Unpopular Keyboard Opinions

[Neo.X]

Everything related to mechanical keyboard is OVERPRICED!!!

[radio_killah]

Ortholinear keyboards are stupid.

[Snarfangel]

Ortholinear keyboards are stupid.

Oh, sure, if you have crooked fingers.

[demik]

60% is the best.

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oh I'm sorry, I thought we were in the Unpopular Opinions thread. My mistake

Wait this isn't the unpopular-popular but pretending it's unpopular opinion thread?

My bad.

To make both of you happy, I'll marry an unpopular opinion to a popular opinion.

All Topre boards suck except the HHKB.  Realforce, FC660C, and Novatouch all feel like crap.

im about to back hand you back to kindergarden son.

55g RF is the greatest feeling topre, ever. no questions asked. no arguments.

but hhkb has best layout.

[digi]

im about to back hand you back to kindergarden son.

55g RF is the greatest feeling topre, ever. no questions asked. no arguments.

but hhkb has best layout.

#Fact

[nubbinator]

im about to back hand you back to kindergarden son.

55g RF is the greatest feeling topre, ever. no questions asked. no arguments.

but hhkb has best layout.

55g Realforce is like a kid.  You have it, so you have to love it, but 90% of it is pain and talking back.

[strafe]

Stock cherry blacks with thin keycaps (SP DCS or Tai-Hao) is the best for gaming.

Shiny cherry keycaps feel nice to type on.

[demik]

thinking a switch is "best for gaming" is stupid.

[nubbinator]

thinking a switch is "best for gaming" is stupid.

How is that unpopular?

[demik]

thinking a switch is "best for gaming" is stupid.

How is that unpopular?

well "gaming switch" is constantly echo'd here.

55g rf > every single switch ever.

[whentheclouds]

artisan caps (mainly of the BB and CC variety) have a net negative effect on the community

[demik]

artisan caps (mainly of the BB and CC variety) have a net negative effect on the community

nope, the collectors do. if it wasn't artisans it would be something else.

[Air tree]

thinking a switch is "best for gaming" is stupid.

How is that unpopular?

well "gaming switch" is constantly echo'd here.

55g rf > every single switch ever.

demik, you gotta learn.

55g hhkb > every single switch ever

[TopreFan333]

artisan caps (mainly of the BB and CC variety) have a net negative effect on the community

nope, the collectors do. if it wasn't artisans it would be something else.

I kinda wish they'd just branch that crap off into some other forum so I wouldn't have to look at pictures of otherwise beautifully made keyboards with what looks like chewed up gummy bears mashed all over them.

[Nai_Calus]

HHKB layout is awful.

[hoz]

HHKB Keyboards are hardly worth even the second hand prices if it doesnt include extras.

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.
considering theyre all reprogrammable and most people should have the brain capacity to adjust, even though it might take a little while for those who are less used to mix things up and constantly put new things into their muscle memory. (playing any kind of instrument etc)

[Oobly]

HHKB Keyboards are hardly worth even the second hand prices if it doesnt include extras.

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.
considering theyre all reprogrammable and most people should have the brain capacity to adjust, even though it might take a little while for those who are less used to mix things up and constantly put new things into their muscle memory. (playing any kind of instrument etc)

Agreed on the HHKB.

I beg to differ (sort of) on that 40%. The punctuation / symbols on the top row are often really ingrained in your muscle memory (especially if you use them every day for coding, like I do), so putting those behind a Layer key takes some getting used to and many are not willing to put the effort in.

That said, I think a very well-designed 40% board (like the JD45 with smaller / split spacebar) can become even more efficient and useful than a 60% if you do take the time to adjust to it. And it is worth taking the time, IMHO, typing on a 40% can be very liberating. It's surprising how few keys you really need for most typing tasks. Numbers and symbols (besides ,. and ') aren't used as often as some may think. A key factor in making a 40% board usable is good Fn / Layer key placement. That's why I think a split space is important, you can use your non-space thumb for it.

[tufty]

thinking a switch is "best for gaming" is stupid.

Worrying about which switch is "best for gaming" even more so.

[loki993]

MX Clears are overratted and honestly I don't even like them very much.

[azhdar]

MX Clears are overratted and honestly I don't even like them very much.

