And pretty much everybody codes just like you, right? I know plenty of developers who never even need to touch any of those keys. The HHKB is targeted toward the *nix crowd, the hardcore "old school" programmers who use vi/emacs/bash in the days before arrow keys existed on keyboards.
I would really like to see a poll on this. But we can't do it because we can't be sure that only programmers will answer.
I have been a programmer since 1979. I started on a TRS-80. It already had arrow keys. Four of them.
Since then, I have never programmed on any keyboard that did not have the arrow keys.
I do love the look of the HHKB and I could afford to purchase one, but I don't want it because it lacks the four most important keys that I use all the time. I would be typing on an HHKB right now if only it had these keys!
Some programmers may not need the arrows. But if you design a keyboard for programmers, you'd better not forget the arrows.
The HHKB has not been designed for programmers. For some of them, maybe, but a minority.
I think it would be closer to the truth to say that it has been designed to be "pure" and to appeal to a targeted audience. To programmers in general? Definitely not. If that's what they wanted they really screwed it up massively. How many programmers did they get by not including the arrows? A handful of "old school"? Maybe. How many programmers are they missing by not having them? Several hundreds of thousands. You know, the guys who make money coding for Windows, MacOS, Android or iOS, even Linux, using Eclipse, Visual Studio, MonoDevelop, Xcode, KDevelop and many others IDEs and who never had to use a two-keys combination to move a cursor around.
To be honest, to me the HHKB looks more like a device targeted at non-technical users. Maybe writers, journalists, people who type a lot of text and grab the mouse to move the cursor. It's hard to believe that technically savvy users would easily accept the lack of these important keys. I have actually read a few times about people who purchased the HHKB thinking that they could do without the arrows and who realized later that it was a deal breaker. Holding the Fn key down all day will definitely hurt your pinky. 
UPDATE: See what eadams has just posted (a few minutes ago) in this thread:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47466.0
Well the HHKB Pro 2 does have the four arrow keys, they just require you to press the Fn key to use them. It seems cumbersome if you've never tried it, but it's actually better than the arrow cluster since your right hand doesn't move around as much. You learn to do the arrows with your right hand, and it never leaves the alpha keys. IMO, the best keyboard in the world is the HHKB Pro 2 Type-S with blank keycaps. There is a learning curve, for sure. It took me about two or three weeks to adapt to it, but now I type much better and much faster. I am not a programmer, but I type a lot, and I use the arrow keys a lot as well. I have found the FN layer arrow keys to be great, and better than the arrow cluster on a TKL or full-size keyboard. Also the placement of the Control key and the backspace are superior as well. If you've never tried an HHKB, you really can't comment on it, or make any kind of informed decision. The only downside to the HHKB of course is the cost. At around $400 (USD) the HHKB Pro 2 Type-S is no bargain. However, it's still cheaper than a Korean Custom MX Keyboard, and feels better, even after the Korean custom keyboard has been lubed, stickered, dampened, spring swapped, and LED backlighted.
As for ergodox, I finally got to try one out at KeyCon. And it had been modified with 62g solid gold springs from Korea, lubed with Krytox, stickered, dampened, and kissed by a virgin (I added that last part). And I was totally underwhelmed. The MX keys still feel worse than Topre. The only thing ergodox has going for it, is the layout, which may or may not be helpful to somebody suffering from RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome. But the layout is of no benefit to anybody else, other than novelty. In fact, IMO a variable RealForce would actually be more comfortable to a person with RSI or CTS, than the ergodox.
Anyway, I cannot convince anybody who cannot conceive that there may be something better than a Cherry MX switch, so I won't even try. You can see the light or stumble in the darkness. You have free will. Do as you want. Just remember three things: (1) you don't know what you don't know; (2) you don't always know what you think you know; and (3) in the end all you really know is what you want to know.
I'm not sure what's your point here.
First, I love the Topre switches and I do agree that I find it hard to customize Cherry MX switches so that they feel as good. And it's just my personal opinion, and it's not like Topres are so much better than Cherry. I find them slightly better and enjoyable, but the lack of options around Topres cannot be denied (very few boards, very few available keycaps), so I wouldn't disagree either with people who prefer Cherry switches.
Second, I was pointing to the myth that the HHKB has been made for programmers. It's just a myth. You want to argue that there are more programmers out there that would prefer a keyboard without the arrow keys? Seriously?
To this you answer basically that having to press [Fn]-[Key] instead of just [Key] is superior, which not only flies in the face of common sense, but is also against the experience of many programmers who have actually tried it and came back saying that after a month they had to give up on it.
I can understand that you love your HHKB, and I would like to be able to use it for working. I don't mind the price, it's irrelevant because I spend most on my time on a keyboard. I would purchase it at $800 if I knew it was the right tool for me. But it's not, and quite a number of programmers agree (yes you will find occasionally one who disagree, that's how arguing forever on this is possible).
So I'm after a FC660C at this time, because it has 3 things I want:
- near 60%
- dedicated arrow keys
- Topre switches
But I'm currently typing on a KBT Pure Pro with lubed, silenced Cherry MX reds, and I'm not too unhappy either.
I do try different layouts that I design myself or copy from existing boards. The goal for me is to find how many keys you can remove before you start hitting a point of real discomfort. Because what I really want is the smallest possible keyboard that does not make me less productive.
I have used KeyRemap4MacBook on my Macs and AutoKey on Linux to simulate the original Poker layout for example. I simulate it on a Realforce TKL and force myself not to use the dedicated arrow keys and use the right Ctrl-Alt-App-Shift cluster instead. This works. I have also noticed that I can easily adapt to using the left Ctrl and Shift exclusively, so the right side ones can be repurposed like on the Poker. The CapsLock key is also almost irrelevant and begs to be repurposed as well, be it for Ctrl or something else.
I have simulated layouts that do not need a special Fn key for Home/End/PgUp/PgDn (I still do need them for function keys though). It's very simple actually, you can do them with Ctrl-arrow without losing much functionality. You lose some, but my experience with this is that it's easier to use than Fn-arrow (because I already have my hand on Ctrl most of the time anyway). I tell you this from experience. I actually try these layouts for weeks to get a good feel about their usability.
I always hit the point of unacceptability when I remove the dedicated arrow keys. I know it's subjective, but it confirms the opinion of a significant number of people who do a lot of programming.
I think there is a clear trend here: you may be OK with the HHKB, and you are not alone, but it has a major missing feature that turns many people off.
Now my problem is to find how to keep the arrow keys without breaking too much the balance of the rectangular alphabetic cluster (the rectangle between the backtick and the right Ctrl).
The FC660C does a big compromise to achieve that, but seems to be my best bet. I'm also eyeing the 2TU, the 22Mini and even the 22Mini-EX by Kaliet, but they are unfortunately not Topres.
