7 ms·

As a programmer I needed the keyboard to be an extension of myself. I can't be looking down every 2 seconds to position my hands correctly or find that one key.

As a programmer I needed the keyboard to be an extension of myself. I can't be looking down every 2 seconds to position my hands correctly or find that one key. Originally I never followed home row position and had orchestrated my own abomination of touch typing that would work for all letters. The problem began when I started needing to use () and {} more often since my old typing position would never let me do that with ease. Not to mention capitalizing letters and even using numbers I would almost always need to look down or lose my position and train of thought. I was at about 30 WPM using this method. Eventually I took about 2 months using www.ratatype.com and following through the lessons to pick up home row position and such. Now I can average 80 WPM without trying on most of those speed typing games and 120 WPM on rare occasion. Now I can easily find home row and the keyboard is truly an extension of myself where I don't feel bogged down by typing (using VIM now too). The mental barrier is gone and I only think about the problem and not having to switch context between looking down and finding a key while thinking about the problem. 10/10 would recommend anyone not using home row to try and learn it. side note: I would never have picked up VIM/Emacs if it wasn't for me using home row.

theandrewbailey 7y ago
> I can't be looking down every 2 seconds to position my hands correctly or find that one key. Agreed 100%. I bought 2 blank keyboards[0] a few years ago. I relish the looks people give. I usually follow up by asking "Do you know how to type?" [0] https://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/ https://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/
- mbjorkegren 7y ago
  One option if you're on a laptop, is to use a Dremel to remove the labels from each key.
  - rahuldottech 7y ago
    Ow. Reading that physically hurt me, lol. I'd rather use a marker or a sticker.
  - muzani 7y ago
    r/hardwaregore
- alunchbox 7y ago
  OMG that's amazing, thank you for showing me this product I didn't even know I needed this in my life!
pault 7y ago
I'm very into mechanical keyboards, and I switched to ortholinear layouts a couple of years ago to improve my technique (the grid layout doesn't allow you to cheat with your ring fingers). Typing is a purely physical act for me now (I am also a vim user and editing text feels like sculpting clay), and the funny thing is if I actually try to think about what I'm typing I can't remember where to put my fingers. It has to be completely subconscious or it doesn't work.
- appleiigs 7y ago
  With ortholinear are you significantly faster than when you used staggered layout? If i could apply my numpad speed and accuracy to the rest of the keyboard it would be worth it. However, seems like people just re-train only to get to the same speed.
  - pault 7y ago
    The primary differences are 1. proper finger position and technique (mind your Ps and Qs); 2. better touch typing accuracy (see 1). Speed is probably roughly the same but with less backspacing. The staggered layout is weird; it's not natural at all and requires bizarre finger contortions designed to prevent mechanical typewriters from jamming. Ortholinear allows your fingers to move in perfectly straight lines, so it becomes incredibly easy to know exactly where a key should be without looking (honestly, can you type *$(@ without looking at your fingers?). Since we don't live in the 1890s, I think it's time to move on. The biggest benefit is not exclusive to ortho, but fully programmable layouts have totally transformed the way I interact with the computer; I map space and enter to where my thumbs naturally rest, have momentary layer toggles on row four that allow me to type any shifted symbol from the home row (also numpad centered on jkl and arrows mapped to hjkl), and esc/ctrl on R3 C1 (caps lock). Most of the time I never move my fingers more than 1u from their home positions. In my experience ortholinear is easier to map since things like number pads are awkward on a staggered layout, and ortho R4 gives you the ability to toggle between six layers without moving your thumbs. I've arrived at such an efficient layout that I don't even use R1 and most of R4 at all. Edit: you don't lose your ability to use a standard keyboard layout after learning ortho; it just feels like trading in your ferrari for a ford pinto.
lkbm 7y ago
For me, it's not about speed, but accuracy. Typos are worse in programming than prose, and doubly-so in Vim (or another editor with Vim bindings). I'll try Ratatype. I've tried home row a couple times in the past, but haven't ever really stuck with it, and always felt like it was overly-focused on letters. If Ratatype will help me type accurately when typing includes plenty of ()[]{}%$^!, then that's a skill I'd really benefit from.
- alunchbox 7y ago
  Yes, I do believe they have a specific lessons on just using symbols. The nice thing is they also have a typing test which is just a paragraph you can test that once a week to see your improvements. keybr.com is also nice after the lessons from Ratatype because it shows you which letters you are still struggling with. They have a nice stats page.