Like almost all the other mx switches, they need modding to feel great.

[hoz]

HHKB Keyboards are hardly worth even the second hand prices if it doesnt include extras.

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.
considering theyre all reprogrammable and most people should have the brain capacity to adjust, even though it might take a little while for those who are less used to mix things up and constantly put new things into their muscle memory. (playing any kind of instrument etc)

Agreed on the HHKB.

I beg to differ (sort of) on that 40%. The punctuation / symbols on the top row are often really ingrained in your muscle memory (especially if you use them every day for coding, like I do), so putting those behind a Layer key takes some getting used to and many are not willing to put the effort in.

That said, I think a very well-designed 40% board (like the JD45 with smaller / split spacebar) can become even more efficient and useful than a 60% if you do take the time to adjust to it. And it is worth taking the time, IMHO, typing on a 40% can be very liberating. It's surprising how few keys you really need for most typing tasks. Numbers and symbols (besides ,. and ') aren't used as often as some may think. A key factor in making a 40% board usable is good Fn / Layer key placement. That's why I think a split space is important, you can use your non-space thumb for it.

yeah, and there we got exactly what's bothering me, the general belief one can be so used doing things a certain way it would be "hard" to muscle memorize even the addition of a fn-key to something you already need to press multiple keys to do, number row symbols are still at the top row, in order on a 40%...

ah, on topic, it really bothers me that matias quiet clickys are not really clickys, and that they dont really sit tight in the infinity plate, putting stress on the solders while pulling caps or pop right open ****ing up the leafs, if the alps stem on the SP DSA doesn´t break first...
and it bothers me that they´re all soldered now when their next destination is the trashcan, in favor of some gateron blues.

[loki993]

MX Clears are overratted and honestly I don't even like them very much.

Like almost all the other mx switches, they need modding to feel great.

Thats what I figure problem is modding them is a PITA when most of the keyboards with them are plate mount.  When I got my keyboards I though it would be fairly easy to mod them, if you don't solder its not. I guess I just need to bite the bullet and get a soldering kit or something.

[Oobly]

HHKB Keyboards are hardly worth even the second hand prices if it doesnt include extras.

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.
considering theyre all reprogrammable and most people should have the brain capacity to adjust, even though it might take a little while for those who are less used to mix things up and constantly put new things into their muscle memory. (playing any kind of instrument etc)

Agreed on the HHKB.

I beg to differ (sort of) on that 40%. The punctuation / symbols on the top row are often really ingrained in your muscle memory (especially if you use them every day for coding, like I do), so putting those behind a Layer key takes some getting used to and many are not willing to put the effort in.

That said, I think a very well-designed 40% board (like the JD45 with smaller / split spacebar) can become even more efficient and useful than a 60% if you do take the time to adjust to it. And it is worth taking the time, IMHO, typing on a 40% can be very liberating. It's surprising how few keys you really need for most typing tasks. Numbers and symbols (besides ,. and ') aren't used as often as some may think. A key factor in making a 40% board usable is good Fn / Layer key placement. That's why I think a split space is important, you can use your non-space thumb for it.

yeah, and there we got exactly what's bothering me, the general belief one can be so used doing things a certain way it would be "hard" to muscle memorize even the addition of a fn-key to something you already need to press multiple keys to do, number row symbols are still at the top row, in order on a 40%...

ah, on topic, it really bothers me that matias quiet clickys are not really clickys, and that they dont really sit tight in the infinity plate, putting stress on the solders while pulling caps or pop right open ****ing up the leafs, if the alps stem on the SP DSA doesn´t break first...
and it bothers me that they´re all soldered now when their next destination is the trashcan, in favor of some gateron blues.

Agreed.

Good choice with the Gateron Blues. Lots more keycap options, then, too

MX Clears are overratted and honestly I don't even like them very much.

Like almost all the other mx switches, they need modding to feel great.

Thats what I figure problem is modding them is a PITA when most of the keyboards with them are plate mount.  When I got my keyboards I though it would be fairly easy to mod them, if you don't solder its not. I guess I just need to bite the bullet and get a soldering kit or something.

