251–260 of 297 posts
Also replaced mouse with a trackball.
Using vim means I almost never required to press two keys at once (Alt-something, Ctrl-something). Trackball doesn't cause the same amount of strain as trying to grab a tiny mouse.
I use this setup for about 11 years - no more pain.
Add on the sharp edge of the laptop right where a wrist might sit and the thing was an ergonomic nightmare for me. For quite some time, I typed by using two pens to peck at the keys. I then spent years on a dictation-based solution to writing code (https://github.com/dictation-toolbox). I really thought I was going to have to pursue a new career. Fortunately, I tried a friend's Kinesis Advantage and found that helped alleviate the symptoms. It's hard to convey how much relief I felt. I was skeptical of the Kinesis since it seemed gimmicky and because I had no success with other ergonomic keyboards, but it works for me. It's not pain-free, but it's livable. As a secondary benefit, it can flip to sending Dvorak keypresses. I used to do that at the OS level, but it wouldn't work in some programs and it was really annoying for anyone I might pair program with.
The low key travel distance on modern laptops is a killer for me. I don't think I type particularly aggressively, but I did originally learn to type on an Apple IIs. I've found with most chiclet keys that pressing the key bottoms out before my fingers expect and I end up jamming them. I have a work-issued MBP now and it's mostly workable because I can type on an external keyboard at home, but I dread having to travel with this thing. For my personal laptop, I ended up with Lenovo just because it had the best travel distance I could find. It's still a chiclet keyboard though and not nearly as comfortable as older laptops.
I really miss the old AlBook MBP keyboard. That was the last laptop I could comfortably use. Apple's equipment is still incredibly popular, so I appreciate that their ergonomics are not problematic for many people. I just never would have thought that an Apple keyboard would have improved RSI symptoms. I'm happy the author found a solution and shared it. Typing in pain is not a pleasant experience and being able to address it for the cost of two keyboards is much cheaper than heading down the medical path.
I find it really odd that the OP is staring down the barrel of an RSI that's going to inexorably lock them (presumably) out of their career and passion, but the learning curve for a proper ergonomic keyboard seemed to high. I was up to an acceptable 40WPM on the Ergodox a week after switching, and his complaints about " the Cherry MX" switches fall a little flat since there's about a dozen different kinds, all with d…
There is some effort here, but in the context of an entire programming career it barely even registers.
I don't game but I've found Kinesis split keyboard ( https://gaming.kinesis-ergo.com/edge/ ) + vertical mouse cured my wrist/forearm pain. That plus a desk at 27" instead of a "normal" 32" are one time ergonomic expenses that are absolute no-brainers for programmers. It took a lot of trial and error to find the setup that worked for me. I think the above is the right 80/20 solution. Worth a shot and hope it ends up h…
I use a Mac for work which means in most (split/ergo/tenkeyless) keyboards (depending on the settings applicable) either Ctrl or Alt/Opt is missing from the right side, because e.g. an Fn key or a squeezed-in left arrow is taking their place. I need all 3 modifiers constantly (Ctrl+C in Terminal, enter special characters, use app shortcuts, jump between windows/tabs...)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Kinesis are keyboards with separated key clusters, but not split keyboards. When one says split keyboard I think they are normally talking about things like the Ergodox EZ/Moonlander Kinesis has also their freestyle-line, which are physically splitted keyboard. But traditionally, the name refers to the split of the key-segments, not the whole keyboard. Until a decade ago, there barely where any real split keyboards…
This is why the new hot thing in mechanical keyboards is gasket mounting and PCB relief cuts. There is some progress happening here. A good desk mat helps too.
My body switches between them without even thinking about it, and anecdotally I'd say the relief better than halved the "wear and tear" on each appendage.
I found that doing that opened up my chest, instantly making me breath easier. Also it's basically impossible to slough over.
I'd like to make an accessory recommendation: get one of those grip-strength things and use it all the time. This did two things for me: 1. Extra strength in hands and forearms makes you more resistant to injury of all kinds there 2. More importantly I think, having extra muscles in your hands and forearms gives you more proprioception feedback to help know when you're putting your hands and wrists in an uncomfortabl…