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QMK and Keyboards

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Re: QMK and Keyboards

#51

Post by Jenk »

LanternLight83 wrote: post #36
crotchfire wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The downside to ZMK is no copyleft protection. So when you buy a keyboard that advertises "ZMK", you're getting a binary blob you can't customize or audit. OTOH, QMK has successfully forced-open proprietary keyboards that were sold with QMK forks and then repeatedly, emmphatically refused to release the source. This includes the awesome non-Bluetooth 1000hz-rate Nordic Semiconductor wireless feature of the NuPhy Air…

> when you buy a keyboard that advertises "ZMK", you're getting a binary blob you can't customize or audit You've got a fine argument for preferring GPL software, but I'd be shocked if there was a ZMK keyboard out there you couldn't flash. a.) That's how you configure it b.) Upstream (including the platforn, Zepher) is moving quickly, with frequent performance, feature, security, battery life, and usability improveme…

> I'd be shocked if there was a ZMK keyboard out there you couldn't flash.

MoErgo Glove80 is ZMK based. Extensible and flashable, too.

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#52

Post by rrradical »

bsnnkv wrote: post #39
zvmaz wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use a Keychron Q11, a split row staggered keyboard. On the laptop, I use Kmonad on linux with home row mods but I think I will switch to Kanata because it seems more compatible with Windows (work OS). I have been using home row mods for a few days now and I feel that it has greatly alleviated the pain I have on the left pinky finger (remapping caps lock to control and using Emacs keybindings for years did that I th…

I have both an Ergodox and a Ferris which are both now gathering dust. In my experience, columnar layouts are not worth it for me as a developer, because there is nothing that I can gain from a layout that changes the position of the {};' () keys that will ever offset the productivity and familiarity lost by those keys never being where I expect them to be.

I feel like it took a month to get fully used to and then I haven’t looked back. I did have an RSI motivation.

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#53

Post by zvmaz »

rrradical wrote: post #52
bsnnkv wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have both an Ergodox and a Ferris which are both now gathering dust. In my experience, columnar layouts are not worth it for me as a developer, because there is nothing that I can gain from a layout that changes the position of the {};' () keys that will ever offset the productivity and familiarity lost by those keys never being where I expect them to be.

I feel like it took a month to get fully used to and then I haven’t looked back. I did have an RSI motivation.

Are you able to switch back and forth between staggered and columnar?

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#54

Post by tehnub »

crote wrote: post #34
preya2k wrote: post #32

I have a newbie question around Keyboard firmware: I built a simple Macro-Pad based on the RP2040. I want to use it under macOS for application-specific functionality. However, I cannot find a firmware that allows me to change/define Macros during runtime. I find it very cumbersome to always compile and flash a new firmware, whenever I want to change a simple Macro. What am I missing?

You might want to look into Vial[0]. It's essentially an addition to QMK which allows you to do exactly that. [0]: https://get.vial.today/

You might want to try via (https://www.caniusevia.com) instead, actually. I know at least Bastard Keyboards switched from vial to via because vial-qmk (the vial fork of qmk_firmware) was lagging 9+ months behind upstream qmk at one point.

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#55

Post by nsajko »

lvl102 wrote: post #18

I feel the mk community died during the pandemic and all the commercialization that happened. People just stole stuff community built on goodwill. At least I was turned off by it and stop caring.

For example?

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#56

Post by nsajko »

Scene_Cast2 wrote: post #19

If you're interested in QMK, you might want to give ZMK a shot as well. The big differences are that it's wireless-first (cognizant of power consumption, supports various wireless modes, etc), it's built around ARM (doesn't support Atmel), and is a much newer codebase. But I have to give it to QMK as well, they have been reworking / refactoring a major wart in how you config keyboards, with the move to info.json and…

> it's wireless-first

Sounds like a security nightmare. Input devices, and especially keyboards, are something that absolutely needs to be wired-only in my book.

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#57

Post by nsajko »

rgoulter wrote: post #3

The most common misconception I see about QMK keyboards (especially keyboards which stray far from the traditional form, like in OP's) is about small keyboards. The most common kind of small keyboards are just like laptop keyboards, and try and fit a keyboard into a smaller space (and the omitted keys get relegated to being behind Fn key). These tend to retain the impractically big spacebar of a typical keyboard, out…

What's the misconception, then?

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#58

Post by bostik »

7839284023 wrote: post #6
bsnnkv wrote: post #4

Gotta give a shoutout to kanata[1] which I have used daily for years at this point after giving up on QMK-powered keyboards. QMK itself is great, but I was never able to find a non-columnar split ISO keyboard to use it with. Eventually I reluctantly settled on the Logitech K860[2] and I'm now happily using my favourite features from QMK with kanata at the software level. [1]: https://github.com/jtroo/kanata [2]: If I…

> QMK itself is great, but I was never able to find a non-columnar split ISO keyboard to use it with. https://keychron.de/products/keychron-q11-qmk-custom-mechani...

Both Q10 and Q11 are good. I have one of each in their respective uses.

Q11 may possibly be even better for someone prone to RSI, because you can set the halves up angled even wider apart. Just make sure to get a good wrist support to go with the keyboards, no matter which you go with: they are thick, and that makes them positionally elevated from the surface they are on.

With two more things they would be pretty much perfect. An embedded USB port on both sides, so you could slot a YubiKey nano on your chosen edge. And a double-sized Esc-key. The latter is the single thing I miss from Kinesis Freestyle's form factor.

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#59

Post by aurecchia »

heads wrote: post #45

I am quite in love with the touchpads on my Steam Deck. Has anyone here seen a keyboard that incorporates such devices? (1.5” square haptic feedback pads, one under each thumb.)

I only know of the Dilemma keyboard by bastardkb, but it's round touchpads. I'm not sure how similar they are to the SteamDeck ones.

https://bastardkb.com/dilemma/

Re: QMK and Keyboards

#60

Post by nyanpasu64 »

crote wrote: post #44
crotchfire wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The downside to ZMK is no copyleft protection. So when you buy a keyboard that advertises "ZMK", you're getting a binary blob you can't customize or audit. OTOH, QMK has successfully forced-open proprietary keyboards that were sold with QMK forks and then repeatedly, emmphatically refused to release the source. This includes the awesome non-Bluetooth 1000hz-rate Nordic Semiconductor wireless feature of the NuPhy Air…

> This includes the awesome non-Bluetooth 1000hz-rate Nordic Semiconductor wireless feature of the NuPhy Air keyboards! It seems like the code doesn't actually contain the RF firmware, though - it's just the glue to talk to an external chip which essentially acts as a "modem". The reason ZMK uses the MIT license - and proper RF support cannot be added to QMK - is that Nordic's RF stack drivers use a license which isn…

Couldn't they use GPL with a linking exception, LGPL, or MPL to retain copyleft protection?
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