mox@lemmy.sdf.org
on 28 Mar 2025 03:02
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A good tool improves the way you work. A great tool improves the way you think.
pineapplelover@lemm.ee
on 28 Mar 2025 04:53
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May I introduce to you, the Banana Board. A keyboard that works by squeezing a banana shaped device.
sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 29 Mar 2025 03:38
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😏
simplejack@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 03:18
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You will encounter this man at work.
They will ask for your help with something on their workstation, and it would be faster for you to drive with them watching over your shoulder, but this cryptic thing is their keyboard.
Instead, you will be forced to sit behind them like Patrick Swayze guiding Demi Moore at a throwing wheel. You will eventually take your shirt off, launch Unchained Melody in Spotify, then slowly guide them through a system setting panel.
You will notice how soft their hands feel. The hyper-ergonomic keyboard has allowed their fingers to move with minimal effort, allowing the skin to remain supple, smooth - almost unused.
You will ask yourself, “Is he right?” How could a keyboard be so aggressive and wrong, and yet, support something so gentile.
You try to deny the feeling. Your friends and family will mock you like your uncle Dvorak. Maybe you start with a trackball and see if being naughty feels right.
trashboat@midwest.social
on 28 Mar 2025 03:42
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I mean yes but no. Back at some old job all the devs had the local admin password so we could do things like install drivers for bluetooth dongles on our own (I said “old job”, didn’t I) and usually everything was fine but at some point my machine just barfed, it would neither install nor uninstall drivers. I called an admin because I have no idea about windows internals. They were ecstatic, finally, an actual problem, and not walking someone in marketing through how to write an email. Some arcane regedit magic later the problem was solved, and yes I had layout switching ready on the taskbar.
dangercake@feddit.uk
on 28 Mar 2025 13:11
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Im spent
Obelix@feddit.org
on 28 Mar 2025 19:52
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<3
joseandres42@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 20:55
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I just keep the company keyboard on a drawer for the IT guy. I never thought all that I could be missing hahahaha
illegalflyer@lemm.ee
on 02 Apr 2025 14:38
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Sway
Kolanaki@pawb.social
on 28 Mar 2025 04:47
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I kinda like using a split keyboard sitting in an arm chair. Put one side on the left arm rest, the other on the right. Feels like I’m in the captain’s chair of the Enterprise.
trotfox@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 04:49
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There’s a dude developing out a neat split keyboard that’s ergo but you are typing in like chunks of words or something.
Looks like your fast af once used to it.
Each finger goes up down left right i believe. Can’t remember the name!
It’s quite refined looking.
Bwilder@lemmy.ca
on 28 Mar 2025 05:28
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Pretty sure you’re talking about the Svalboard. I don’t think it uses chunks of words though. Each finger has access to 5 keys and you can map any layout.
svalboard.com
Undaunted@feddit.org
on 28 Mar 2025 06:20
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Do you mean the CharaChorder? I thought about getting one in the past bit it looks like a super steep learn curve and I’m not sure if I’m willing to subject myself to it.
My brain was stuck on chroma, which made no sense, lol.
I thought the exact same thing, but the thing is, i switched to a trackball mouse and I will never go back…
So some times it’s worth it.
Undaunted@feddit.org
on 05 Apr 2025 21:30
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I grew up with trackballs because my dad preferred them to the old mice with a ball underneath. So for office work I still use one too. But it’s still just a pointing device so I’d say it would be similar to learn using a split keyboard or a dvorak layout or something. You’d still press one key after antother.
The CharaChorder is so different in the way your “typing” multiple keys at once. I feel like it has such a steep learning curve because you have to not only learn another button layout but the whole way your thinking about typing and writing in general. I’m afraid I’d just get frustrated and never use it, even though I thinks it’s extremely cool.
Infynis@midwest.social
on 28 Mar 2025 04:57
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Fuck, I don’t want to be a keyboard pervert, but these are some good points
grooving@lemmy.studio
on 28 Mar 2025 05:33
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There is a guy out there developing a mouse less solution so you never have to take your fingers off the keyboard too called mouseless.click I’m just waiting for him to release the Windows version. Only on apple atm
ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 28 Mar 2025 07:34
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IDK, a mousetrapper (or similar) effectively does the same but doesn’t require retraining your entire workflow and still allows for precision mouse work.
I googled mousetrapper but dont understand what it is? Looks like an old school trackpad?
ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 28 Mar 2025 08:35
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It’s just a mouse-device that enables full regular mouse control without taking your hands off the keyboard as well. It’s not actually a trackpad, it’s a mechanical two dimensional scrolling plate (or bar) which is much nicer to use because it provides better feedback than a trackpad.
bright_side_@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 09:16
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grooving@lemmy.studio
on 28 Mar 2025 10:40
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Oh thanks. I’ll look into it!
grooving@lemmy.studio
on 28 Mar 2025 11:59
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Ah, doesn’t work with my tented split key setup. But it’s a cool idea.
PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 06:08
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I was the lucky owner of a rare FingerWorks Touchstream keyboard for many years. If you don’t know it, it’s the precursor to the keyboards used in Star Trek Enterprise.
It’s a keyless keyboard. Two large flat mousepads with a keyboard layout printed on top, and you type by pure touch. There’s no mouse; the surface just cleverly detects when you are doing mouse gestures. Or a lot of other gestures.
Trekkie joke aside, it’s actually the magic tech that made the iPhone possible. Of course Apple didn’t invent anything, they bought existing future tech.
I miss that keyboard. They still sell on ebay, for 1400$!
datendefekt@feddit.org
on 28 Mar 2025 07:11
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Many, many moons ago (must have been around 2006?) I managed to procure a FingerWorks. It was magic, like holding a piece of computing history!
It allowed a lot of the gestures we take for granted, to switch applications or workspaces, to go back a page, etc. But it also had really cool stuff.
You could bind gestures like twisting your fingers clockwise to open a file (just like opening a jar!) or counterclockwise to close it. Pinch and zoom for copy and paste.
I was only able to get a hold on a Dvorak copy. And because the key labels were printed on the board, you couldn’t really change the layout. Getting used to a split layout, no keys and Dvorak at the same time was too much and I had to sell it again. But I’ve been using split keyboards ever since!
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
on 28 Mar 2025 12:54
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Seems cool but kind of gimmicky (particularly the twist gestures to open files). I’ll take actual tactile feedback over gimmicky features.
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 09:18
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That sounds awful though. There’s a reason why touch pads are so unpopular in cars, there’s no tactile feedback to the buttons. Part of learning to type is getting a feel for the keys.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
on 28 Mar 2025 12:53
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You mean I can have all of the worst aspects of modern smart phone keyboards with my desktop? Sign me up!
queermunist@lemmy.ml
on 28 Mar 2025 06:43
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Imagine playing Dwarf Fortress in a recliner with a pair of these.
ripcord@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 12:07
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Hmmm… I see a balding fat dude wearing a lot of Cheeto dust on his shirt
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
on 28 Mar 2025 12:52
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As someone who has only played since the Steam version, I don’t know how you people did it with the ASCII graphics and lack of mouse support.
TheBat@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 06:51
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dodos@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 08:21
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Both of mine died lately and I want to get them working again, but qmk is a nightmare I don’t want to have to touch again.
gofsckyourself@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 08:48
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I’ve used plenty of ergo keyboards and fancy layouts, but as soon as I try to use a regular keyboard I have to re-learn how to type and it really halts any productivity.
This sort of thing may be nice if you only ever use one computer or you’re willing to pack around your keyboard.
Even still, I never liked ergo boards enough to think it’s worth the effort, especially considering being useless on other keyboards once I’m used to ergo.
Now I just stick to a 75% or TKL. Keeps me versatile.
Valmond@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 10:18
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TKL FTW BTW!
communist@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz
on 28 Mar 2025 14:51
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I don’t have this experience, I am briefly confused for a second and then it’s fine, are you sure this lasts more than like 30 seconds?
When I’m forced into a qwerty situation it’s not just 30 seconds, I simply can’t touch-type qwerty and my current qwerty skills are way slower than 25 years ago where I had reached peak seven-and-a-half-fingers hunt-and-peck performance. In principle I should know where all the keys are, still, I can’t find them without looking. Somewhat similarly, I don’t really know where keys are with dvorak when my fingers aren’t on the home row but I am faster finding them on a touch display than finding qwerty keys. Also dvorak is nice on the smartphone your thumbs alternate more often.
communist@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz
on 28 Mar 2025 20:51
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ah, i was already a ~120wpm typist on qwerty when i switched to dvorak, so, that might have something to do with it.
I just got my keyboard in and I explicitly got one that I can easily take places so it won’t be an issue.
Evilschnuff@feddit.org
on 28 Mar 2025 09:02
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I find the topic interesting and want to both experiment with the ortholinear and split concepts. But the main thing holding me back is the same reason I am using zsh and not fish: compatibility. I don’t want to confuse myself with two ways of typing when I need to work on another pc and I will not be using a split keyboard on my laptop for example.
