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
i'm really, truly confused that the split-spacebar/backspace configuration never really caught on. (i guess MightGrowSoft has produced a few here and there, but AFAIK they haven't been mechanical.) why would you waste so much space on a button you only need 1 thumb to press? why would you keep the backspace key so far out of the way that you need to move your hand to reach it? there are a lot of questions, but the bottom line is: for a daily driver, i don't want to compromise on this. i shouldn't have to lift a pinky to delete a single character.
i'm no stranger to soldering components onto boards and so on, but i'm a brand-new dad, so time is at a premium. basically, i'm looking for an end product of "a DAS Ultimate but with a split spacebar" or this cougar thing https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-Aluminum-Mechanical-Keyboard-KBC700-4IS/dp/B00TA4H6UO but with blank keycaps (i do want my numpad, arrows and F keys, but don't need all the other bells and whistles, like USB ports and volume controls and lighting and so on). i use only GNU/Linux, so any reprogramming i can really do from the OS side (although this isn't necessary for the NMB). the infinity ergodox looks awesome and wouldn't be a bad solution, but again, i can't make the time commitment just now.
tl;dr: mechanical keyboard (cherry MX browns), split spacebar, blank caps. does this spark anyone's imagination? thanks for any pointers.
*i realize i should post a pic of my NMB but lemme put a coat of paint on it first.