So, I've been doing some thinking about what my dream keyboard layout would be, and I've come to the conclusion that, while some have come very close, none have quite gotten there.
I like the concept of a 65% keyboard, but most of them are rather cramped (in particular, the inverted arrows are usually not detached from the rest of the keyboard), and all of them omit the F-key row, which is a bit too useful.
A 75% keyboard seems pretty nice too, but they tend to be even MORE cramped.
And none of these tend to have media keys— which I like. (A few 65% layouts do have a volume knob, but no play/pause, forward, or backwards keys.)
So, first, I built the 65% layout of my dreams. Then I added the F-key row. Finally, I expanded upward again, adding a seventh row at the top for media keys, a volume knob, and macro keys. (I envision the macro keys as, by default, sending something like Shift+Ctrl+GUI+Alt+F1 through Shift+Ctrl+GUI+Alt+F6. The end-user could either program their OS to respond to those key combos, or reprogram the macro keys via a firmware flash.)
I call the resulting chonker of a layout the "Frigate" layout. Why a "Frigate"? Because, like the IBM "Battleship" layout, it has two rows of keys above the numbers row... but a frigate is far smaller than a battleship.
Personally, this layout is basically my dream. It'd have all the functionality I want, in a layout that wouldn't require lots of brain remapping or fighting with muscle memory, and with everything reasonably spaced out. But I fully recognise that I'm a weirdo.
Any thoughts? Has anyone else been seeking out a keyboard like this— something horizontally compact like a 60/65/75% keyboard, but with media keys and a little less cramping?
Keyboard-layout-editor link (missing the volume knob, and without the slight tweaking I did to the positioning of the media keys):
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/70445aef1ba32d6d9ea01f7a6c2f7f33