Technology

Keychron has a cheap one

it seems to be perfect for people who are not working on a desk

Ergorotic literature.

This is coiling my cable just thinking about it.

Nice

Imagine having a keyboard like this, and still needing to be guided through a system settings menu.

Jesus

I just keep the company keyboard on a drawer for the IT guy. I never thought all that I could be missing hahahaha

When I was a kid, I got my hands on a PS/2 Y-adapter and so typed on two keyboards - left hand on one on my desk, right hand on one on a keyboard tray. I don't know what my typing speed and accuracy were then, but a few years back an entire office of people tried to beat me in a typing test and couldn't. Since then I've taken a typing test on a laptop while sitting in a hotel bed and gotten a score of 158 with, IIRC, 98.2% accuracy. (This was my best score but even since then all of my typing evaluations have gone well.)

I also use a trackball as exclusively as my environment allows, including while gaming (other than Minecraft). I'm not remotely a pro, but among my peers I tend to score highly in, for example, FPS'.

I'm not trying to brag; there are many better than I in both categories. The reason I bring these up is to demonstrate that something being the convention doesn't automatically make it better and something being unfit for your preferences doesn't make it inferior.

edit: AFAIK, I only have one left hand.

May I introduce to you, the Banana Board. A keyboard that works by squeezing a banana shaped device.

I switched to a new key layout and was slowed down for like a month, and almost every day I could literally feel myself speeding back up. It was such a cool experience, and one that I imagine has beneficial like neural effects, that sometimes I think about switching it up just for fun.

I'd suggest just sticking with it. I now use English, German, and my custom Workman layout at home without any issue switching between them. Practice makes perfect and cause a bunch of work and fun things encourage typing a lot, practice comes easy and getting back to your normal speed happens quickly.

Picking a new layout like Workman or Dvorak where you can feel the benefits, plus a split keyboard's ergonomic benefits, and I think anyone would struggle to go back (assuming they do it for a month and give it a fair shake).

It uses layers, the same way a phone keyboard has a separate layer for numbers and symbols. Holding down one of the three thumb keys on either side activates a new layer. Since you can use your thumb and fingers at the same time, there’s no lose in typing speed. Indeed, the layout puts numbers and symbols closer to the home row on a layer than using a physical number number.

For all symbols, you would have needed a shift-modifier to access those before. With this design, the symbols are closer but use a layer switch key instead of a shift key to access them.

Everyone who uses a phone keyboard has learned a new compact keyboard layout. It’s not so hard.

One button. Endless possibilities.

Many, many moons ago (must have been around 2006?) I managed to procure a FingerWorks. It was magic, like holding a piece of computing history!

It allowed a lot of the gestures we take for granted, to switch applications or workspaces, to go back a page, etc. But it also had really cool stuff. You could bind gestures like twisting your fingers clockwise to open a file (just like opening a jar!) or counterclockwise to close it. Pinch and zoom for copy and paste.

I was only able to get a hold on a Dvorak copy. And because the key labels were printed on the board, you couldn't really change the layout. Getting used to a split layout, no keys and Dvorak at the same time was too much and I had to sell it again. But I've been using split keyboards ever since!

That sounds awful though. There's a reason why touch pads are so unpopular in cars, there's no tactile feedback to the buttons. Part of learning to type is getting a feel for the keys.

TKL FTW BTW!

Do you mean the CharaChorder? I thought about getting one in the past bit it looks like a super steep learn curve and I'm not sure if I'm willing to subject myself to it.

Pretty sure you're talking about the Svalboard. I don't think it uses chunks of words though. Each finger has access to 5 keys and you can map any layout. https://svalboard.com/

But maybe you're thinking of stenography where you have fewer keys but you press them in combinations (chords) instead of individually. That looks crazy fast. https://youtu.be/7jVXrX5TDk4 https://www.artofchording.com/introduction/#stenography