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 09:19
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Hear me out, take the optic sensor from a mouse and put it on the bottom of one of those boards. Then you wouldn’t have to move your hand to use a mouse.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
on 28 Mar 2025 12:47
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Bruh what are you doing posting million dollar ideas like this on a public forum?!
omega@startrek.website
on 28 Mar 2025 12:59
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daggermoon@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 09:25
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Where’s the rest of the keys? Also these things give off Nintendo Power Glove vibes.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
on 28 Mar 2025 12:47
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I love the Power Glove… It’s so bad.
Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee
on 28 Mar 2025 13:15
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Every Power Glove sold should have come with one complimentary Fred Savage
markstos@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 15:49
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It uses layers, the same way a phone keyboard has a separate layer for numbers and symbols. Holding down one of the three thumb keys on either side activates a new layer. Since you can use your thumb and fingers at the same time, there’s no lose in typing speed. Indeed, the layout puts numbers and symbols closer to the home row on a layer than using a physical number number.
For all symbols, you would have needed a shift-modifier to access those before. With this design, the symbols are closer but use a layer switch key instead of a shift key to access them.
Everyone who uses a phone keyboard has learned a new compact keyboard layout. It’s not so hard.
smiletolerantly@awful.systems
on 28 Mar 2025 09:28
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I built and configured an Arkenswoop some time in 2023. It’s really nice. However… I have gotten quite fast on a conventional keyboard just by using it over the years, and re-learning that is just so tedious. Every time I try, something with a deadline comes up, and I switch back “temporarily”.
Anyone have experience overcoming this?
Valmond@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 10:16
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I have had to use swedish (various), english, american, french and german keyboards, I have to look at the keyboard when I type :-/
Maybe I should just go DVORAK or something and always carry one with me…
As somebody who fully switched to Dvorak about 10 years ago, it has its benefits, but man oh man, does it bring out the shitty programmers who don’t realize that anything other than US QWERTY exists.
gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 11:05
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I switched to a new key layout and was slowed down for like a month, and almost every day I could literally feel myself speeding back up. It was such a cool experience, and one that I imagine has beneficial like neural effects, that sometimes I think about switching it up just for fun.
I’d suggest just sticking with it. I now use English, German, and my custom Workman layout at home without any issue switching between them. Practice makes perfect and cause a bunch of work and fun things encourage typing a lot, practice comes easy and getting back to your normal speed happens quickly.
Picking a new layout like Workman or Dvorak where you can feel the benefits, plus a split keyboard’s ergonomic benefits, and I think anyone would struggle to go back (assuming they do it for a month and give it a fair shake).
smiletolerantly@awful.systems
on 28 Mar 2025 11:27
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That sounds great. I think I’ve given it more than a month overall, but probably never longer than a week at a time. Guess I’ll have to have my SO hide my normal keyboard lol
gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 11:31
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Ya, I personally didn’t swap between two different ones during that time and I remember the first time u went back to a single board qwerty keyboard I struggled for less than an hour and then the muscle memory kicked in. I think my wires get crossed when I jumped between the two while learning and I decided to just stick with the one until I had “recovered” and that really helped.
Good luck!
smiletolerantly@awful.systems
on 28 Mar 2025 12:03
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I’m going through this currently trying to find a privacy respecting Android keyboard.
Latest effort is Futo, recommended by a coworker. So far, I don’t like it.
smiletolerantly@awful.systems
on 28 Mar 2025 20:57
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As a fellow Futo user: it’s not great out of the box. My biggest recommendations are:
under Languages and models, download all the voice models (if you use those), transformers, and wordlists you can for your languages
if you use multiple languages, set the check on “multilingual typing” for ALL of those languages
this is probably the biggest one: in text prediction -> Advanced Parameters, DRASTICALLY change the values. The original ones are 3.4 and 4.0 for LLM strength and autocorrect threshold, mine are currently set at 28.5 and 0.8, respectively. This takes the autocorrect from “occasionally working” to “as good as SwiftKey” for me.
Keyboard and Typing -> Long Press -> Show hints. Could not find that for ages so thought I’d add it here.
Also, two super useful shortcuts: you can press the space-bar and move your finger around to move the pointer; and the same for backspace to fine-control what to delete.
Hope this helps, but if not… What additional gripes do you have with it?
This seems like a good starting point. Thank you for the recommendations; I’ll reach out with potential future gripes.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
on 28 Mar 2025 09:43
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Here’s what I want: tiny, one handed bluetooth chord keyboard.
For typing on my phone. Can someone make one?
baldingpudenda@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 11:12
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you can make a ferris sweep. you would just choose which side you’d want and setup your layout with QMK. If you want Bluetooth, just use the nice! Nano controller. A coworker built one. It’s tiny, about the size of your hand. He would also carry it around in his pockets and connect through USB to his phone for emails.
