8 ms·

Caps lock should not be changed despite it's ostensible uselessness. Programmers often remap caps lock (I personally use this tool [1]), and it's nice to have a

Caps lock should not be changed despite it's ostensible uselessness. Programmers often remap caps lock (I personally use this tool [1]), and it's nice to have a big target for the pinky. Remapping is of course possible with these new keyboards, but the split key design that replaces caps lock leaves a much smaller target. In addition, I'm sure there are hunt and peck typists that still legitimately use caps locks instead of shift because it requires less coordination and hand contortions, so leaving caps lock alone also has accessibility benefits. One area where keyboard designers aren't innovating enough is the spacebar. The left 2/3 of the space bar is rarely used by most touch typists and hogs very accessible real estate. I like how Microsoft split the spacebar on their new keyboard [2] and replaced the left half with backspace, the most commonly typed (but normally most hard to reach) key. I'm disappointed to see thinkpad/lenovo make these mistakes given their reputation for quality laptop keyboards. I personally use an x230 [3], which has a similar chiclet keyboard as the x1 carbon in the article without the transgressions. [1] https://github.com/alols/xcape https://github.com/alols/xcape [2] http://techland.time.com/2012/09/20/new-microsoft-keyboard-splits-space-bar-left-side-used-as-backspace-key/ http://techland.time.com/2012/09/20/new-microsoft-keyboard-s... [3] http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x230/ http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x230/

