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A QMK or a similar programmable keyboard. Often found in mechanical ones. I believe QMK supports 32 layers. So far I've only needed 4 or 5 but the boost in prod

A QMK or a similar programmable keyboard. Often found in mechanical ones. I believe QMK supports 32 layers. So far I've only needed 4 or 5 but the boost in productivity is night and day.

awiesenhofer 5y ago
Looks interesting, how do you use it?
- bikingbismuth 5y ago
  I use an Ortholinear keyboard and I remapped all the brackets to make more sense (to me). I also have few very common programming symbols on another layer like “:=“, “if __name__ …”, “try…except”. I have a layer that is my “network numpad”. The right side of my board (a Levinson) in this mode is: EF789(Del) CD456(Macro to type 255) AB123(Enter) __0.: I also have a HID device attack mode layer that has payloads for popping shells, adding accounts to windows machine, grabbing wifi passwords, etc. This one is just fun stuff from my previous life in red team InfoSec. Some of this is overkill but it shaves a few seconds off my day and I had a lot of fun building it.
- maxwelldone 5y ago
  How do I use it? Let me give some examples (from my current driver - 68% board): 1. The bottom left key (Cntrl) is L1. I chose it because it's easy to just lean on it by the side of my palm as opposed to pressing it which is a hard to reach point. It controls commonly used hotkeys like window management, media (vol, play/pause), clipboard etc. 2. A layer for symbols & fn keys. 3. A layer just for VS Code keys. For instance, Ctrl + Page Up/Down behaves like mouse scroll (on Mac), so I've dedicated layer keys around home row. It's naturally placed near home row navigation. I also have some handy macros like that will type language specific stuff like "() => {}" and move cursor inside parenthesis, etc. 4. Another layer for pretty much everything else. Like, locking & unlocking my Mac (bad practice to have pwd in macros, I know), opening "about:logins" in FF, tagging files (Ctrl 1,2,3...) etc. Pro Tip for newbies: 1. Get comfortable flashing new configs (which shouldn't be a problem these days) 2. Don't over optimize layers & macros - go with something decent that will solve major pain points. 3. While using, make a note of things that work, things that feel odd and things you never use. Then, make incremental modifications. Rinse & repeat. For people considering Mech boards: It need not cost an arm & a leg. The first board I bought was Tada 68 which cost around 120 bucks. Getting a board with swappable keys might be tricky at this price point - but if you know what sort of key you want, this shouldn't be a big problem. As with SW development, start simple & expand based on necessity.
bikingbismuth 5y ago
Totally agreed. My main keyboard and macropad are both QMK programmable.
- maxwelldone 5y ago
  It was QMK that actually motivated me to build my own macropad (well, it was a rotary controller) which was ton of fun even though I was just following simple tutorials. But as a software guy, building something physical sourcing all the parts myself opened a new realm of pleasure.
  - bikingbismuth 5y ago
    I totally understand the joy of building something. I made a bunch of “sensor turns on an LED” projects, but nothing scratched my maker itch like building something I actively use everyday.

A QMK or a similar programmable keyboard. Often found in mechanical ones. I believe QMK supports 32 layers. So far I've only needed 4 or 5 but the boost in productivity is night and day.

awiesenhofer 5y ago

Looks interesting, how do you use it?

bikingbismuth 5y ago
I use an Ortholinear keyboard and I remapped all the brackets to make more sense (to me). I also have few very common programming symbols on another layer like “:=“, “if __name__ …”, “try…except”. I have a layer that is my “network numpad”. The right side of my board (a Levinson) in this mode is: EF789(Del) CD456(Macro to type 255) AB123(Enter) __0.: I also have a HID device attack mode layer that has payloads for popping shells, adding accounts to windows machine, grabbing wifi passwords, etc. This one is just fun stuff from my previous life in red team InfoSec. Some of this is overkill but it shaves a few seconds off my day and I had a lot of fun building it.
maxwelldone 5y ago
How do I use it? Let me give some examples (from my current driver - 68% board): 1. The bottom left key (Cntrl) is L1. I chose it because it's easy to just lean on it by the side of my palm as opposed to pressing it which is a hard to reach point. It controls commonly used hotkeys like window management, media (vol, play/pause), clipboard etc. 2. A layer for symbols & fn keys. 3. A layer just for VS Code keys. For instance, Ctrl + Page Up/Down behaves like mouse scroll (on Mac), so I've dedicated layer keys around home row. It's naturally placed near home row navigation. I also have some handy macros like that will type language specific stuff like "() => {}" and move cursor inside parenthesis, etc. 4. Another layer for pretty much everything else. Like, locking & unlocking my Mac (bad practice to have pwd in macros, I know), opening "about:logins" in FF, tagging files (Ctrl 1,2,3...) etc. Pro Tip for newbies: 1. Get comfortable flashing new configs (which shouldn't be a problem these days) 2. Don't over optimize layers & macros - go with something decent that will solve major pain points. 3. While using, make a note of things that work, things that feel odd and things you never use. Then, make incremental modifications. Rinse & repeat. For people considering Mech boards: It need not cost an arm & a leg. The first board I bought was Tada 68 which cost around 120 bucks. Getting a board with swappable keys might be tricky at this price point - but if you know what sort of key you want, this shouldn't be a big problem. As with SW development, start simple & expand based on necessity.

bikingbismuth 5y ago

Totally agreed. My main keyboard and macropad are both QMK programmable.

maxwelldone 5y ago
It was QMK that actually motivated me to build my own macropad (well, it was a rotary controller) which was ton of fun even though I was just following simple tutorials. But as a software guy, building something physical sourcing all the parts myself opened a new realm of pleasure.
- bikingbismuth 5y ago
  I totally understand the joy of building something. I made a bunch of “sensor turns on an LED” projects, but nothing scratched my maker itch like building something I actively use everyday.