I'm a dvorak user and I agree with others that while it is useful, it's not sufficient alone for a good typing experience. Typing x, z, f is still more awkward

I'm a dvorak user and I agree with others that while it is useful, it's not sufficient alone for a good typing experience. Typing x, z, f is still more awkward than it needs to be, enter/backspace etc is difficult, and ctrl is in a really awful position on standard keyboards. (I'm sure every emacs user will agree.) The difference is more like using an off-road bicycle to travel on flat roads. It's just the wrong tool for the job. The standard keyboard layout was designed how it is for a specific purpose: to allow physical parts to move on old typewriters. The placement of keys serves little purpose to the typist. In our collective madness though, we have adapted ourselves to typewriter layouts, rather than adapting the layout to fit our hands when the requirement for moving physical parts disappeared. The higher price of ergo keyboards is mainly a consequence of a much smaller market. Standard keyboards are only so cheap because they're mass produced, and have had countless iterations to simplify the production process over the years. I'm in desperate need of a better ergo keyboard and I find projects like this one fascinating. I tried designing one myself a while back, but I don't have the skills to make it happen.