9999 13y ago
I use a Happy Hacking Keyboard which has no capslock key, control is automatically mapped there. On every other keyboard I've applied that same mapping in the OS. I would hate that weird split key set up that Lenovo has done there though.
- moonboots 13y ago
  I like the minimal ideals of the happy hacking keyboard but I think it went a little overboard. I like having an arrow cluster and page up/down for applications that don't support emacs/vi bindings. I do like how the number pad is removed. It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse.
  - 9999 13y ago
    It took me quite a while to get used to using the function key to access the arrows, and I'm still not entirely happy with that. If you get the Lite version that does have arrow keys, but the Lite is inferior to the Pro in every other way.
    - moonboots 13y ago
      There are some new "66 key" keyboards [1] with a similar form factor and price as the happy hacking lite except with mechanical switches. [1] http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,compact&pid=fc660mneb# http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,compact&p...
      - usea 13y ago
        I couldn't live without Home and End. They're two of my most frequently used keys. Do you know of any other similar keyboards with the home/end/pg cluster intact?
        w1ntermute 13y ago
        Realforce 87u.
  - w1ntermute 13y ago
    > I do like how the number pad is removed. It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse. Take a look at tenkeyless keyboards, then. They don't have the numpad, but keep everything else the same as a full-size (104 key) keyboard. For example, the Realforce 87U is a tenkeyless keyboard with Topre keyswitches (same as the HHKB): http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,rftenkeyless&pid=rf_se1700 http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,r... Or if you want Cherry (rather than Topre) switches, the Filco Majestouch 2 Tenkeyless is a good option: http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=765 http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=765 Or if you want to save a bit more space by pushing the keys at the far right and on the top row up against the main section of the keyboard, there's the Noppoo Choc Mini: http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-Switches/dp/B00A45WK4U http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-Swit...
- laureny 13y ago
  Sadly, the Happy Hacking Keyboard is not split, so it's a non starter for anyone who's serious about avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome.
  - 9999 13y ago
    Are split keyboards really that much better for avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome? It seems like I just don't hear that much about carpal tunnel any more, and I wonder if the general wisdom of taking frequent breaks is a bigger factor than an ergonomic keyboard.
    - vizeroth 13y ago
      I think it largely depends on the person. If I rest my hands naturally on a traditional keyboard, my fingers end up somewhere around wdfv okjn. To pull them around to the home row basically involves tilting my hands outward and bringing my wrists inward even further, neither of which is good for either your hands or your typing speed. If I have pain or numbness (either of which can last for days), just having my hands rotated to use a flat keyboard for a few minutes could be difficult. Generally, though, if I get pain in my left hand/arm, it's from excessive typing; in my right, excessive back-and-forth to the pointing device (I use a trackball at home if I do any gaming, pad at work, just so it's not the same device all the time). I have never really been able to use a mouse.
    - goatslacker 13y ago
      I suffered from some form of CTS and I can say split keyboards didn't really make much of a difference. It's all about placement of the wrists and keeping a good posture. Also breaks, lots of small breaks throughout the day.
      - deong 13y ago
        A properly designed split keyboard is aimed at improving the placement of the wrists though. I found a minor but noticeable benefit many years ago switching to the Kinesis Advantage. I've recently switched to the Truly Ergonomic keyboard; I've yet to decide if it's better or worse overall than the Kinesis.
robinh 13y ago
"In addition, I'm sure there are hunt and peck typists that still legitimately use caps locks instead of shift because it requires less coordination and hand contortions, so leaving caps lock alone also has accessibility benefits." A recent poll I posted on HN suggests that I'm in the minority on this one, but I actually don't remap caps lock myself. And I like to think I'm a pretty capable writer, touch typing with a decent WPM. Consider the following bit of assembly: .set MBOOT_PAGE_ALIGN, 1<<0 .set MBOOT_MEM_INFO, 1<<1 .set MBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC, 0x1BADB002 .set MBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS, MBOOT_PAGE_ALIGN | MBOOT_MEM_INFO .set MBOOT_CHECKSUM, -(MBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC + MBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS) (These are multiboot header definitions used by a kernel to get GRUB to load it, for the curious.) I'm sure there are plenty of programmers who just use the shift key if they were to write code similar to the above, but I simply prefer the caps lock key myself. Habit, perhaps.
- laureny 13y ago
  You might want to use some help from your editor for this, e.g. auto completion. I'm hoping you never actually have to type every single letter of this code.
- chrismorgan 13y ago
  For such code I would be holding down the Shift key with my left pinkie while I type the rest with all my other fingers. That is (↓ meaning shift down and ↑ shift up): ↓mboot-page-align↑ The alternative would seem to be less effcient: <Caps>mboot↓-↑page↓-↑align<Caps>
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - w1ntermute 13y ago
    Actually, Caps Lock doesn't affect non-letter keys, so you don't need to hold Shift when typing the dashes.
    - chrismorgan 13y ago
nitrogen 13y ago
The spacebar has to be big because some typists use their left thumb, not the right.
TazeTSchnitzel 13y ago
On Japanese keyboards, much of what is the spacebar in the West is replaced with IME keys.
bluecalm 13y ago
>The left 2/3 of the space bar is rarely used by most touch typists and hogs very accessible real estate. I am left handed and I use almost exclusively the left 2/3 of the space bar as it's easier to press it with my left thumb. Maybe I just taught myself the wrong way but I am competent at typing and this Microsoft's keyboard would be just unusable for me. I wonder how it goes for other left-handed people.
- theandrewbailey 13y ago
  I am exactly the same way (lefty using left side of space). I'd probably use that MS keyboard to remove someone's brain before I used it for serious work. But it also would be useless for gamers, as the left hand is over WSAD and the right hand having the mouse. Space is mapped to jump in many games (some of which you cannot remap), and you gotta jump sometimes.
- moonboots 13y ago
  Ideally both halves of the spacebar would default to space for accessibility, with a software or hardware toggle to change one side. For typist that use the left half of the space bar, the right half is wasted real estate.
- dkersten 13y ago
  The left 2/3 of the space bar is rarely used by most touch typists and hogs very accessible real estate. This is so true for me that there is a thumb-sized mark on my spacebar where the finish on the plastic is worn because I always press the key at the exact same place. I am left handed This is, of course, true for a lot of people. I think the solution is to do what the microsoft keyboard did, but provide a hardware switch to toggle which side is space.
- prutschman 13y ago
  I'm right handed and also use the left 1/2-2/3 of the space bar. I once ran across a keyboard with this feature at a public library and was nearly unable to use it.
  - 13y ago
sschueller 13y ago
On the Swiss german keyboard layout you have to use the capslock key to access captial �, � and �. You can't use shift � as that triggers �. I wonder if the Swiss german layout of the thinkpad x1 has the capslock key.
disposablename 13y ago
The split-spacebar idea is actually a lot older than this: http://www.impactcomputers.com/247431-101.html http://www.impactcomputers.com/247431-101.html Compaq called them Erase-Ease. I have one and it says 1997 on the back. To account for left/right preference, you can use a key combination (something like ctrl-alt-shift-escape) to cycle between space-space, backspace-space, space-backspace configurations! Edit: more links: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NMB+introduces+Erase-Ease+back+space+feature+for+Right+Touch+Windows...-a017469433 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NMB+introduces+Erase-Ease+back... And a comical example of someone stumbling upon the configuration key combo: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq/bpj7z44ZMtQ https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.sys.pc-clone.com...

