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My biggest problem is to find keyboards that would have all 3 modifiers on BOTH sides. I use a Mac for work which means in most (split/ergo/tenkeyless) keyboar

by h3mb3 5y ago

My biggest problem is to find keyboards that would have all 3 modifiers on BOTH sides. 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...)

Symbiote 5y ago
Any mechanical keyboard supporting QMK is fully reprogrammable, so you can either choose one with sufficient keys, or enable one of various options to double-up particular keys. I have an ErgoDash, which has several thumb keys on each side — the size of your hands would determine how many are practical for frequent use. My squeezed-in left arrow key serves as Alt when I hold it down, and Enter is Ctrl if I hold that down.
- h3mb3 5y ago
  Among the QMK keyboards, it's still very tricky to find a tenkeyless/ergo keyboard with mostly a normal layout (with enough keys between the spacebar and the arrow keys to host all 3 Mac modifier keys). More importantly, I also really haven't yet found a "mechanical" keyswitch (== with a Cherry MX mount) that wouldn't be worse for my RSI than traditional rubber domes (lately I've especially liked the low travel ones, currently Logitech Ergo K860). Sure, it may also be more about the design (or lack of design) in many of these "mechanical" keyboards I've tried that is bad for my specific kind of RSI – it's hard to pin down. Unfortunately, if you want rubber domes, the options are really scarse. I wish the religious fandom around Cherry MX style switches would decrease in the upcoming years, to give more room for new kinds of keyboard innovations.
  - Symbiote 5y ago
    Ah, sorry, I was thinking far too much of the mechanical keyboard nerds when you wrote "ergo". My ErgoDash is a few steps weirder than the Logitech Ergo K860. I find those low-travel keyboards extremely uncomfortable for typing; being unable to replace a much older full-travel ergonomic Logitech keyboard is what drove me to a mechanical alternative. I did find it uncomfortable at first, until I realized I did not need to press the keys anywhere near as hard as I was used to. There are some low-profile MX mount mechanical switches [1], but I have no experience. I did make the gallery [2], but it only has mechanical keyboards – I think other sites cover rubber-dome keyboards adequately. [1] https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Low_Profile https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Low_Profile [2] https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/ https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

by h3mb3 5y ago

Symbiote 5y ago

Any mechanical keyboard supporting QMK is fully reprogrammable, so you can either choose one with sufficient keys, or enable one of various options to double-up particular keys. I have an ErgoDash, which has several thumb keys on each side — the size of your hands would determine how many are practical for frequent use. My squeezed-in left arrow key serves as Alt when I hold it down, and Enter is Ctrl if I hold that down.

h3mb3 5y ago
Among the QMK keyboards, it's still very tricky to find a tenkeyless/ergo keyboard with mostly a normal layout (with enough keys between the spacebar and the arrow keys to host all 3 Mac modifier keys). More importantly, I also really haven't yet found a "mechanical" keyswitch (== with a Cherry MX mount) that wouldn't be worse for my RSI than traditional rubber domes (lately I've especially liked the low travel ones, currently Logitech Ergo K860). Sure, it may also be more about the design (or lack of design) in many of these "mechanical" keyboards I've tried that is bad for my specific kind of RSI – it's hard to pin down. Unfortunately, if you want rubber domes, the options are really scarse. I wish the religious fandom around Cherry MX style switches would decrease in the upcoming years, to give more room for new kinds of keyboard innovations.
- Symbiote 5y ago
  Ah, sorry, I was thinking far too much of the mechanical keyboard nerds when you wrote "ergo". My ErgoDash is a few steps weirder than the Logitech Ergo K860. I find those low-travel keyboards extremely uncomfortable for typing; being unable to replace a much older full-travel ergonomic Logitech keyboard is what drove me to a mechanical alternative. I did find it uncomfortable at first, until I realized I did not need to press the keys anywhere near as hard as I was used to. There are some low-profile MX mount mechanical switches [1], but I have no experience. I did make the gallery [2], but it only has mechanical keyboards – I think other sites cover rubber-dome keyboards adequately. [1] https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Low_Profile https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Low_Profile [2] https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/ https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/