40% layout idea

[decker]

So I had this idea at work today !

staggered 40% with symbol row

[TalkingTree]

It's an interesting layout with a clever positioning of the spacebar, but the Azertish letter M would drive many crazy; also, perhaps you should consider and reserve some keys for punctuations.

[xondat]

you type Vs with the left hand and not the right so this would drive me crazy. Swap the spacebar and V and it starts to look usable.

[decker]

I'm double busted.
Yes I'm a Azerty user.
Yes I tend to type some letters with the wrong fingers so am less bound to normal finger-key pairing.

Thanks for the input.

[decker]

Just realized that my design is 4x13. While most 40% are 4x12.
So it is more of a 44% or whatever you'd call it !

[jacobolus]

That M is actually original QWERTY, 1874:



decker: can you make a screencap of your keyboard-layout-editor link, upload to imgur or similar, and link it into your top post here? Would save other readers a click.

[jdcarpe]

Don't you wish you had ordered a JD45 now?

[decker]

That M is actually original QWERTY, 1874:
decker: can you make a screencap of your keyboard-layout-editor link, upload to imgur or similar, and link it into your top post here? Would save other readers a click.

That is so funny, I never would have guessed that some qwerties back in the day had the M next to the L !
Where did you get that antique layout picture from ?
I've just posted the picture, I was planning on doing it when back from work (that is now in CET).

Don't you wish you had ordered a JD45 now?

I may have missed that one, or it got burried in my mind as I was searching for other layouts.

[jacobolus]

Where did you get that antique layout picture from ?

That’s a picture of the Remington #1 typewriter, the original, progenitor of all modern keyboards. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholes_and_Glidden_typewriter

[Joey Quinn]

Interesting layout for sure

It inspired me to create the abomination below. The 6.25u space wastes a bunch of real estate that could be used for other keys but by using this size the board only has 49 keys so it'd still be within the 40% size bracket. 




Also shameless MA52 (45% with a numpad) plug. 
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=81268.msg2135078#msg2135078

[chuckdee]

^ That's actually quite nice!  You guys are making me get into an area I really don't want to get into.  between the Jd45, The Van, and the kb45p.  Now this one.

Do you have the link to the keyboard layout editor profile?  I'd like to play around with it.

[Joey Quinn]

^ That's actually quite nice!  You guys are making me get into an area I really don't want to get into.  between the Jd45, The Van, and the kb45p.  Now this one.

Do you have the link to the keyboard layout editor profile?  I'd like to play around with it.

Here's mine

http://goo.gl/Xm3K5a

[chuckdee]

Thanks!  Maybe we can call these Staggered Preonics.  One thing that you said that the number of keys was what you were trying to keep down to make it a 40%.  Is that codified somewhere that it's the number of keys?  I just thought it was the size... look at the Preonic.  That's still very small.

[decker]

Interesting layout for sure

It inspired me to create the abomination below. The 6.25u space wastes a bunch of real estate that could be used for other keys but by using this size the board only has 49 keys so it'd still be within the 40% size bracket. 

Also shameless MA52 (45% with a numpad) plug. 

Happy you got inspired to try something new.
Its kind of out of the range of the though experiment I'm working on here, so I won't be tinkering on it in this thread at least !
It looks like a shrunk 75%, from an esthetical point of view I'm not won over, but nice try.
About your shameless MA52, it is really a nice innovation.
I don't know how I would feel with a left numpad... but some people seem to look for that (maybe only lefties ?).

^ That's actually quite nice!  You guys are making me get into an area I really don't want to get into.  between the Jd45, The Van, and the kb45p.  Now this one.
Do you have the link to the keyboard layout editor profile?  I'd like to play around with it.

At least you don't need to worry about buying anything with my layout though experiments !
Unless you find a website with a "Build" button.

Thanks!  Maybe we can call these Staggered Preonics.  One thing that you said that the number of keys was what you were trying to keep down to make it a 40%.  Is that codified somewhere that it's the number of keys?  I just thought it was the size... look at the Preonic.  That's still very small.

To my understanding there are two ways to look a %.
- the most common is to count the keys and devide that by about 100/104/105.
- the least common is to look at the overall width of the board in comparison with a full size kb.

Then some people add a few % usually 5% when they add a column, or 10% when they add a line.
It is not a precise tool to work with when you leave the ones that are the least innovative (40%, 60%, 65%, 75%).

I like to use the % to give either an idea of the overall size or to talk about general layout.
Like 40% + symbols row + 3/4 numpad in a previous post...

For me the best is to say nb lines x columns + what is special.
So here I have a 4x13 staggered small space bar.

[Joey Quinn]

Interesting layout for sure

It inspired me to create the abomination below. The 6.25u space wastes a bunch of real estate that could be used for other keys but by using this size the board only has 49 keys so it'd still be within the 40% size bracket. 

Also shameless MA52 (45% with a numpad) plug.

Happy you got inspired to try something new.
Its kind of out of the range of the though experiment I'm working on here, so I won't be tinkering on it in this thread at least !
It looks like a shrunk 75%, from an esthetical point of view I'm not won over, but nice try.
About your shameless MA52, it is really a nice innovation.
I don't know how I would feel with a left numpad... but some people seem to look for that (maybe only lefties ?).

 I'm not a lefty, I just like using my trackball/ mouse and numpad at the same time. It's pretty easy to learn and get used to.

[decker]

Here is a slimmer 12u design, with lots of missing things !

4x12 staggered