FSC 'domes are some of the lightest and most pleasant around IME, so I'd think this has more to do with typing technique / hand position.
Yeah, squishy it is and it has some kind of university library feel, I mean, as a loose association, I would link it to the building where they taught administrative law. It has a bit of an administrative law vibe to it, in a sense. The structure has a couple of toggled modes but is overall boring, the theory is in German and the way non-central aspects of it are handled ranges from genial to screwed.
The motto for split ergo boards could be: Use a standard touch-typing technique or die. (Even then there still are disputes over whether B should be on the left or right.)
Mine has some drawbacks, such as both hands sometimes reaching for a key at the same time, or some moments of hesitation, but overall there's a reason it's mine: I kinda invented it gradually, basing on what was good
for me, which is not good for someone else. It's kinda hard to expect people to follow all one technique if they have varying finger lengths (very long here), hand strengths or precision of the motorics in a given hand. For whatever reason, my typing technique generally seems to respond well to scissors boards, almost like they made that switch specially for me, but I still prefer the non-mushy feel of a mechanical keyboard.
That's why they have zero appeal to me - and why they never replaced normal boards. Conventional ones work reasonably well for just about anyone, while split ergos work better for some but are totally off for many others.
This one is adjustable, much like the German system of administrative law...
Well, it already is a little more so than on a standard MFII layout (Model M)! Seems like you should place the right half like on a conventional board.
I can get used to the one on the M, but I'd have trouble with a really ancient XT or terminal keyboard that has the bar even longer. I actually seem to like the very short spacebars. I just hate right Windows keys and menu keys. But they can be disabled or mapped to AltGr just to have it good even if you miss.
Have you ever tried left-hand Ctrl+Alt for AltGr? Might work better for some characters.
Not in my recent memory. But I've been thinking about remapping left Alt to AltGr and putting the left Alt somewhere else. This little butterfly has two Windows keys and a menu key on the left (curiously, the blinds actually cover fully functional rubber domes!). I could use one of them for AltGr.
And thanks for the tip! Much appreciated.
I would also love to do something with the Fn key but it doesn't seem Key Mapper can do it--it doesn't list it, basically. I'd probably have to do it in Regedit, which might be worth it because the location makes it a natural candidate for AltGr or even left Alt, where the actual left Alt would serve as a second AltGr.
Oh, and it's really annoying how they made the +*~ key wider instead of making a proper inverted L-shaped Enter key we ALL love.
10 Dells with (black) Alps? Uh-oh. I never even use one.
Hehe. I do wonder how the switch feels. Well, it makes no sense not to order a spare or two and I have some friends for whom I'd otherwise be importing a blue Cherry or white Alps, so why not see if they'd like this one. Plus, I could pick one apart just to learn stuff slowly the way I catch the best.
As for the MS Natural 4000 thingy, remember it has a sucktastic spacebar AND likes to break relatively quickly.
Yeah but I could deduct one from tax basis every year, no problem. I don't expect rubber domes to live long. I'd actually prefer it to die in some visible fashion than to mislead me about keypress force required. Like the time when the comma key went off on one of my keyboards...
Not surprised about the angles part.
Small angle with my left hand operating on its own and my right one having a jelly friend seems to work. The jelly makes the humongous travel to the "y" key far less annoying for my hand. In fact, I can do it without moving the hand much, it's about the nerve or muscle that feels better when it has support during this move.
Speaking of support, no amount and no kind of wrist support beats a 9 mm scissors board you can place flat on the desk and forget.
(Until you decide the feet were provided for a reason).