The only problem is he customized the hell out of the layout. I think he used Colemak. His layers kinda looked like this:
He said he had trouble using regular keyboards after getting used to it. He always had to carry it around with him.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
on 28 Mar 2025 12:07
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Yeah, that’s a lot of work with tools I have no idea with. Definitely a fun project but I don’t have the time.
ripcord@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 12:00
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Aren’t there hundreds? Like this one? Or maybe I don’t know what you mean by “chord” keyboard, or you want more tiny?
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
on 28 Mar 2025 12:17
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A chord keyboard uses combinations of keys, like chords on a piano.
You have fewer keys so you can type with one hand.
I’m not 100% serious about it, learning curve would be horrendous. But it would be interesting to try. I used blackberry for a long time and I hate screen keyboards.
And yes, looks like I found one while looking for examples :)
It’s $175 on ebay, bit expensive.
AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net
on 28 Mar 2025 12:27
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(tangent to your question because someone already answered)
I think that courtroom stenographers (people who type up what’s said) use special chording keyboards. I’ve also been to a few events where there has been someone transcribing things in real time for accessibility purposes, and they also use a cool looking chording keyboard. It takes some learning, but the max typing speed is way faster than any conventional keyboard could manage — which is why skilled people use them for transcribing stuff
A brand that I’m aware of that does them is Charachorder.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
on 28 Mar 2025 12:49
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There are also machines that type things in braille that I believe use chords. I dated this crazy girl who had one and it was actually really cool.
When I was a kid, I got my hands on a PS/2 Y-adapter and so typed on two keyboards - left hand on one on my desk, right hand on one on a keyboard tray. I don’t know what my typing speed and accuracy were then, but a few years back an entire office of people tried to beat me in a typing test and couldn’t. Since then I’ve taken a typing test on a laptop while sitting in a hotel bed and gotten a score of 158 with, IIRC, 98.2% accuracy. (This was my best score but even since then all of my typing evaluations have gone well.)
I also use a trackball as exclusively as my environment allows, including while gaming (other than Minecraft). I’m not remotely a pro, but among my peers I tend to score highly in, for example, FPS’.
I’m not trying to brag; there are many better than I in both categories. The reason I bring these up is to demonstrate that something being the convention doesn’t automatically make it better and something being unfit for your preferences doesn’t make it inferior.
edit: AFAIK, I only have one left hand.
CoffeeBreakfast@sh.itjust.works
on 28 Mar 2025 19:48
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Which trackball? I was looking at them the other day but couldn’t decide
My favorite has always been the Kensington Orbit. Probably a lot of people - even those who like Trackballs - would disagree, but I’ve been happily using these for around 25 years. Except in Minecraft.
aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works
on 29 Mar 2025 07:38
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Why are you so vehemently opposed to the use of trackballs in minecraft?
I wouldn’t characterize it as vehemence, but rather a combination of consistency and honesty. People are fairly consistently surprised at my enthusiasm for gaming with trackballs, as though it’s automatically a detriment; I don’t find it to be so, except in Minecraft, so I don’t want to represent it as other than it is.
With the style of trackball I use - ball in the middle, left and right click on their respective sides of the ball - and the way I use it - thumb on left click, index and middle finger on the ball, ring and pinky on right click - right clicking can be a stressor. This isn’t a problem when tapping once or holding, such as when engaging a scope; but when repeatedly right clicking, it tires whatever muscles and tendons run between the outside of my hand and my shoulder, which already has its own problems.
Minecraft is the only game I play that requires me to repeatedly right click. (I know that now you can right click and drag to place lots of blocks, but that hasn’t always been true and doesn’t really allow for precision in my experience.) Therefore, it is the only game to which I feel my trackball is not well suited.
btr_fan87@lemmy.world
on 29 Mar 2025 18:42
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Have you considered remapping that control away from right click?
My mouse has five inputs: left click, right click, scroll wheel (not including clicking), ball movement and emulated middle clicking by simultaneously clicking left and right.
I can’t see any of those being better than right clicking and neither a keyboard nor a controller seem preferable.
edit: correct a word.
whotookkarl@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 14:48
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As long as it’s got mech switches and can run a qwerty layout I’m happy
Tronn4@lemmy.world
on 28 Mar 2025 22:45
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SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
on 29 Mar 2025 08:11
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Fun fact: that’s Elijah Wood and it’s his first film role
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
on 29 Mar 2025 03:54
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I think one of my favorite keyboards ever was a Microsoft “Natural” keyboard. I think they were available in the mid ’90s or so. Not quite a real split keyboard, but the ergonomics were great. I think I gave it away…it was great for typing, but I wanted a simpler keyboard for gaming.
oppy1984@lemm.ee
on 29 Mar 2025 08:35
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I use a knock off ergonomic keyboard from adesso. 60% of the time, it works every time.
