I could balance the use of both hands better if I can have the return key also on the left side or rebind R shift as left mouse click or whatever... I need the full keyboard. All of it and accessibility of (some) keys to both hands would be great. Most split keyboard and minimal keyboar…

You can do that (mouse keys included) with any keyboard that supports QMK. No software needed on the local machine.

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#127
Those that aren't curved/concave miss a major comfort factor in my opinion.

My personal must-haves for a split keyboard:

- Concave/curved design.

- Thumb clusters.

- Vertical arranged key columns.

- Palm support.

- Fully customizable layout.

- Mechanical switches or anything similar with proper feedback for better typing, and also decent travel distance so it doesn't feel that you're knocking your fingertips on hard plastic all the time.

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you need, and I’m pretty sure this is a serious suggestion, is a pair of identical 60% keyboards. It might just work wonderfully.

I wish this worked. I tried it. The problem is pressing shift only modifies the keyboard that it is pressed on.

If you install Karabiner Elements[1] on macOS, all modifier keys suddenly work across all keyboards.

I'm using one "TKL" Apple USB keyboard per hand when I feel like opening my shoulders a bit. Took me all of two minutes to get used to, at a fraction of the cost for enthusiast keyboards. I wonder if there are any ergonomic advantages I'm missing out on.

(Karabiner Elements is a great tool, anyway; I've been using it for a long time to map Caps Lock to something useful for programming.)

[1] https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#129
post #122

All would be fine for me if MS would fully integrate key rebindings. No chance in my business environment to install extra software. I could balance the use of both hands better if I can have the return key also on the left side or rebind R shift as left mouse click or whatever... I need the full keyboard. All of it and accessibility of (some) keys to both hands would be great. Most split keyboard and minimal keyboar…

> Most split keyboard and minimal keyboards make no sense anyway outside English environments.

Not sure what you mean by this. I've been using an Ergodox EZ for almost 2 years and I don't live in an English-speaking country. It's no different from using the US-INTL layout in any other keyboard.

Re: Show HN: Split Keyboards Gallery

#130
post #81

I am up past my bedtime typing on hacker news just to mega-disagree about the goldtouch keyboard, of which I own multiple and have used exclusively for over 10 years to manage serious RSI which has left me debilitated at times and will probably never resolve fully. The goldtouch is a fantastic ergonomic keyboard. I’m sure others are just as good or better and didn’t object to the authors criticisms until s/he suggest…

I'll add a dissenting voice. The only thing good about the goldtouch is the tenting. Which is brilliant, I'll concede. You can make it both tented, but also flat and split for a change.

But the goldtouch involves So. Much. Chording. I have the v1, which makes it worse. The windows key is way the fuck to the left, making constant stretches necessary. Plus the fact that the thumb keys can only press space is a major ergonomic negative. It's also a membrane keyboard, meaning bottoming out all the time is required.

It's a decent keyboard, and I'm glad it works well for you, but it isn't really god's gift to humanity either.

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