(The cover photo was generated using MidJourney)
A few years ago, at one of the companies I've worked for, I came across a proliferation of mechan...
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I strongly disagree with this.
Shorter keyboards seem to have taken the programming world by storm, but I just can't bear with it. Keyboards are supposed to make our lives easier, why ditching a handfull of keys to do so?
I personally use a TKL keyboard, an 80% one to be exact, which seems to provide a more ergonomic position for my hands. But 60% ? Like really? What is the future of this? 10-key keyboards?
I think that modern e-commerce has the power to implement "fashions" in the consumers, but let's be honest, is a smaller than 80% keyboard it REALLY worth it? Are there any productivity benefits in forcing yourself to memorize dozens of shortcuts apart from the existing ones?
Personally I believe that this "fashion" benefits only one group: the companies selling more keyboards.
Anyway, that's my two cents on the topic.
Take care
@spiropoulos94 you might be on to something here! I'm not affiliated with any keyboard manufacturer, and it's certainly a hobby as well. You can say the same about cars, or vim and remembering a ton of shortcuts.
More than fashion, I think it's about style ❤️
As someone who just went from 60% to 40%, I can confirm smaller is not cheaper. In fact the weirder it is the smaller the audience the less bulk production.
@waylonwalker - Indeed, the more the niche, the more expensive things are. Mechanical keyboards in general are more expensive, but I think that usually when a company produces multiple keyboard forms, then the 60% will be cheaper than the larger forms (less key caps, less switches, less materials in general), but it might not be true for all cases - And certainly less probable for 40% and down 😛
You can find a PCB factory to compare the quotes of these two PCB mechanical keyboards, then the answer will be obvious, for example: hilelectronic.com/😛
hi Waylon. Do you plan to write about this? I would be interested to hear your initial, 1 month, 3 months, experiences with a 40%.
I've been using a split ergo 40% for a year now. I will say that day one on a split ergo it tough, but me and the few people I have converted got over that hump aftr a few days. 40% it quite a bit harder. I'd say a month in I was "ok", but not great. It takes time to set up your config the way that works for you. In a way it's kinda like vim, were trying to change few keys at a time is good, but to get in you have to change a whole bunch all at once. numbers weren't too bad for me, it was all the symbols, brackets, parens, etc that got me, but now I know where I have everything laid out very well, I never got to this point and always was looking at a normal keeb for symbols and stuff.
Also a split ergo feels soooo comfy when you get into it, It just feels like your fingers are twisted on anything else. that said you pay the price of a few wpm. I think part of this is that there are a few overlap keys that you can no longer hit with both hands.
Thanks for this personal experience. I believe a split keeb or an Alice layout is my next experience. 40% later ☺️
Thanks. Great info. The split ergo 40%s look really nice. Tempting...
I way under estimated how hard 40% would be and how easy split ergo would be
@waylonwalker I'd like to see such a blog post as well! It might push me further down the size ❤️
Hi @vitalipom, thanks a lot for the kind words!
Although I've only wrote 3 articles so far in my personal blog post - This is the #1 reason to write: To inspire and get inspired from the amazing people in the dev.to community.
Please do share the keyboard link, it sounds interesting!
If I can be of any further help, let me know, and have a great day! ❤️
I've recently fallen into the mechanical keyboard rabbithole! Nice post, thanks for sharing. I prefer to use something like QMK or VIA for programming the keyboard layers, though.
Reading about that keyboard (the iGK61) it doesn't sound like it supports QMK or any of the open software tools for configuring the key layouts, which is a shame. If you continue along the path of checking out mechanical keyboards, I'd recommend looking for those options next time.
@andypiper thank you! It indeed does not 😞. However, I've found the software to be usable, and the price point of the iGK61 to be low enough to make it easy for beginners to get started with!
I'm only a beginner in the mechanical keebs world - So i'll sure continue along the path. Do you have any QMK keyboard to recommend? 😬
Well... it depends. I do have a smaller VIA/QMK keyboard which works OK, but I haven't been able to build replacement firmware, just edit the keyboard layout in VIA - I made a repo for it, and that one is only a 40 key option. I also have a Reviung 41 which is a different type of layout completely, it also runs QMK though. My day-to-day is currently a mechanical TKL that doesn't have software configuration.