I'm just finishing up a new 60% build with Clears and it really is a PITA to do all the modding required (trampolines, 62g springs, stickers, shaved sliders), but once they're done they're the best an MX switch can ever be and only get better with use. Leaving out just one mod makes them significantly worse, though.

I use loose Clears and PCB's for my builds because it removes the desoldering step from the build.

I wish Gateron made ErgoClears (62-65g springs, large tactile bump).

[hj-s]

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.

Not for countries where on " [ ] ' " keys are often using symbols, like cyrillic in Russia.  We have " х ъ э " on that keys. And i want them type like normal keys, not FN+something.

[Oobly]

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.

Not for countries where on " [ ] ' " keys are often using symbols, like cyrillic in Russia.  We have " х ъ э " on that keys. And i want them type like normal keys, not FN+something.

JD45: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62641.msg1468124#msg1468124

Enough for many languages (like the Nordic ones), although some probably still use too many characters to fit. Ideally you want to keep ',. on the main layer, too. ' is not as common as some other symbols such as ( and ), but I have found it interrupts the typing flow too much having it on another layer as I consider it part of the word I'm typing.

All that punctuation reminds me of this:

For Finnish I find it acceptable to move ,. and å to a layer and put öä in place of ,. on my 40% layout: http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/layouts/5ddf61c58df576abb835b0ad01756d46

English version for comparison: http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/layouts/df0101b82800716a5200da363609f0cf

Upper characters are on the Fn layer, actuated with the thumb key (you can select which one is space, which one is Fn).

[hj-s]

JD45: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62641.msg1468124#msg1468124

Thank for link! Layout seems to me quite good for me.

[asgeirtj]

I'm just finishing up a new 60% build with Clears and it really is a PITA to do all the modding required (trampolines, 62g springs, stickers, shaved sliders), but once they're done they're the best an MX switch can ever be and only get better with use. Leaving out just one mod makes them significantly worse, though.

I use loose Clears and PCB's for my builds because it removes the desoldering step from the build.

I wish Gateron made ErgoClears (62-65g springs, large tactile bump).

Do you actually shave the sliders of the switch?  How easy is it to do and does it have a big difference and is there any guide to do it?.  What are loose clears and pcbs and how does it remove desoldering steps?

[sethk_]

PCB mount is w/ no plate is superior to any plate mounts in my opinion, easier switch access, easy stabilizer access, and I like the feel more, its softer

[hoz]

40% are exactly as useful as any 60% board, even the designs using normal sized spacebars.

Not for countries where on " [ ] ' " keys are often using symbols, like cyrillic in Russia.  We have " х ъ э " on that keys. And i want them type like normal keys, not FN+something.

and as i stated earlier, im swedish and have our widely used åäö in a fn layer, it didnt take me long to memorize those in a fn layer, and my opinion is that it most likely wouldnt for other either.

[paicrai]

qfr is decent

[ttzhou]

qfr is decent

judging by the subforum dedicated to the board, dunno if it qualifies as unpopular. 

[davkol]

qfr is decent

judging by the subforum dedicated to the board, dunno if it qualifies as unpopular. 

OTOH if he means that it's ONLY decent, then it might be quite unpopular.

[nephiel]

On-screen keyboards are the dumbest, most inefficient input method ever to be used on a smartphone. The keys are tiny. You can't touch-type, since you can't feel them. You're forced to look at the typing area to locate them.

But it's the default input method on nearly every smartphone out there.

The Graffiti input method from the venerable Palm PDAs works a lot better on a portable touchscreen. It just makes sense. Once learned, you don't even need to look at the screen. You just write.

The method is 20 years old and it still blows out of the water any other input method or handwriting recognition software available today.

Now the Graffiti rights belong to a company known as Access Co., who is just letting it die. They have an app for Android, but it hasn't been updated since 2011 and is not easy to make it work on newer devices. It's a shame.

[Blaise170]

To he fair, I type almost as fast on Swype as I do on a standard keyboard.

[EscapeVelocity]

I like the Kailh switches. They are nice.

My first mechanical purchase was a Thermaltake Tt Sport Poseidon ZX (TenKeyLess) with Kaihl Blues & Blue LEDs

[Nai_Calus]

To he fair, I type almost as fast on Swype as I do on a standard keyboard.

Same. I'm a bit slower on Swype, but I can type with it rather quickly.

Swype really isn't functioning as a standard on-screen board though, except for stuff you haven't added to your dictionary yet and have to tap in.

The Apple kind where you have to tap each individual character is godawful and unusable.

Then again, some people just really do not comprehend Swype and similar input systems for whatever reason. Or insist on slow methods like voice. My dad drives me crazy slooowly dictating things to the phone, having to correct errors all the time, getting grumpy when someone dares say something during phone text time, it's inane. Your default keyboard has a swipe function, you have a stylus, you're not driving or anything like that, we're watching TV for the love of Christ, use text input!

[sethk_]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

[Nai_Calus]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

This isn't unpopular, this is fact.

Win7 win keys are OKish, but Win8? Get that **** off my board what's wrong with you.

[fohat.digs]

On-screen keyboards are the dumbest, most inefficient input method ever to be used on a smartphone.

The Graffiti input method from the venerable Palm PDAs works a lot better

I always hated Graffiti when I had a PDA because so many of the letters would have required re-learning. I have always made the crosses of "Ts" first, then brought the vertical stroke downward through it. That sort of thing always produced errors.

Besides, swirling your finger around is the equivalent of "several keystrokes" in time.

But I agree that I hate fingering a glass screen. Between various factors, which I assume to be the size and clumsiness of my fingertips, the natural capacitance of my skin, and/or whatever else, they simply never work properly.

[Jokrik]

I can't get my fingers on linear switch #why

And I don't fancy 60% at all #why

[EscapeVelocity]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

Seems like a popular opinion.

[nubbinator]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

Seems like a popular opinion.

In that case Win95 legend is ****.  Win 7 legend is better.

In fact, the only good retro Windows logo is the 1.0 logo.  Everything until Win 7 sucked.

[Blaise170]

Well I suppose that I hold the unpopular opinion of liking the Win8 logo. It actually looks like a window and not a flag flying in the wind.

[MAR82]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

Seems like a popular opinion.

In that case Win95 legend is ****.  Win 7 legend is better.

In fact, the only good retro Windows logo is the 1.0 logo.  Everything until Win 7 sucked.

Show Image

I'm working on a keyset that should use that old Window 1.0 logo
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71629.0

I really think that old logo looks cool and have never seen it on a keyboard, so I would love it if my set is the first to use it

[sethk_]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

Seems like a popular opinion.

In that case Win95 legend is ****.  Win 7 legend is better.

In fact, the only good retro Windows logo is the 1.0 logo.  Everything until Win 7 sucked.

Show Image

Too round for my taste.

[nubbinator]

All winkeys except the Win95 ones look trash IMO.

Seems like a popular opinion.

In that case Win95 legend is ****.  Win 7 legend is better.

In fact, the only good retro Windows logo is the 1.0 logo.  Everything until Win 7 sucked.

Show Image

Too round for my taste.

Still dramatically better than 95.  Seriously, what's up with the squiggle and the tail?  And why is the tail a repeat of the two squares in front of it?  It's just tacky and bad design.

[Snowdog993]

Still dramatically better than 95.  Seriously, what's up with the squiggle and the tail?  And why is the tail a repeat of the two squares in front of it?  It's just tacky and bad design.

It was the age of new ideas and the 3-D aspect (if you remember) of Windows.  The new Windows 95 screensaver had that image floating like a waving flag and it was "super cool" at the time.  The logo stuck with the "Flying Windows".  I would call it "OK".  Windows, I believe up to the time of XP, had the "Flying Windows" screensaver. 

Edit: In the screensaver options you would select the 3D Flying Objects Screensaver.  Then you selected "Windows Logo"

[fohat.digs]

Flying Windows looked a lot more like a kite than a window, but it was moderately attractive, if stupid.

The whole curve concept makes no sense, anyway, but I thought that the XP/7 version was the most handsome.

8 looks like a bleached-out flag from an unidentified country.

[sethk_]

Flying Windows looked a lot more like a kite than a window, but it was moderately attractive, if stupid.

The whole curve concept makes no sense, anyway, but I thought that the XP/7 version was the most handsome.

8 looks like a bleached-out flag from an unidentified country.

I can do WIN xp as well

[wlhlm]

How about no Windows logo at all?