You can still get them on Amazon for like $40 if you ever decide you want to relive the split key glory days.
kieron115@startrek.website
on 29 Mar 2025 19:35
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the one with the biiig built in “leather” wrist rest? loved that thing!
BlueMagma@sh.itjust.works
on 29 Mar 2025 07:51
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Recently bought a CharaChorder, haven’t mastered it yet but it is promising.
Sawme here! Honmestly I dom"t thinkl I coukd ever go vack tp a mormal keyboard ¶¶¶¶
sirico@feddit.uk
on 29 Mar 2025 19:51
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You don’t use a spilt keyboard set to colemak exclusively running Emacs weird
GoumLeChat@jlai.lu
on 29 Mar 2025 20:23
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So is this the new trend after 60% mechanical keyboards, ultrawide monitors or immutable distros ?
Maybe it would improve my typing speed, but I’ve been using a conventional keyboard layout for so long now, I’m fine with where I’m at. Almost thirty years of muscular memory made it “hard coded” in my hands.
merde@sh.itjust.works
on 01 Apr 2025 22:28
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it seems to be perfect for people who are not working on a desk
threaded - newest
A good tool improves the way you work. A great tool improves the way you think.
May I introduce to you, the Banana Board. A keyboard that works by squeezing a banana shaped device.
😏
You will encounter this man at work.
They will ask for your help with something on their workstation, and it would be faster for you to drive with them watching over your shoulder, but this cryptic thing is their keyboard.
Instead, you will be forced to sit behind them like Patrick Swayze guiding Demi Moore at a throwing wheel. You will eventually take your shirt off, launch Unchained Melody in Spotify, then slowly guide them through a system setting panel.
You will notice how soft their hands feel. The hyper-ergonomic keyboard has allowed their fingers to move with minimal effort, allowing the skin to remain supple, smooth - almost unused.
You will ask yourself, “Is he right?” How could a keyboard be so aggressive and wrong, and yet, support something so gentile.
You try to deny the feeling. Your friends and family will mock you like your uncle Dvorak. Maybe you start with a trackball and see if being naughty feels right.
Nice
Ergorotic literature.
I thought that was rowing machine porn.
This is coiling my cable just thinking about it.
Jesus
Imagine having a keyboard like this, and still needing to be guided through a system settings menu.
I mean yes but no. Back at some old job all the devs had the local admin password so we could do things like install drivers for bluetooth dongles on our own (I said “old job”, didn’t I) and usually everything was fine but at some point my machine just barfed, it would neither install nor uninstall drivers. I called an admin because I have no idea about windows internals. They were ecstatic, finally, an actual problem, and not walking someone in marketing through how to write an email. Some arcane regedit magic later the problem was solved, and yes I had layout switching ready on the taskbar.
Im spent
<3
I just keep the company keyboard on a drawer for the IT guy. I never thought all that I could be missing hahahaha
I used to know a person who used this line to describe one thing about themselves: “I use Dvorak layout…”
Split keyboard + a tiling window manager made my life better
What WM if I may ask.
Sway
I kinda like using a split keyboard sitting in an arm chair. Put one side on the left arm rest, the other on the right. Feels like I’m in the captain’s chair of the Enterprise.
There’s a dude developing out a neat split keyboard that’s ergo but you are typing in like chunks of words or something.
Looks like your fast af once used to it.
Each finger goes up down left right i believe. Can’t remember the name!
It’s quite refined looking.
Pretty sure you’re talking about the Svalboard. I don’t think it uses chunks of words though. Each finger has access to 5 keys and you can map any layout. svalboard.com
But maybe you’re thinking of stenography where you have fewer keys but you press them in combinations (chords) instead of individually. That looks crazy fast. youtu.be/7jVXrX5TDk4 www.artofchording.com/introduction/#stenography
Do you mean the CharaChorder? I thought about getting one in the past bit it looks like a super steep learn curve and I’m not sure if I’m willing to subject myself to it.
YES, thank you.
My brain was stuck on chroma, which made no sense, lol.
I thought the exact same thing, but the thing is, i switched to a trackball mouse and I will never go back…
So some times it’s worth it.
I grew up with trackballs because my dad preferred them to the old mice with a ball underneath. So for office work I still use one too. But it’s still just a pointing device so I’d say it would be similar to learn using a split keyboard or a dvorak layout or something. You’d still press one key after antother.