9999 13y ago

I use a Happy Hacking Keyboard which has no capslock key, control is automatically mapped there. On every other keyboard I've applied that same mapping in the OS. I would hate that weird split key set up that Lenovo has done there though.

moonboots 13y ago
I like the minimal ideals of the happy hacking keyboard but I think it went a little overboard. I like having an arrow cluster and page up/down for applications that don't support emacs/vi bindings. I do like how the number pad is removed. It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse.
- 9999 13y ago
  It took me quite a while to get used to using the function key to access the arrows, and I'm still not entirely happy with that. If you get the Lite version that does have arrow keys, but the Lite is inferior to the Pro in every other way.
  - moonboots 13y ago
    There are some new "66 key" keyboards [1] with a similar form factor and price as the happy hacking lite except with mechanical switches. [1] http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,compact&pid=fc660mneb# http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,compact&p...
    - usea 13y ago
      I couldn't live without Home and End. They're two of my most frequently used keys. Do you know of any other similar keyboards with the home/end/pg cluster intact?
      - w1ntermute 13y ago
        Realforce 87u.
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  > I do like how the number pad is removed. It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse. Take a look at tenkeyless keyboards, then. They don't have the numpad, but keep everything else the same as a full-size (104 key) keyboard. For example, the Realforce 87U is a tenkeyless keyboard with Topre keyswitches (same as the HHKB): http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,rftenkeyless&pid=rf_se1700 http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,r... Or if you want Cherry (rather than Topre) switches, the Filco Majestouch 2 Tenkeyless is a good option: http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=765 http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=765 Or if you want to save a bit more space by pushing the keys at the far right and on the top row up against the main section of the keyboard, there's the Noppoo Choc Mini: http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-Switches/dp/B00A45WK4U http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-Swit...
laureny 13y ago
Sadly, the Happy Hacking Keyboard is not split, so it's a non starter for anyone who's serious about avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome.
- 9999 13y ago
  Are split keyboards really that much better for avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome? It seems like I just don't hear that much about carpal tunnel any more, and I wonder if the general wisdom of taking frequent breaks is a bigger factor than an ergonomic keyboard.
  - vizeroth 13y ago
    I think it largely depends on the person. If I rest my hands naturally on a traditional keyboard, my fingers end up somewhere around wdfv okjn. To pull them around to the home row basically involves tilting my hands outward and bringing my wrists inward even further, neither of which is good for either your hands or your typing speed. If I have pain or numbness (either of which can last for days), just having my hands rotated to use a flat keyboard for a few minutes could be difficult. Generally, though, if I get pain in my left hand/arm, it's from excessive typing; in my right, excessive back-and-forth to the pointing device (I use a trackball at home if I do any gaming, pad at work, just so it's not the same device all the time). I have never really been able to use a mouse.
  - goatslacker 13y ago
    I suffered from some form of CTS and I can say split keyboards didn't really make much of a difference. It's all about placement of the wrists and keeping a good posture. Also breaks, lots of small breaks throughout the day.
    - deong 13y ago
      A properly designed split keyboard is aimed at improving the placement of the wrists though. I found a minor but noticeable benefit many years ago switching to the Kinesis Advantage. I've recently switched to the Truly Ergonomic keyboard; I've yet to decide if it's better or worse overall than the Kinesis.

