Support for Alternative Layouts
This is a summary of how alternative layouts have been supported by kits such as Colevrak and Homing. It is not a discussion of alt layout performance and development, but if that interests you I highly recommend starting with Pascal Getreuer’s A guide to alt keyboard layouts (why, how, which one?). It’s a concise and comprehensive overview with links to some great sites that go deeper. He also has a separate Links about keyboards page. The Keyboard layouts doc he recommends explains layout goals and metrics in detail, summarizing the alt layouts discussed here as well as more than one hundred others. Sculpted-profile The majority of custom keycap sets are sculpted-profile (Cherry, SA, MT3, KAT, etc. - more on profiles generally here) so let’s start there. Because each row has a unique keycap shape, alt layouts require a unique keycap for each legend that moves off its QWERTY row. At first there were two The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak & William L....
Apr 23, 2024
This Ergo layout is popular from the data we have, so it's being offered, hope you understand!
Same for GMK Laser. Proper Planck compatibility just needs 3 more keys compared to the Base Kit (R2 Tab, R3 Esc, R4 Enter). Will you put those 3 more keys into the Base Kit or will you force even Planck users to buy an entire ErgoPlanck kit for just 3 keys?
There will never be a single kit with legends that will make everyone happy. But you need enough flexible options so that you can please even the most demanding user. And this is arguably easier with DSA kits.
Enough options are already provided, all kits for sale here come with the necessary keycaps to fill its respective keyboard. If you gonna end up with 100% perfect legends on all positions, that's another story. When you decide to build a custom weird keyboard like the Ergodox, or when you decide to buy an ISO ABNT2 keyboard for example, you should know what you're getting into - which is a niche (mechanical keyboards) of a niche (Ergodox) of a niche (non-Infinity) of a niche (aftermarket custom keysets).
The purpose of a groupbuy, especially ABS 2shot ones, is not to offer snowflakey kits and options, but to strike a balance and offer tangible options for the average user - which will most likely reach a minimum order quantity. Adding a pair of 1.5u blanks to the Ergodox kit wouldn't make much sense because at this point the user would be mixing blanks and legend keycaps, and it defeats the aesthetic conceptual purpose I had in mind when I conceived this product.
> Will you put those 3 more keys into the Base Kit or will you force even Planck users to buy an entire ErgoPlanck kit for just 3 keys?
Will I keep these keycaps on its dedicated kit or will I force ANSI/ISO/60%/TKL/96%/104 to buy 3 useless keys? Just showing to you that your standpoint (albeit valid) is subjective, from the perspective of someone that would like to save as much money as possible. In any case, the Laser GMK kits were completely re organized and will be offered in a completely different manner, when the time comes.
Looking forward to both drops at any rate! (: