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I bought and use two Moonlanders. I’d like future versions to integrate a small trackball and to be wireless. That said, this helped my shoulder and wrist pain

I bought and use two Moonlanders. I’d like future versions to integrate a small trackball and to be wireless. That said, this helped my shoulder and wrist pain tremendously. I recommend it for those with injuries and unique needs. This year, I’m trying the Halmak layout to type even more efficiently. Pair it with an Evoluent mouse or similar vertical mouse for a great setup.

lrvick 4y ago
Since switching to Moonlander+Colemak I went from daily shoulder neck and wrist pain to the point I could not work... to it being basically nonexistent. YMMV but getting those hands spread apart to push the shoulders back and getting 30% less finger travel were major helps for me. My wife made the same switch and says similar.
hosteur 4y ago
> I’d like future versions to integrate a small trackball Maybe you are aware, but it is possible to configure a layer to include mouse controls directly on the keys: https://i.imgur.com/5x3YTg6.png https://i.imgur.com/5x3YTg6.png I use this a lot and this prevents me from having to reach for the mouse to do trivial stuff.
- comfypotato 4y ago
  I’d extend this comment further to eliminate your use of the word “trivial”. I don’t have a mouse anymore. Mouse keys are “better overall”, in my experience, for everything except gaming. That being said, I left the EZ’s configurator a long time ago. The tweaking to get mouse keys working optimally probably requires diving into the actual firmware. For example, you definitely need MK_COMBINED to combine basic acceleration with forced speed control. I also put a lot of thought into making it VERY easy to navigate to and from the mouse layer (dedicated and easily-accessible thumb keys) and to be able to tell if I’m on the mouse layer.
  - qhwudbebd 4y ago
    This is really interesting: I'd love to hear more about how you have the mouse key layer set up and how you've managed to make it work as well for you as a mouse or trackpad.
    - comfypotato 4y ago
      You've asked for an explanation of one of the things I love talking about! TLDR: I think the most important part of my setup is that it's easy to navigate to and from the mouse layer. The EZ has two large thumb keys on each hand, and I use one on the left hand to get to the mouse layer and one on the right to get to the home layer. I don't use these keys for anything else, so there's nothing confusing about this. With this as the foundation, the muscle memory to tap each one depending on which layer you need to be on quickly becomes second nature. The mouse layer is central to my configuration, not an afterthought! I'll list a few of the strategies I use: - Have the mouse navigation keys basically on the home row or WASD-like configuration on the mouse layer. - Have a dedicated mouse wheel layer with the same navigation layout (getting to this one doesn't have to be as serious as the mouse layer itself; I use a TO on the mouse layer). - Make sure you can apply modifiers to mouse clicks and wheel movements. You'd be surprised how often you do this. - As far as configuring acceleration, speed, etc.: It's a balancing act of tweaking. The defaults are a good place to start. Don't forget to include the operating system's speed configuration in your tweaking. It helps a lot if you can read code. The corresponding file/section in the QMK firmware is short. - Make use of speed-clamp-acceleration-keys for detail movement and high-speed monitor switching. MK_COMBINED makes the slowest acceleration key as slow as possible. Ultimately, I think it's "better" than a mouse because you don't have to context switch between the keyboard and a mouse. There's a split second of cognitive load replacing your hands on the keyboard that breaks down whatever mental architecture you've built to solve your problem-of-the-moment. Avoiding this load is a compounding benefit. I used to keep a mouse around in case I needed it; this has never happened.
jbnorth 4y ago
I’m with you on this. I’d love to be able to replace the thumb cluster on one side with a trackball.
yencabulator 4y ago
I keep an Apple touchpad in the middle of my Ergodox EZ. Yes I need to move my hand to it, but much less so than with a traditional mouse on the side setup.
- R0flcopt3r 4y ago
  same! I find that works very well. I also sometimes put a notebook or a plate between the halves.
CobaltFire 4y ago
I'm still trying to learn my Moonlander off and on. I want to love it, and when it clicks it's amazing, but the learning cliff is pretty tall.

lrvick 4y ago

Since switching to Moonlander+Colemak I went from daily shoulder neck and wrist pain to the point I could not work... to it being basically nonexistent. YMMV but getting those hands spread apart to push the shoulders back and getting 30% less finger travel were major helps for me. My wife made the same switch and says similar.

hosteur 4y ago

> I’d like future versions to integrate a small trackball Maybe you are aware, but it is possible to configure a layer to include mouse controls directly on the keys: https://i.imgur.com/5x3YTg6.png https://i.imgur.com/5x3YTg6.png I use this a lot and this prevents me from having to reach for the mouse to do trivial stuff.

comfypotato 4y ago
I’d extend this comment further to eliminate your use of the word “trivial”. I don’t have a mouse anymore. Mouse keys are “better overall”, in my experience, for everything except gaming. That being said, I left the EZ’s configurator a long time ago. The tweaking to get mouse keys working optimally probably requires diving into the actual firmware. For example, you definitely need MK_COMBINED to combine basic acceleration with forced speed control. I also put a lot of thought into making it VERY easy to navigate to and from the mouse layer (dedicated and easily-accessible thumb keys) and to be able to tell if I’m on the mouse layer.
- qhwudbebd 4y ago
  This is really interesting: I'd love to hear more about how you have the mouse key layer set up and how you've managed to make it work as well for you as a mouse or trackpad.
  - comfypotato 4y ago
    You've asked for an explanation of one of the things I love talking about! TLDR: I think the most important part of my setup is that it's easy to navigate to and from the mouse layer. The EZ has two large thumb keys on each hand, and I use one on the left hand to get to the mouse layer and one on the right to get to the home layer. I don't use these keys for anything else, so there's nothing confusing about this. With this as the foundation, the muscle memory to tap each one depending on which layer you need to be on quickly becomes second nature. The mouse layer is central to my configuration, not an afterthought! I'll list a few of the strategies I use: - Have the mouse navigation keys basically on the home row or WASD-like configuration on the mouse layer. - Have a dedicated mouse wheel layer with the same navigation layout (getting to this one doesn't have to be as serious as the mouse layer itself; I use a TO on the mouse layer). - Make sure you can apply modifiers to mouse clicks and wheel movements. You'd be surprised how often you do this. - As far as configuring acceleration, speed, etc.: It's a balancing act of tweaking. The defaults are a good place to start. Don't forget to include the operating system's speed configuration in your tweaking. It helps a lot if you can read code. The corresponding file/section in the QMK firmware is short. - Make use of speed-clamp-acceleration-keys for detail movement and high-speed monitor switching. MK_COMBINED makes the slowest acceleration key as slow as possible. Ultimately, I think it's "better" than a mouse because you don't have to context switch between the keyboard and a mouse. There's a split second of cognitive load replacing your hands on the keyboard that breaks down whatever mental architecture you've built to solve your problem-of-the-moment. Avoiding this load is a compounding benefit. I used to keep a mouse around in case I needed it; this has never happened.

jbnorth 4y ago

I’m with you on this. I’d love to be able to replace the thumb cluster on one side with a trackball.

yencabulator 4y ago

I keep an Apple touchpad in the middle of my Ergodox EZ. Yes I need to move my hand to it, but much less so than with a traditional mouse on the side setup.

R0flcopt3r 4y ago
same! I find that works very well. I also sometimes put a notebook or a plate between the halves.

CobaltFire 4y ago

I'm still trying to learn my Moonlander off and on. I want to love it, and when it clicks it's amazing, but the learning cliff is pretty tall.