robinh 13y ago

"In addition, I'm sure there are hunt and peck typists that still legitimately use caps locks instead of shift because it requires less coordination and hand contortions, so leaving caps lock alone also has accessibility benefits." A recent poll I posted on HN suggests that I'm in the minority on this one, but I actually don't remap caps lock myself. And I like to think I'm a pretty capable writer, touch typing with a decent WPM. Consider the following bit of assembly: .set MBOOT_PAGE_ALIGN, 1<<0 .set MBOOT_MEM_INFO, 1<<1 .set MBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC, 0x1BADB002 .set MBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS, MBOOT_PAGE_ALIGN | MBOOT_MEM_INFO .set MBOOT_CHECKSUM, -(MBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC + MBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS) (These are multiboot header definitions used by a kernel to get GRUB to load it, for the curious.) I'm sure there are plenty of programmers who just use the shift key if they were to write code similar to the above, but I simply prefer the caps lock key myself. Habit, perhaps.

laureny 13y ago
You might want to use some help from your editor for this, e.g. auto completion. I'm hoping you never actually have to type every single letter of this code.
chrismorgan 13y ago
For such code I would be holding down the Shift key with my left pinkie while I type the rest with all my other fingers. That is (↓ meaning shift down and ↑ shift up): ↓mboot-page-align↑ The alternative would seem to be less effcient: <Caps>mboot↓-↑page↓-↑align<Caps>
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  Actually, Caps Lock doesn't affect non-letter keys, so you don't need to hold Shift when typing the dashes.
  - chrismorgan 13y ago

nitrogen 13y ago

The spacebar has to be big because some typists use their left thumb, not the right.

TazeTSchnitzel 13y ago

On Japanese keyboards, much of what is the spacebar in the West is replaced with IME keys.

bluecalm 13y ago

>The left 2/3 of the space bar is rarely used by most touch typists and hogs very accessible real estate. I am left handed and I use almost exclusively the left 2/3 of the space bar as it's easier to press it with my left thumb. Maybe I just taught myself the wrong way but I am competent at typing and this Microsoft's keyboard would be just unusable for me. I wonder how it goes for other left-handed people.

theandrewbailey 13y ago
I am exactly the same way (lefty using left side of space). I'd probably use that MS keyboard to remove someone's brain before I used it for serious work. But it also would be useless for gamers, as the left hand is over WSAD and the right hand having the mouse. Space is mapped to jump in many games (some of which you cannot remap), and you gotta jump sometimes.
moonboots 13y ago
Ideally both halves of the spacebar would default to space for accessibility, with a software or hardware toggle to change one side. For typist that use the left half of the space bar, the right half is wasted real estate.
dkersten 13y ago
The left 2/3 of the space bar is rarely used by most touch typists and hogs very accessible real estate. This is so true for me that there is a thumb-sized mark on my spacebar where the finish on the plastic is worn because I always press the key at the exact same place. I am left handed This is, of course, true for a lot of people. I think the solution is to do what the microsoft keyboard did, but provide a hardware switch to toggle which side is space.
prutschman 13y ago
I'm right handed and also use the left 1/2-2/3 of the space bar. I once ran across a keyboard with this feature at a public library and was nearly unable to use it.
- 13y ago

sschueller 13y ago

On the Swiss german keyboard layout you have to use the capslock key to access captial �, � and �. You can't use shift � as that triggers �. I wonder if the Swiss german layout of the thinkpad x1 has the capslock key.

disposablename 13y ago

The split-spacebar idea is actually a lot older than this: http://www.impactcomputers.com/247431-101.html http://www.impactcomputers.com/247431-101.html Compaq called them Erase-Ease. I have one and it says 1997 on the back. To account for left/right preference, you can use a key combination (something like ctrl-alt-shift-escape) to cycle between space-space, backspace-space, space-backspace configurations! Edit: more links: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NMB+introduces+Erase-Ease+back+space+feature+for+Right+Touch+Windows...-a017469433 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NMB+introduces+Erase-Ease+back... And a comical example of someone stumbling upon the configuration key combo: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq/bpj7z44ZMtQ https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.sys.pc-clone.com...