The CharaChorder is so different in the way your “typing” multiple keys at once. I feel like it has such a steep learning curve because you have to not only learn another button layout but the whole way your thinking about typing and writing in general. I’m afraid I’d just get frustrated and never use it, even though I thinks it’s extremely cool.
Fuck, I don’t want to be a keyboard pervert, but these are some good points
There is a guy out there developing a mouse less solution so you never have to take your fingers off the keyboard too called mouseless.click I’m just waiting for him to release the Windows version. Only on apple atm
IDK, a mousetrapper (or similar) effectively does the same but doesn’t require retraining your entire workflow and still allows for precision mouse work.
I googled mousetrapper but dont understand what it is? Looks like an old school trackpad?
It’s just a mouse-device that enables full regular mouse control without taking your hands off the keyboard as well. It’s not actually a trackpad, it’s a mechanical two dimensional scrolling plate (or bar) which is much nicer to use because it provides better feedback than a trackpad.
I found this, looks interesting m.youtube.com/watch?v=q7kjtvNuaHs
Oh thanks. I’ll look into it!
Ah, doesn’t work with my tented split key setup. But it’s a cool idea.
I was the lucky owner of a rare FingerWorks Touchstream keyboard for many years. If you don’t know it, it’s the precursor to the keyboards used in Star Trek Enterprise.
It’s a keyless keyboard. Two large flat mousepads with a keyboard layout printed on top, and you type by pure touch. There’s no mouse; the surface just cleverly detects when you are doing mouse gestures. Or a lot of other gestures.
Trekkie joke aside, it’s actually the magic tech that made the iPhone possible. Of course Apple didn’t invent anything, they bought existing future tech.
I miss that keyboard. They still sell on ebay, for 1400$!
Many, many moons ago (must have been around 2006?) I managed to procure a FingerWorks. It was magic, like holding a piece of computing history!
It allowed a lot of the gestures we take for granted, to switch applications or workspaces, to go back a page, etc. But it also had really cool stuff. You could bind gestures like twisting your fingers clockwise to open a file (just like opening a jar!) or counterclockwise to close it. Pinch and zoom for copy and paste.
I was only able to get a hold on a Dvorak copy. And because the key labels were printed on the board, you couldn’t really change the layout. Getting used to a split layout, no keys and Dvorak at the same time was too much and I had to sell it again. But I’ve been using split keyboards ever since!
Seems cool but kind of gimmicky (particularly the twist gestures to open files). I’ll take actual tactile feedback over gimmicky features.
That sounds awful though. There’s a reason why touch pads are so unpopular in cars, there’s no tactile feedback to the buttons. Part of learning to type is getting a feel for the keys.
You mean I can have all of the worst aspects of modern smart phone keyboards with my desktop? Sign me up!
Imagine playing Dwarf Fortress in a recliner with a pair of these.
Hmmm… I see a balding fat dude wearing a lot of Cheeto dust on his shirt
As someone who has only played since the Steam version, I don’t know how you people did it with the ASCII graphics and lack of mouse support.
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/e80bbce2-6454-46cc-bd0d-3b9b87216b7e.webp">
Both of mine died lately and I want to get them working again, but qmk is a nightmare I don’t want to have to touch again.
I’ve used plenty of ergo keyboards and fancy layouts, but as soon as I try to use a regular keyboard I have to re-learn how to type and it really halts any productivity.
This sort of thing may be nice if you only ever use one computer or you’re willing to pack around your keyboard.
Even still, I never liked ergo boards enough to think it’s worth the effort, especially considering being useless on other keyboards once I’m used to ergo.
Now I just stick to a 75% or TKL. Keeps me versatile.
TKL FTW BTW!
I don’t have this experience, I am briefly confused for a second and then it’s fine, are you sure this lasts more than like 30 seconds?
When I’m forced into a qwerty situation it’s not just 30 seconds, I simply can’t touch-type qwerty and my current qwerty skills are way slower than 25 years ago where I had reached peak seven-and-a-half-fingers hunt-and-peck performance. In principle I should know where all the keys are, still, I can’t find them without looking. Somewhat similarly, I don’t really know where keys are with dvorak when my fingers aren’t on the home row but I am faster finding them on a touch display than finding qwerty keys. Also dvorak is nice on the smartphone your thumbs alternate more often.
ah, i was already a ~120wpm typist on qwerty when i switched to dvorak, so, that might have something to do with it.
I just got my keyboard in and I explicitly got one that I can easily take places so it won’t be an issue.
I find the topic interesting and want to both experiment with the ortholinear and split concepts. But the main thing holding me back is the same reason I am using zsh and not fish: compatibility. I don’t want to confuse myself with two ways of typing when I need to work on another pc and I will not be using a split keyboard on my laptop for example.
