The idea is it would be a less extreme transition than a matrix/ergobox/keyboard.io style design, and would therefore be more likely to gain wider acceptance more easily.I’ve tried typing on a keyboard where the stagger was a uniform 1/4u for each row, and also on a keyboard where the stagger was a uniform 1/2u for each row. Each time, the slightly different positions for a bunch of keys drove me crazy for the couple hours I was using it. I don’t actually think this kind of seemingly small change is much easier to learn than switching to an Ergodox or whatever.
Probably the best would be to use index finger to type C (middle for X, etc), so that the motion of both hands is more natural and symmetrical.You should do that on a standard keyboard anyway, in my opinion. :-)
Not quite sure I see the benefit to this. For me the big issue with the number row is that I have to move two rows off home and slide fingers left due to stagger. This decreases the stagger a quarter key, but that's about it. May as well go the whole hog and go full matrix style. I think matrix layout is actually more intuitive for more people. I'm sure some have seen keyboards like that and thought "why aren't all keyboards like that?"
May as well go the whole hog and go full matrix style.Personally I think a strict rectangular matrix is slightly worse than the OP’s proposal here or a standard QWERTY/IBM keyboard, from a typing comfort perspective. I can see why some people like it from an aesthetic perspective though.
I think all talk of symmetry is insufficient when the basic alphas aren't symmetrical in the first place. (I'm talking about QWERTY and other layouts that don't aim for 50-50 Right and Left hand usage.)
What do you think of this semi-ortholinear approach?(http://i.imgur.com/7RDyqMd.png)
What do you think of this semi-ortholinear approach?Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/7RDyqMd.png)
How are you expecting to hold your hands on this keyboard? In my opinion the row staggering here is precisely the opposite of what you typically want. Even if your hands are coming in angled from the side, the pinky and ring finger naturally extend straight away or even slightly out to the sides, and stretching the index fingers to reach your T and Y keys is an annoying uncomfortable reach. By contrast, the bottom row should be shifted away from the center: with the hands coming to the keyboard at an angle, watch where fingers end up when you flex them.
In any event, I think both this and “ortholinear” keyboards more generally are notably worse than the standard keyboard, because they don’t really provide any ergonomic improvement for someone used to them, and they impose a substantial training cost on someone used to regular QWERTY/ANSI/IBM layout. If you want something better for typing on, you should add tenting, turn the two halves, add a column stagger, and make sure to tilt the board to the proper angle depending on the height of your desk and chair, and if you want to get really fancy adjust the vertical key height between columns.
And that's fair, but you have to admit that some of them are at least a step in the right direction. Some people can't deal with the stress of learning an entirely new way of interfacing with the keyboard [..] so something like ortholinear might be a stepping stone toward better ergonomics.
Sorry, I�m not trying to be a buzzkill. By all means build keyboards in all sorts of different shapes and try typing on them!
Hm I think I may be trying too hard... ;) (http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/##@@_x:1%3B&=Del&=~%0A%60&=%0A1&=%0A2&=%0A3&=%0A4&=%0A5&_x:1.5%3B&=%0A6&=%0A7&=%0A8&=%0A9&=%0A0&=%2F_%0A-&=+%0A%2F=%3B&@_x:0.25&w:1.5%3B&=Esc&=%7B%0A%5B&=Q&=W&=E&=R&=T&_x:0.5&a:7%3B&=M&_x:0.5&a:4%3B&=Y&=U&=I&=O&=P&=%7D%0A%5D&_x:0.25&a:5&w:1.25&h:2&w2:1.5&h2:1&x2:-0.25%3B&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AReturn%3B&@_x:0.25&a:4&w:1.25%3B&=Ctrl&=%7C%0A%5C&=A&=S&=D&_c=%23ff999b%3B&=F&_c=%23cccccc%3B&=G&_x:2.5%3B&=H&_c=%23ff999b%3B&=J&_c=%23cccccc%3B&=K&=L&=%2F:%0A%2F%3B&=%22%0A'%3B&@_x:0.25%3B&=Cmd&_a:7%3B&=%E2%86%91&_a:4%3B&=Z&=X&=C&=V&=B&_a:7%3B&=L&_x:1%3B&=R&_a:4%3B&=N&=M&=%3C%0A,&=%3E%0A.&=%3F%0A%2F%2F&=Cmd&=Fn%20Lock%3B&@_x:0.25&a:7%3B&=%E2%86%90&=%E2%86%93&=%E2%86%92&_a:4%3B&=Alt&_w:1.75%3B&=Shift&_w:2.75%3B&=Backspace&_w:2.75%3B&=Space&_w:1.75%3B&=Shift&=Alt&_w:2%3B&=Fn&=Caps%20Lock)
Nice.
This would really fix only half of the problem. Typing qwerty sucks.
Nice.
Here's the next evolution, this time I added some extra clusters, drawing inspiration from the early IBM PC keyboards. :) (http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/##@@=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF1&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF2&_w:1.5%3B&=%0AFn%202&=~%0A%60&=!%0A1&=%2F@%0A2&=%23%0A3&=$%0A4&=%25%0A5&=%5E%0A6&=%2F&%0A7&=*%0A8&=(%0A9&=)%0A0&=+%0A%2F=&_w:1.5%3B&=%0AFn%20Lk&_w:2%3B&=%0ANum%20Lk&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%2F%2F&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A*%3B&@=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF3&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF4&_w:1.5%3B&=%0AEsc&=%7B%0A%5B&=Q&=W&=E&=R&=T&=Y&=U&=I&=O&=P&=%2F_%0A-&_x:0.25&w:1.25&h:2&w2:1.5&h2:1&x2:-0.25%3B&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AReturn&=Home%0A7&=%E2%86%91%0A8&=PgUp%0A9&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A-%3B&@=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF5&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF6&_w:1.25%3B&=%0ACtrl&=%7D%0A%5D&=A%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%90&=S%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%93&=D%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%91&=F%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%92&=G&_x:0.5%3B&=H%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%90&=J%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%93&=K%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%91&=L%0A%0A%0A%E2%86%92&=%2F:%0A%2F%3B&=%22%0A'&_x:1.25%3B&=%E2%86%90%0A4&=%0A5&=%E2%86%92%0A6&_h:2%3B&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A+%3B&@=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF7&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF8&=%0AAlt&=%7C%0A%5C&=Z&=X&=C&=V&=B&_x:1%3B&=N&=M&=%3C%0A,&=%3E%0A.&=%3F%0A%2F%2F&=%0AAlt&=%0AFn&=End%0A1&=%E2%86%93%0A2&=PgDn%0A3%3B&@=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF9&=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0AF10&_w:1.75%3B&=%0ASuper&_w:2%3B&=%0AShift&_w:2.25%3B&=%0ABackspace&_a:7%3B&=L&=M&=R&_a:4&w:2.25%3B&=%0ASpace&_w:2%3B&=%0AShift&_w:1.75%3B&=%0ACaps%20Lk&_w:2%3B&=Ins%0A0&=Del%0A.&=%0AFn%203)