4 ms·

If you’re really looking to minimize hand movement and type fast while doing it, perhaps a better option would be steno keyboards (http://www.openstenoproject.o

If you’re really looking to minimize hand movement and type fast while doing it, perhaps a better option would be steno keyboards (http://www.openstenoproject.org/ http://www.openstenoproject.org/) where entire words are produced by specific chords. It’s definitely learning a new way of typing, but the keyboard showcased in the article here also looks alien enough (apparently each finger has a set of letters assigned to it and one types by moving each finger in a particular direction to produce a single letter) that the learning curve is probably substantial as well.

xupybd 5y ago
I'm not sure how well it would work for code. You'd have to set it up for each language right?
- amelius 5y ago
  Variable names will still be in English, I suppose.
- loloquwowndueo 5y ago
  Google for “Steno for coding”. It does work :)
  - irjustin 5y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBBiri3CD6w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBBiri3CD6w
leoc 5y ago
The Dutch Velotype https://www.velotype.com/en/homepage-eng/ https://www.velotype.com/en/homepage-eng/ / Veyboard http://www.veyboard.nl/en_main.html http://www.veyboard.nl/en_main.html design seems to be a slightly more general-purpose version of the same chording idea. Classical steno is based on quickly producing a cryptic stream of personal abbreviations then manually patching it up into a proper text later; though ofc computers can now assist with the second part, and it seems that now some people are using steno boards (or steno layouts/software on normal KBs) as general PC input devices. There's also the question of how useful steno-like high WPM is. For transcription (using a keyboard) it's obviously somewhere between very useful and essential, depending on the task; but it also requires a lot of skill, so most people will probably never achieve it even given everything else they'd need. (And there's the alternative of using stenomask https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenomask https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenomask -style dictation and/or computerised text-to-speech.) For other things like computer programming or natural-language composition extra speed may not be worth a lot of extra bother. However there are some other things chording could be useful for instead (or as well). It's a fairly obvious way to easily access extra characters if you have an NKRO board: I'm a bit surpried I haven't heard of anyone using chords for mathematical symbols etc. yet. And it's a way to achieve one-handed typing. One-handed chorded typing isn't as fast as two-handed conventional typing, but it offers the opportunity to type with one hand while controlling a mouse with the other, eliminating the delay in switching between mousing and typing. (Though a thumbable touchpad now also offers low switching time. The Matias Half Keyboard/508keyboard https://matias.ca/halfkeyboard/ https://matias.ca/halfkeyboard/ approach offers one-handed typing with a minimal amount of chording.)
irjustin 5y ago
The goal isn't really to type fast with ergonomic designs (as with this design goal). It's really about minimizing RSI's. WPM can be sacrificed to an extent. Being able to type faster in relation to coding has diminishing returns which is why people don't go over to steno. Very few of us need to do speech dictation.
- loloquwowndueo 5y ago
  Using a steno keyboard also has ergonomic benefits - less movement to produce same amount of output. Court scribes do that all day and RSI would anecdotally seem less prevalent than in IT fields.
  - irjustin 5y ago
    ah fair! but man talk about a learning curve. Looking deeper at "steno for coding" isn't really a space, there's a few videos and articles but that's about it. I don't think it's viable/real.

xupybd 5y ago

I'm not sure how well it would work for code. You'd have to set it up for each language right?

amelius 5y ago
Variable names will still be in English, I suppose.
loloquwowndueo 5y ago
Google for “Steno for coding”. It does work :)
- irjustin 5y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBBiri3CD6w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBBiri3CD6w

leoc 5y ago

The Dutch Velotype https://www.velotype.com/en/homepage-eng/ https://www.velotype.com/en/homepage-eng/ / Veyboard http://www.veyboard.nl/en_main.html http://www.veyboard.nl/en_main.html design seems to be a slightly more general-purpose version of the same chording idea. Classical steno is based on quickly producing a cryptic stream of personal abbreviations then manually patching it up into a proper text later; though ofc computers can now assist with the second part, and it seems that now some people are using steno boards (or steno layouts/software on normal KBs) as general PC input devices. There's also the question of how useful steno-like high WPM is. For transcription (using a keyboard) it's obviously somewhere between very useful and essential, depending on the task; but it also requires a lot of skill, so most people will probably never achieve it even given everything else they'd need. (And there's the alternative of using stenomask https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenomask https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenomask -style dictation and/or computerised text-to-speech.) For other things like computer programming or natural-language composition extra speed may not be worth a lot of extra bother. However there are some other things chording could be useful for instead (or as well). It's a fairly obvious way to easily access extra characters if you have an NKRO board: I'm a bit surpried I haven't heard of anyone using chords for mathematical symbols etc. yet. And it's a way to achieve one-handed typing. One-handed chorded typing isn't as fast as two-handed conventional typing, but it offers the opportunity to type with one hand while controlling a mouse with the other, eliminating the delay in switching between mousing and typing. (Though a thumbable touchpad now also offers low switching time. The Matias Half Keyboard/508keyboard https://matias.ca/halfkeyboard/ https://matias.ca/halfkeyboard/ approach offers one-handed typing with a minimal amount of chording.)

irjustin 5y ago

The goal isn't really to type fast with ergonomic designs (as with this design goal). It's really about minimizing RSI's. WPM can be sacrificed to an extent. Being able to type faster in relation to coding has diminishing returns which is why people don't go over to steno. Very few of us need to do speech dictation.

loloquwowndueo 5y ago
Using a steno keyboard also has ergonomic benefits - less movement to produce same amount of output. Court scribes do that all day and RSI would anecdotally seem less prevalent than in IT fields.
- irjustin 5y ago
  ah fair! but man talk about a learning curve. Looking deeper at "steno for coding" isn't really a space, there's a few videos and articles but that's about it. I don't think it's viable/real.