It always seems to come down to this because you guys can't find anything wrong with the Ergodox.. So yourselves compelled to kill the preacher?
Take it away ErgoDox users!
The board does take some getting used to, but it is not as bad as I thought. I am loving the split design and the feel for the cherry clear switches that I got with it – but then again I have nothing else to compare them to. The hardest thing so far is getting used to the location of some keys on the top rows due to the matrix design. I'm also experiencing the same problem someone else had with the thumb naturally resting just to the side of the thumb keys, making one wish they were slightly closer. But I'm sure I will get used to both these minor issues rather quickly. I also wished the keycaps had a bump on the home keys. I've temporarily resolved that with a piece of tape.
Not as bad as I thought? A ringing endorsement if I ever heard one.
For me (as I have large hands), I think the 2x thumb buttons are perfect. But I'll be honest, I don't use the 1x buttons in the thumb cluster at all (well I do have two of them setup to load the bootloader when I press both, but that's it).
A keyboard with keys the owner doesn't even use? Perfect!
even after months of using the thing, i still have trouble touch typing the top row of numbers, specifically when typing in long strings for authentication purposes. Individual numbers while typing sentences are mostly fine.
I agree with both of you on the thumb cluster usage, on both sides - I only use the inner most 2x keys regularly, and the other 2x keys are relegated to del and enter, which aren't actually necessary all the time. (well, I have a duplicate enter key at the regular position, which is the one I use more often.)
The rest of the thumb cluster keys on my layout are used mostly for layer changes, and the characters [], home, end, windows key and a off center ctrl (another duplicate - there's an easier to reach ctrl elsewhere). It's true that the 1x keys aren't in the best positions to be reached easily on a consistent basis, so that's where the keys that I use on the least frequent basis go.
But I could see an issue if the layout used requires constant usage of the thumb cluster for other than the 2x keys.
But the beauty of the setup is that the layout can be tweaked over and over until you're happy with it in use.(looking at a folder I set aside for the hex files I downloaded, I went through at least 40 revisions before I settled on what I've been using for the last few months. I suspect if I started playing games again, that number would likely grow.)
I've more or less settled on one where I actually have more than enough keys on layer 0 to work with in normal usage, so much so that I ignore the rest of the thumb cluster, not consciously, but because I don't miss those keys at all. The only thing I'm not satisfied with would probably be the lack of a dedicated arrow cluster on layer 0 (I've tried many swaps with various keys, just doesn't feel right while typing)
40 different layouts and this user eventually had to "settle" on one. Shouldn't need to happen when shelling out $275+ on Keyboard Jesus.
ah... ok..
Transitional friction is to be expected when going through a radical shift to a NEW layout coming OFF from 10+ years on Staggered Qwerty.
A keyboard with keys people don't use..
Every keyboard has this.. many people don't use page up page down cluster, They don't use insert/printscr/scrolllock
Many people don't use F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F2 F3...
AT LEAST on the Ergodox, you can find a use for any of the keys through reprogramming, SHOULD YOU NEED IT..
On a standard keyboard you have to be stuck with software such as autohotkey.. which i think is alright, i used it prior to the Ergodox,, but the Ergodox really makes it easier...
