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A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
31–40 of 81 posts
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#32I agree with what I take as the underlying premise of this blog entry: if you're going to call something a "keyboard for programmers" it would be nice if you made concerted effort to improve matters for programmers, moreso than just tactile ergonomics. However, I have mixed feelings with several of the author's specific points. 1. In general, I think a keyboard should retain all legacy keys, including Scroll Lock and…
I think there should be a 100% remappable keyboard. I never use any of the legacy key functions, but the switches are precious on a fixed piece of hardware. It is maddening to me that there are dead keys on my keyboards; having a completely soft layout would allow me to customize things exactly the way I want.
The Kinesis Advantage line is fully remappable, including macros. It's also premium hardware (nice switches) and a supremely ergo layout, with most keys within reach of the home row, and the thumb region divided up into multiple frequently-used (remappable) keys:
http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/advantage.htm
Don't be cowed by the esoteric appearance; it's really just a tweak on the standard layout.
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#33For a self-built, completely programmable keyboard you may feast your eyes on the GH60: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41464. It's small, without function keys or numpad, and it comes with different layouts. You're expected to source your own switches and a case.
Currently the group buy doesn't accept any new orders, but if you're interested some boards should be sold peer-to-peer.
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#34I agree with what I take as the underlying premise of this blog entry: if you're going to call something a "keyboard for programmers" it would be nice if you made concerted effort to improve matters for programmers, moreso than just tactile ergonomics. However, I have mixed feelings with several of the author's specific points. 1. In general, I think a keyboard should retain all legacy keys, including Scroll Lock and…
A real keyboard for programmers is a keyboard that is programmable.
ha! no. seriously, you can change any key you want on the keyboard to suit your preference coding/language style
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#35> And what is that “Print Screen” key doing there?! > Stupid keys like Page Up, Scroll Lock, and Insert are gone. Surely I'm not the only person regularly using the "page" and "print screen" buttons?
All the time, along with the arrow keys and numeric keypad. i hurt my shoulder once and had to type one-handed for a week. During that week the much hated caps lock key was a savior.
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#36Things I learned from reading this blog post: There are people who use their thumbs to press Alt (or cmd on a mac). That would never have occurred to me (either to do, or that anybody had ever done so). I imagine that explains why keyboard manufacturers are so happy to put garbage keys I don't care about right next to my Shift, Ctrl and Alt keys. Personally, my ideal keyboard would have those expanded and the windows…
Fwiw I use the Windows key all the time, on Linux no less. It's either bound to a launcher (Synapse, Gnome-Do), or used in hotkey sequences like Linux control commands ([Win]-[l] = screen lock, etc).
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#37Am I the only one who still uses Shift-Delete and Shift-Insert to cut and paste? I swear when I tell my fellow programmers, they look at me as if I'm from another planet.
It's definitely a lot easier to use those when I mouse left-handed (as I sometimes do due to pain in my right shoulder).
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think there should be a 100% remappable keyboard. I never use any of the legacy key functions, but the switches are precious on a fixed piece of hardware. It is maddening to me that there are dead keys on my keyboards; having a completely soft layout would allow me to customize things exactly the way I want.
The Kinesis Advantage line is fully remappable, including macros. It's also premium hardware (nice switches) and a supremely ergo layout, with most keys within reach of the home row, and the thumb region divided up into multiple frequently-used (remappable) keys: http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/advantage.htm Don't be cowed by the esoteric appearance; it's really just a tweak on the standard layout.
Yeah, I've been using a Kinesis for more than a decade. I've never gotten around to doing the full remap, however.
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#39I agree with what I take as the underlying premise of this blog entry: if you're going to call something a "keyboard for programmers" it would be nice if you made concerted effort to improve matters for programmers, moreso than just tactile ergonomics. However, I have mixed feelings with several of the author's specific points. 1. In general, I think a keyboard should retain all legacy keys, including Scroll Lock and…
I think there should be a 100% remappable keyboard. I never use any of the legacy key functions, but the switches are precious on a fixed piece of hardware. It is maddening to me that there are dead keys on my keyboards; having a completely soft layout would allow me to customize things exactly the way I want.
"I think there should be a 100% remappable keyboard."
You have one. It's the one you typed that post on. A keyboard just emits numbers, it's up to the computer OS to determine what to do with it.
Exactly how to customize your keyboard is OS-specific, but it can be done in all the major ones, as far as I know. (Can't commit to Windows 8. Windows 7 did require some unpleasant registry hacking for changing caps lock.)
If you want control over what your keyboard does, take it.
Incidentally, the big key to trying things out is that if you remap a new function onto Caps Lock and you want to see if it works for you, be sure to demap the other copy of the key. If you make Caps Lock a new Backspace, you'll never use it. If you make Caps Lock a new Backspace, and then demap the current one, you'll literally be adjusted in a matter of minutes, and if you decide you don't like it, returning is also a matter of minutes.
Once you work out what you need to do for your OS, keyboard layout experimentation is far more rapid than people realize, I think.
Re: A Real Keyboard for Programmers?
#40Things I learned from reading this blog post: There are people who use their thumbs to press Alt (or cmd on a mac). That would never have occurred to me (either to do, or that anybody had ever done so). I imagine that explains why keyboard manufacturers are so happy to put garbage keys I don't care about right next to my Shift, Ctrl and Alt keys. Personally, my ideal keyboard would have those expanded and the windows…
:O What finger do you use instead? The pinky?
All the keys in the lower left corner get the pinky, unless the pinky is already holding the shift or ctrl (in which case, hey! I hit it with my thumb! Who knew...) The ones in the lower right can go their entire lives unpressed.