So no, I don't have a 60 key QMK-compatible keyboard to suggest, but there are plenty out there :-)
Thanks! I didn't find it so easy to find a list of QMK recommended keyboards. I would expect to find such a list more easily. The smaller layout keeb is really cool!
I know some Blender users might have issues switching to compacts, as they use numpad pretty extensively. Before someone says "just remape the keys, duh", there's so many bindings in Blender, it pays to learn the default keybinds rather than try to work around existing ones. Most keys already have something assigned.
Which is where the dark side of this hobby comes in, haha. You can own more than one keeb, different sizes and all.
Myself, I use 75% keeb and I'm using arrows rather extensively. It's just a single extra column of keys, so not much of space. Editing keys are good to have too, Ctrl+Shift+End is complicated enough, I don't need to toss in Fn or Capslock into the mix. And the function row doesn't affect anything anyway, so switching to 60% is useless in terms of ergonomics. More of a cool factor or portability thing, which is what makes 50% really fun.
A pretty interesting keyboard size is one without editing keys. I haven't seen mechanical one like that, but my Logitech K780 is of this size. It's noticeably larger than compacts (about the size of TKL, I'd say), but it offers the best of two worlds - you can use either the numpad or the editing keys (Pgup, Insert, etc), depending on whether numlock is on or off.
With that said, I'll leave you with something to brighten up your day 😉
@turowski Thanks for the different perspective!
75% keyboards are indeed a great compromise. For some reason I had a slight feeling of "claustrophobia" when using that (all of the keys were very condensed, if that makes sense 🤔).
You killed me with the video 😂
Did you see 40% and 30% keebs? Now these are certified smol. Also, obviously key spacing is exact same on all keebs unless you get something more exotic. I like my 75% but it does feel like it's bit crowded in there 😉 I getchu
And then there's the world of the fully custom mades.
You also don't want to remap these keys in Blender cause travel from mouse to keyboard, one hazardous journey filled with imaginary beasts.
Multiple keyboards is okay but can be pretty jarring if the layout / size doesn't match.
My laptop has a 75% layout (or close to it anyways). While I am a programmer, I also play a lot of games - specifically with mods. One thing about game mods is that you end up having a lot of keybinds, and there will inevitably be some sort of conflict. Fewer keys means you have to do more work to get non-conflicting keybinds, and those keybinds will have more modifier keys (since games don't really support chording keybinds). And sometimes mods will just assume you have a numpad by default, like Place Anywhere for Fallout 4.
Thanks for sharing. Do you have further informations about temporarily switch keyboard layout and making custom keyboard layouts on linux? I would be interested to use a custom alternative layout to temporarily remap HJKL to left / bottom / up / right arrows, so I don't have to leave the home row when I can't use vim bindings but still need to navigate in some text.
Thanks!
Do you have an igk61 keyboard? If so, they unfortunately don't have a Linux compatible software. However, you can always spin up a vm of mac or windows, connect the keyboard, configure it, and go back to your beloved Linux. Lmk if that helps 🙏🏽
No, I have my laptop keyboard only
I'm sure there is software that does that in Linux, but I can't recommend of any - I never tried doing that. Do share if you get it working, though!
I noticed the wrong ergonomics years ago and I LOVE my old Microsoft SideWinder X6 Keyboard with detachable keypad, which you can magnetically connect to either side. So, at home, where I don't use the keypad that much, I have keypad on the left side. And if I do heavy number works, I can simply click it to the right side and it's business as usual.
Hey, another step would be to switch to stenotype. Even less keys, you don't need to move your hands at all, and the learning curve is out of this world! Imagine the mad props from the observers when you can type a sentence in 2 seconds.
Jokes aside, I can see how 60% keyboards might be nice for gamers who have small desks and need real estate for their mice. For productivity, however, I absolutely hate anything smaller than 100%.
