geekhack

geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: menuhin on Tue, 18 October 2016, 12:07:47

Title: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: menuhin on Tue, 18 October 2016, 12:07:47

This is a question for Emacs users (well, including those who use Evil mode for a Vim layout).

What keyboard(s) do you use usually? And what is your favorite?
Is there a reason for a particular model being your favorite?

If there is, what will be your dream Emacs keyboard, and what it is like?
[Simply there can be keyboards more than HHKB]

By the way, my liking for purple color slowly grew after Emacs switched to the purple versions of icon.

P.s. For the Vim users out there, Emacs and Vim are apples and oranges. I do use Vim in a terminal session, and when I don't feel like staying inside Emacs for the whole day.

Title: Re: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: zslane on Tue, 18 October 2016, 12:15:12

I just use a conventional full-size ANSI keyboard.

I don't associated any color with Emacs. Probably because my history with Emacs started back before computers had icons or GUIs.

Title: Re: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: davkol on Tue, 18 October 2016, 12:54:34

I prefer to use my 80key ErgoDox.

(https://i.imgur.com/WF71uU8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SjjhjY7.png)

But very often just stick with the QFR at hand.

(https://i.imgur.com/txyopmT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AG5Xrst.png)

Or 7bit Phantom.

(https://i.imgur.com/0Vw47Uw.jpg)

Title: Re: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: menuhin on Wed, 19 October 2016, 10:01:30

Quote from: davkol on Tue, 18 October 2016, 12:54:34

I prefer to use my 80key ErgoDox.

But very often just stick with the QFR at hand.

Show Image

(https://i.imgur.com/AG5Xrst.png)

Or 7bit Phantom.

What a very creative alternative layout for your QFR. I particularly like the index placement of brackets at Y's original place.
Where is your tilde and backtick key ("~ `") ?

I wish I have an ErgoDox but I'm afraid there's no switching back from this nonconforming setup. The newly released white ErgoDox set looks gorgeous by the way.
On your ErgoDox, there are so many Ctrl keys, which one (or a few) do you use most?
And have your developed any "thumb pain" using ErgoDox? (http://xahlee.info/kbd/ergodox_keyboard_thumb_keys_pain.html)

Title: Re: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: davkol on Wed, 19 October 2016, 17:23:20

Quote from: menuhin on Wed, 19 October 2016, 10:01:30

What a very creative alternative layout for your QFR. I particularly like the index placement of brackets at Y's original place.
Where is your tilde and backtick key ("~ `") ?

I use Colemak on OS side, along with a couple of custom layers. Here, it's backslash with AltGr or Fn or something.

Quote from: menuhin on Wed, 19 October 2016, 10:01:30

I wish I have an ErgoDox but I'm afraid there's no switching back from this nonconforming setup.

Dunno, I swap all those keyboard around along with a typematrix and my thinkpad, and it's fine.

Quote from: menuhin on Wed, 19 October 2016, 10:01:30

On your ErgoDox, there are so many Ctrl keys, which one (or a few) do you use most?

I usually use the unix-like (home row pinkie) or the thumb-cluster position, depending on other keys in the chord. The corner keys rarely get any usage these days, but they're still there for *some* chords like Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

Quote from: menuhin on Wed, 19 October 2016, 10:01:30

And have your developed any "thumb pain" using ErgoDox?

Not really. I did feel some strain, when I also used a thumb to click on a trackball a lot, though. Furthermore, I'd strongly prefer vertical thumb cluster, but that's about it.

Title: Re: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: jeffgran on Thu, 20 October 2016, 21:29:46

I use emacs all day every day. I don't use many of the default keybindings, I have set up my own for all but the most uncommon things I do (I consider mine to be more ergonomic than the default ones, which are optimized for mnemonics not ergonomics).

I asked myself your question, "what would my ideal keyboard be"... and answered it by building my own one of a kind ergo keyboard, which I called the ManuForm (actually I think there are like 3 in existence now). Link is in my signature.

Title: Re: Emacs users: What keyboard(s) are you using?
Post by: iLLucionist on Fri, 21 October 2016, 06:46:44

I still keep coming back to HHKB. Not trying to be a fanboy or anyhing. But that layout is really really good IMHO.

Ok, I'm a vim user, but in emacs evil-mode of course. I never use arrow keys, always hjkl. Have my own bindings, so I don't need F-keys. And I really like the backspace key so close. But I almost never use backspace, use other commands to delete text like dw (delete word) etc.