4 ms·

Same. I use my numpad constantly - Excel, programming, VoIP, calc, etc. I don't use the number row above my keyboard except on rare occasions or to type the sh

Same. I use my numpad constantly - Excel, programming, VoIP, calc, etc. I don't use the number row above my keyboard except on rare occasions or to type the shifted characters. If I need to quickly type a number without looking, the numpad is the only way to do that (for me). I tried a friends "compact" gaming keyboard, and then to the right of his keyboard was a separate "macro" keyboard which was basically just a numpad... so why not just have a numpad?

xattt 2y ago
There’s a loud category of people that are obsessed with looks and symmetry (over function) that a numpad breaks. I doubt these folks do any meaningful numerical work, so they do not understand the convenience of the numpad.
- wruza 2y ago
  Yes, but not doing a numerical work is perfectly fine use of a PC. Edit: thinking more about it, I’d rather use a solar cell powered ble enabled calculator with all the usual buttons (M*, +-, C/AC, <, etc) and a screen, rather than having a built-in or separate numpad which sucks for one-hand input anyway.
  - xattt 2y ago
    > which sucks for one-hand input anyway Wait, what? Unless you’re hunting-and-pecking, a numpad IS the job for one-handed number input.
- pulvinar 2y ago
  My reason for using a no-keypad keyboard on the desktop is entirely functional: reaching for the mouse (a very common motion) is faster. And as a bonus, I can type numbers faster on the top row than I could on a keypad since I'm using 8 fingers, and my hands stay in home position for mixing with letters and other symbols. Combine that with being easily able to switch to a laptop keyboard and still type at full speed -- I've just never seen the point of a keypad.
  - jermaustin1 2y ago
    Makes me wonder if with practice I could switch from numpad to the number row for numbers. Currently my brain doesn't work like that, but I had to learn how to type letters all those years ago, so it has to be the same. But I have to "unlearn" how I currently type numbers.
    - xattt 2y ago
      I was laptop only for several years. I thought I’d be able to unlearn. Once I got a proper desk setup again, using a numpad was like riding a bike.
Ferret7446 2y ago
You could just get a separate numpad... Numpads are specialist equipment now that data entry is much less common than the past, as everything is digitized/scanned. The other advantage of a separate numpad is that you can position it for better ergonomics; a full sized keyboard usually forces either the mouse or the keyboard into a more awkward position.

xattt 2y ago

There’s a loud category of people that are obsessed with looks and symmetry (over function) that a numpad breaks. I doubt these folks do any meaningful numerical work, so they do not understand the convenience of the numpad.

wruza 2y ago
Yes, but not doing a numerical work is perfectly fine use of a PC. Edit: thinking more about it, I’d rather use a solar cell powered ble enabled calculator with all the usual buttons (M*, +-, C/AC, <, etc) and a screen, rather than having a built-in or separate numpad which sucks for one-hand input anyway.
- xattt 2y ago
  > which sucks for one-hand input anyway Wait, what? Unless you’re hunting-and-pecking, a numpad IS the job for one-handed number input.
pulvinar 2y ago
My reason for using a no-keypad keyboard on the desktop is entirely functional: reaching for the mouse (a very common motion) is faster. And as a bonus, I can type numbers faster on the top row than I could on a keypad since I'm using 8 fingers, and my hands stay in home position for mixing with letters and other symbols. Combine that with being easily able to switch to a laptop keyboard and still type at full speed -- I've just never seen the point of a keypad.
- jermaustin1 2y ago
  Makes me wonder if with practice I could switch from numpad to the number row for numbers. Currently my brain doesn't work like that, but I had to learn how to type letters all those years ago, so it has to be the same. But I have to "unlearn" how I currently type numbers.
  - xattt 2y ago
    I was laptop only for several years. I thought I’d be able to unlearn. Once I got a proper desk setup again, using a numpad was like riding a bike.

Ferret7446 2y ago

You could just get a separate numpad... Numpads are specialist equipment now that data entry is much less common than the past, as everything is digitized/scanned. The other advantage of a separate numpad is that you can position it for better ergonomics; a full sized keyboard usually forces either the mouse or the keyboard into a more awkward position.