Here are some points to consider:
These points are of course completely subjective and based on my experience. Everyone should use the tools that find convenient for them.
I've been rocking a Corsair K70 for almost 8 years now. Blue switches at work, and Red switches at home. I especially love the USB passthrough for Yubikey. It's a near perfect keyboard, but I'll probably look into something more craft and hipster in the near future, if I ever find a keyboard that matches my requirements. But it sure as hell won't be anything smaller than 100% 🙂
Thanks Ilai for this post, especial the temporary layer switch solution seems very useful.
My keyboard preferences is a bit of out of these scope, because I am one of the few touchbar fanatic. Because touch bar give a great flexiblity and visual feedback to my keyboard. Especial I like the language switching on touchbar because my default settings is internatianal english but time to time I also use hungarian keyboards too and current language indicator is on right end of my touch bar.
Touch pad also great on MacBook pro M1 14 ( all mac ), so I do not need to use mouse. This gesture great help, include wheel gesture, is much more nicer compare with mouse wheel.
Thanks @pengeszikra! Macs are indeed great as well, and I'm typing from one as we speak. Regarding the touchpad - Personally I feel much more in control with a mouse, not sure if that's just me. 🤔
Few years ago I use PC with mouse and seems touch pad is anoing, but Mac touchpad is whole diferent world. Even I can drawing with them much controll than mouse.
By the way in mouse I prefered the iron whell equiped, which one also have capability to give momentum to wheeling.
Yep. When you use an external screen though, it's not so comfortable to use the macbook directly. Then, a separate keyboard and mouse become more important.
hey, my favorite keyboard is the Lenovo Thinkpad keyboads. i use a wired one, but there is also wireless. some of them, you can seemlessly switch between different devices.
that is very good to me, as I have a personal PC (windows)and a work computer (mac) and the keyboard works good with both.
and it has all the feature keys, for audio and wifi.
when using it, it also feels professional and efficient.
That's awesome, @bias! I haven't heard of this keyboard. BTW - If you're interested in a 60% wireless keyboard, that obviously exists as well from many manufacturers.
From the type that I've shown in the post, here's the link to the wireless version: epathbuy.com/product/minimalist-me...
I use arrow keys sometimes in coding so losing them is something that I'm not willing to do. I have a laptop so every time I go out I just bring the laptop only (there's no space left for the keyboard even if it's in 60% form anyway). That's why I bought myself a full size keyboard and left it at home. I mean, why not? I have plenty of desk space at home, more acquainted to full size and the most important thing is that I won't bring my keyboard outside.
With all that being said, 60% keyboard may be good for you but it may not be for everyone. This is also a message for everyone who is looking to buy a mechanical keyboard: Research your needs carefully to choose the right one
I completely agree with you @ninhnd! I wrote about my own journey and experience, and shared many links along the way with ways to check what's the best for you.
As I wrote in the ergonomics section, most of us humans do not have "wide enough shoulders" for a full-sized keyboard + mouse to be ergonomically "good", so it is based on your size, but I'd argue that most people will be better off with at most 80% (TKL).
Anyhow, it's all very subjective and your points are very important - Do your own research and choose what's right for you.
Thanks again for this important note that I probably should have mentioned in the post.
I really like how tiny a 60% keyboard looks, but for me it's just not worth the tradeoff. The distance from mouse to home keys is a good argument, but a 75% keyboard gives you most of that advantage without sacrificing functionality.
Now my only gripe with 75% is that very few of them have the "home" and "end" key directly above the left and right arrow like you have on yourr layout, and that's something I just can't live without. So I'm basically stuck using a Typematrix 2030 for the foreseeable future.
@nicolus First time I've come across a Typematrix 2030 🤩 - Seems like a hell of an experience :)
Just pasting the layout here for reference:
I would go even a step further and recommend ergonomic keyboards, because of the comfort it provides.
+1 on that @2kabhishek - I've been wanting to try out the Keychron Q8 but it's beyond my budget requirements for now. Got any other recommendations?