Hear me out, take the optic sensor from a mouse and put it on the bottom of one of those boards. Then you wouldn’t have to move your hand to use a mouse.
Bruh what are you doing posting million dollar ideas like this on a public forum?!
Or just get one that has a trackball/touchpad/trackpoint, like ultimatehackingkeyboard.com
Where’s the rest of the keys? Also these things give off Nintendo Power Glove vibes.
I love the Power Glove… It’s so bad.
Every Power Glove sold should have come with one complimentary Fred Savage
It uses layers, the same way a phone keyboard has a separate layer for numbers and symbols. Holding down one of the three thumb keys on either side activates a new layer. Since you can use your thumb and fingers at the same time, there’s no lose in typing speed. Indeed, the layout puts numbers and symbols closer to the home row on a layer than using a physical number number.
For all symbols, you would have needed a shift-modifier to access those before. With this design, the symbols are closer but use a layer switch key instead of a shift key to access them.
Everyone who uses a phone keyboard has learned a new compact keyboard layout. It’s not so hard.
I built and configured an Arkenswoop some time in 2023. It’s really nice. However… I have gotten quite fast on a conventional keyboard just by using it over the years, and re-learning that is just so tedious. Every time I try, something with a deadline comes up, and I switch back “temporarily”.
Anyone have experience overcoming this?
I have had to use swedish (various), english, american, french and german keyboards, I have to look at the keyboard when I type :-/
Maybe I should just go DVORAK or something and always carry one with me…
As somebody who fully switched to Dvorak about 10 years ago, it has its benefits, but man oh man, does it bring out the shitty programmers who don’t realize that anything other than US QWERTY exists.
I switched to a new key layout and was slowed down for like a month, and almost every day I could literally feel myself speeding back up. It was such a cool experience, and one that I imagine has beneficial like neural effects, that sometimes I think about switching it up just for fun.
I’d suggest just sticking with it. I now use English, German, and my custom Workman layout at home without any issue switching between them. Practice makes perfect and cause a bunch of work and fun things encourage typing a lot, practice comes easy and getting back to your normal speed happens quickly.
Picking a new layout like Workman or Dvorak where you can feel the benefits, plus a split keyboard’s ergonomic benefits, and I think anyone would struggle to go back (assuming they do it for a month and give it a fair shake).
That sounds great. I think I’ve given it more than a month overall, but probably never longer than a week at a time. Guess I’ll have to have my SO hide my normal keyboard lol
Ya, I personally didn’t swap between two different ones during that time and I remember the first time u went back to a single board qwerty keyboard I struggled for less than an hour and then the muscle memory kicked in. I think my wires get crossed when I jumped between the two while learning and I decided to just stick with the one until I had “recovered” and that really helped.
Good luck!
Will do! Thank you!
I’m going through this currently trying to find a privacy respecting Android keyboard.
Latest effort is Futo, recommended by a coworker. So far, I don’t like it.
As a fellow Futo user: it’s not great out of the box. My biggest recommendations are:
Also, two super useful shortcuts: you can press the space-bar and move your finger around to move the pointer; and the same for backspace to fine-control what to delete.
Hope this helps, but if not… What additional gripes do you have with it?
This seems like a good starting point. Thank you for the recommendations; I’ll reach out with potential future gripes.
Here’s what I want: tiny, one handed bluetooth chord keyboard.
For typing on my phone. Can someone make one?
you can make a ferris sweep. you would just choose which side you’d want and setup your layout with QMK. If you want Bluetooth, just use the nice! Nano controller. A coworker built one. It’s tiny, about the size of your hand. He would also carry it around in his pockets and connect through USB to his phone for emails.
The only problem is he customized the hell out of the layout. I think he used Colemak. His layers kinda looked like this:
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/2e46cb87-32e7-47a9-9581-25e99fc05629.png">
He said he had trouble using regular keyboards after getting used to it. He always had to carry it around with him.
Yeah, that’s a lot of work with tools I have no idea with. Definitely a fun project but I don’t have the time.
Aren’t there hundreds? Like this one? Or maybe I don’t know what you mean by “chord” keyboard, or you want more tiny?
A chord keyboard uses combinations of keys, like chords on a piano. You have fewer keys so you can type with one hand. I’m not 100% serious about it, learning curve would be horrendous. But it would be interesting to try. I used blackberry for a long time and I hate screen keyboards.
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.curiana.net/pictrs/image/13c3b170-7bda-41ee-aa27-de8b68f27557.png">
And yes, looks like I found one while looking for examples :) It’s $175 on ebay, bit expensive.