theandrewbailey 7y ago

> I can't be looking down every 2 seconds to position my hands correctly or find that one key. Agreed 100%. I bought 2 blank keyboards[0] a few years ago. I relish the looks people give. I usually follow up by asking "Do you know how to type?" [0] https://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/ https://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/

mbjorkegren 7y ago
One option if you're on a laptop, is to use a Dremel to remove the labels from each key.
- rahuldottech 7y ago
  Ow. Reading that physically hurt me, lol. I'd rather use a marker or a sticker.
- muzani 7y ago
  r/hardwaregore
alunchbox 7y ago
OMG that's amazing, thank you for showing me this product I didn't even know I needed this in my life!

pault 7y ago

I'm very into mechanical keyboards, and I switched to ortholinear layouts a couple of years ago to improve my technique (the grid layout doesn't allow you to cheat with your ring fingers). Typing is a purely physical act for me now (I am also a vim user and editing text feels like sculpting clay), and the funny thing is if I actually try to think about what I'm typing I can't remember where to put my fingers. It has to be completely subconscious or it doesn't work.

appleiigs 7y ago
With ortholinear are you significantly faster than when you used staggered layout? If i could apply my numpad speed and accuracy to the rest of the keyboard it would be worth it. However, seems like people just re-train only to get to the same speed.
- pault 7y ago
  The primary differences are 1. proper finger position and technique (mind your Ps and Qs); 2. better touch typing accuracy (see 1). Speed is probably roughly the same but with less backspacing. The staggered layout is weird; it's not natural at all and requires bizarre finger contortions designed to prevent mechanical typewriters from jamming. Ortholinear allows your fingers to move in perfectly straight lines, so it becomes incredibly easy to know exactly where a key should be without looking (honestly, can you type *$(@ without looking at your fingers?). Since we don't live in the 1890s, I think it's time to move on. The biggest benefit is not exclusive to ortho, but fully programmable layouts have totally transformed the way I interact with the computer; I map space and enter to where my thumbs naturally rest, have momentary layer toggles on row four that allow me to type any shifted symbol from the home row (also numpad centered on jkl and arrows mapped to hjkl), and esc/ctrl on R3 C1 (caps lock). Most of the time I never move my fingers more than 1u from their home positions. In my experience ortholinear is easier to map since things like number pads are awkward on a staggered layout, and ortho R4 gives you the ability to toggle between six layers without moving your thumbs. I've arrived at such an efficient layout that I don't even use R1 and most of R4 at all. Edit: you don't lose your ability to use a standard keyboard layout after learning ortho; it just feels like trading in your ferrari for a ford pinto.

lkbm 7y ago

For me, it's not about speed, but accuracy. Typos are worse in programming than prose, and doubly-so in Vim (or another editor with Vim bindings). I'll try Ratatype. I've tried home row a couple times in the past, but haven't ever really stuck with it, and always felt like it was overly-focused on letters. If Ratatype will help me type accurately when typing includes plenty of ()[]{}%$^!, then that's a skill I'd really benefit from.

alunchbox 7y ago
Yes, I do believe they have a specific lessons on just using symbols. The nice thing is they also have a typing test which is just a paragraph you can test that once a week to see your improvements. keybr.com is also nice after the lessons from Ratatype because it shows you which letters you are still struggling with. They have a nice stats page.