Perrix has some nice budget offerings, maybe you can look into those
I personally have owned the 413-B and have loved using it.
programmable layers QMK/VIA are the biggest benifit for myself as a programmer.
I personally also use a compact keyboard. In my case it is a 75%. I used to use a 60% but then switched over to 75, due to me actually beginning to miss arrow keys that are only arrow keys.
Most of the points you make could be solved by learning to code in vim, so you neither need a mouse, nor any "special" keys (like page up, fn etc.). It does have a pretty steep learning curve, but is worth the training. There is a good VSCode plugin, so that you can still be in your favourite code editor while coding.
@aneshodza I agree! I'll be honest and say that I only got used to the basics of Vim, I've never took the time to train enough to become productive with it.
Even better than a 60% keyboard: a 60% split keyboard.
It has the main advantage to let you align your hands with your shoulders which is putting less stress in your shoulders and elbows especially for tall guys.
Mine is a Dygma Raise
The "distance to mouse" thing is kinda funny.
Imagine using your mouse in between typing xD
Those who never need to use a mouse are blessed. I'm not one of them 🙈
'm using a 61 keyboard, Problem is I can not use the arrow keys and an "/" at the same time which are essentials for working in Terminals, Actually, it's enjoyable when typing with it but I think it's good for authors.
If you remap the arrows to I,J,K,L then you could have both the keys and the "/" at the same time!
Great write-up, but I'm happy with my 65%.
Thank you @juniordevforlife! That's indeed a great compromise. I think the major advantage of the approach that the 60% keyboard "forces" you to take is the temp' layer mapping which is really fun to use and made me work much more efficiently (dev.to/ilaif/a-60-keyboard-is-good...)
I'll take that in to consideration when I decide to build another. Thank you!
Me throwing my money on a 60% keeb (when I already own a 75% keeb) because a stranger on the internet told me so:
🙈💸
@bgalvao you'll thank me later! (Or hate me, anyhow, a stranger on the internet 😝)
mmm i don't like 60% keyboard 'cause i usually use right numeric keypad a lot.
Not every one use Vim editor. There is no proof that using vim is faster than arrow key. I use vim for every IDE, vscode,... but if you using office, it very difficult if the keyboard not have arrow key. If every one want a compact keyboard, i think 65% is the best choice. And alice layout is the best option.
Only from a personal experience: I use my 60% both at home and in the office, and I use my macbook with arrow keys when on the road, and after 3 weeks of using both layouts - My brain just "knows" both of the methods and I don't even think about not having arrow keys. As I wrote in the post, I'd even say that it's easier to use arrow keys when they're where your right hand rests ("I J K L") since it's faster to get there. Anyhow, it's only my personal experience, and I'm sure not everyone feel this way.
I've been really interested in the alice layout and I want to try it out. Do you have any recommended prebuilt keebs with 65% and alice layout to recommend? 🤩
As you've said, it's writing about something that I felt that I learned a lot from, and that others can learn from or teach me more about.
Can you DM me with the link to the app you developed and I'll try it out? 🤩 - that way, you won't have to sponsor anything here. I'm not saying that I'll write about it - But I am truly interested in what you developed :)
I loved this. I have a TKL and for me is about the space and also the response time, sometimes, but not many times xD, I miss the numbers but is not a factor to go back to a full keyboard for me.
@silviaespanagil let me know when you've tried a 60% keyboard 😉
I just can't give up the num pad. I know. I know. Pathetic.
Not pathetic at all! As long as you're comfortable the way you are - I say keep on with it!
Thanks for sharing this information.
Thanks for sharing this informational guide with us.
Thanks, @dante_inferno! Can you share the exact model of the keychron?
Hi Vitali,
Looks like you are building a very interesting project. Have you seen Fleksy SDK ? Its a keyboard SDK that might be very useful to you and shorten development time significantly.
I work with the Devrel team and ill be happy to answer any questions that you might have about the Fleksy SDK.
which
All of this is very subjective. You can refer to dev.to/ilaif/a-60-keyboard-is-good... for the switch comparison (although there are other aspects as well that I didn't cover in the post 🙏)