(tangent to your question because someone already answered) I think that courtroom stenographers (people who type up what’s said) use special chording keyboards. I’ve also been to a few events where there has been someone transcribing things in real time for accessibility purposes, and they also use a cool looking chording keyboard. It takes some learning, but the max typing speed is way faster than any conventional keyboard could manage — which is why skilled people use them for transcribing stuff
A brand that I’m aware of that does them is Charachorder.
There are also machines that type things in braille that I believe use chords. I dated this crazy girl who had one and it was actually really cool.
I think someone was making something similar but was a two handed thing that attarched to magnetic hip clips.
I just want The Wheel.
One button. Endless possibilities.
One of Jobs’ many failures was not getting this into market.
That’s ok, insanity comes in many forms.
When I was a kid, I got my hands on a PS/2 Y-adapter and so typed on two keyboards - left hand on one on my desk, right hand on one on a keyboard tray. I don’t know what my typing speed and accuracy were then, but a few years back an entire office of people tried to beat me in a typing test and couldn’t. Since then I’ve taken a typing test on a laptop while sitting in a hotel bed and gotten a score of 158 with, IIRC, 98.2% accuracy. (This was my best score but even since then all of my typing evaluations have gone well.)
I also use a trackball as exclusively as my environment allows, including while gaming (other than Minecraft). I’m not remotely a pro, but among my peers I tend to score highly in, for example, FPS’.
I’m not trying to brag; there are many better than I in both categories. The reason I bring these up is to demonstrate that something being the convention doesn’t automatically make it better and something being unfit for your preferences doesn’t make it inferior.
edit: AFAIK, I only have one left hand.
Which trackball? I was looking at them the other day but couldn’t decide
My favorite has always been the Kensington Orbit. Probably a lot of people - even those who like Trackballs - would disagree, but I’ve been happily using these for around 25 years. Except in Minecraft.
Why are you so vehemently opposed to the use of trackballs in minecraft?
I wouldn’t characterize it as vehemence, but rather a combination of consistency and honesty. People are fairly consistently surprised at my enthusiasm for gaming with trackballs, as though it’s automatically a detriment; I don’t find it to be so, except in Minecraft, so I don’t want to represent it as other than it is.
With the style of trackball I use - ball in the middle, left and right click on their respective sides of the ball - and the way I use it - thumb on left click, index and middle finger on the ball, ring and pinky on right click - right clicking can be a stressor. This isn’t a problem when tapping once or holding, such as when engaging a scope; but when repeatedly right clicking, it tires whatever muscles and tendons run between the outside of my hand and my shoulder, which already has its own problems.
Minecraft is the only game I play that requires me to repeatedly right click. (I know that now you can right click and drag to place lots of blocks, but that hasn’t always been true and doesn’t really allow for precision in my experience.) Therefore, it is the only game to which I feel my trackball is not well suited.
Have you considered remapping that control away from right click?
My mouse has five inputs: left click, right click, scroll wheel (not including clicking), ball movement and emulated middle clicking by simultaneously clicking left and right.
I can’t see any of those being better than right clicking and neither a keyboard nor a controller seem preferable.
edit: correct a word.
As long as it’s got mech switches and can run a qwerty layout I’m happy
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8283e876-360c-4791-8891-9cbcdc8aff79.webp">
Fun fact: that’s Elijah Wood and it’s his first film role
I think one of my favorite keyboards ever was a Microsoft “Natural” keyboard. I think they were available in the mid ’90s or so. Not quite a real split keyboard, but the ergonomics were great. I think I gave it away…it was great for typing, but I wanted a simpler keyboard for gaming.
I use a knock off ergonomic keyboard from adesso. 60% of the time, it works every time.
You can still get them on Amazon for like $40 if you ever decide you want to relive the split key glory days.
the one with the biiig built in “leather” wrist rest? loved that thing!
Recently bought a CharaChorder, haven’t mastered it yet but it is promising.
Sawme here! Honmestly I dom"t thinkl I coukd ever go vack tp a mormal keyboard ¶¶¶¶
You don’t use a spilt keyboard set to colemak exclusively running Emacs weird
So is this the new trend after 60% mechanical keyboards, ultrawide monitors or immutable distros ?
Maybe it would improve my typing speed, but I’ve been using a conventional keyboard layout for so long now, I’m fine with where I’m at. Almost thirty years of muscular memory made it “hard coded” in my hands.
it seems to be perfect for people who are not working on a desk
Can you recommend a cheap split keyboard? I’m not sinking 300$ to discover I hate it
Keychron has a cheap one
180£ isn’t cheap
180 for a keyboard - not cheap
180 for a split mechanical keyboard - relatively cheap
I’m not aware of any other split keyboard that’s cheaper.
This is just ads with extra steps