I've created an image of your layout with carpalx:

Colemak:

Colemak extra-wide:

Probably a good idea for some, especially people with wide shoulders and narrow keyboards! And with the explosion on the netbook market, the shoulder-to-keyboard-width ratio has been dropping. Another potential benefit would be people whose pinkies are hurting; I think that's a not too uncommon problem. Keep the hand balance, but move load from right-hand pinky to the strong index finger - it seems smart.

The only problem there for everyday typing would be moving the apostrophe that sees quite frequent use in English. It'd be a surprise to the ingrained typer, and I don't think you want single-finger trouble in common words like "isn't", "don't" etc.! However, for those of us blessed with ISO boards this becomes better and better: I'd keep the apostrophe and move the \| key to the middle! This way the problematic placement of the Enter key on the ISO board (too long a stretch for the right-hand pinky) is alleviated, making the ISO keyboard sweeter than ever. Far-away Backspace key, same benefit (except most Colemak users will have an alternative placement for that key already). The new challenge becomes a logical placement of the bracket keys. Since the semicolon is placed 'in the block' I'm a bit loath to move it away.

Not convinced about the number row! I use a straight left wrist, and type the number 6 with my left hand most of the time (which is also in harmony with most split keyboards, for some reason!). Thus, I'd only insert one key (probably =+ then) and it'd be to the right of the 6 key. Others might want to insert only one number-row key too, but to the left of 6. I feel that the double-key insertion on the number row breaks the symmetry of this idea so there'd better be a very good reason for it!?

I'll give you this though: It looks a lot prettier with the number 6 on the right hand! I'll consider it a bit, maybe trying out the =+ key in the middle for the left hand instead.

If you move exactly one column of keys from the right-hand edge to the middle of the keyboard, I'd think that it'd be much easier for people to transition back and forth between the conventional Colemak and this modification. That weighs somewhat heavily for me.

That argument doesn't sound right to me. I use different hand positions for different situations and haven't noticed any such effect.

Maybe I'll whip up an image of this too. It's an interesting concept.

Did you have PKL files for it? I might also be helpful there.

As a side effect of this shifting, the traditional backspace (or “delete” on macs) is conveniently closer! (I actually do this, too, because I haven't found an easy, non-frustrating way to get backspace onto capslock for OS X 10.5/6—much as I adored it when I had it with an older computer.)

Kalixiri: Ah yes, now that you mention it I think you've described this idea before? Nice work there - although personally I've my mind set to have the number 6 to the right of the = key now. I too like the apostrophe and bracket placements.

Cevgar: Arensito is in my opinion a layout that tries too hard. Maybe it isn't so bad on a Kinesis, but on a run-of-the-mill keyboard the first thing that strikes me is how ugly, jumbled and illogical it looks. More to the point though, it's a great leap from the standard QWERTY (and not being that while still being great is one of the distinct advantages of Colemak in the first place) and unless you can play piano with only your thumbs it'll lead to some uncomfortable stretches downwards as far as I can see.

Your double-wide layouts suffer from some of the same problems I think: They are easy on the eye unlike the Arensito, but numbers to the bottom is a substantial conceptual leap from what we're used to. And losing the possibility of shuffling the ZXCVB keys to the left for ergonomy breaks the deal for me. I suppose that losing the trained stretch to the right-hand Shift and having to go a row down instead will break the deal for many more, judging by the outcry the ANSI people make when you move the left-hand Shift key to a (perfectly acceptable, as far as I'm concerned) ISO position one key to the left of the wide one they're used to.

As you say, the implementation will be tricky too. The Caps-to-Backspace of Colemak has caused much frustration and you're talking about a complete reworking which is bound to crash against the many unprepared systems/apps.

The basic idea is tempting, but I feel it's just too much.

On the upside, I tried moving my right hand between the two positions on my normal IBM M board and I now feel that the wide position is better even on a large board! Plus, it fixes the problem of the ridiculously long Space bar on some keyboards that make the AltGr key an evil stretch - as well as the Backspace/Enter stretches as mentioned before. This is a brilliant idea!!!

The image is on its way but still in the making/rethinking phase. Be like a hospital; have patiens...   ;)

Points of interest in this post:
   Trigraph keys.
   AlphaPad layout.

Lesser points of interest:
   10 Finger layout.
   A-Frame layout.

@DreymaR
You are awesome! The color coded map clears up what is happening beautifully, and the reg files are a whole lot easier than using SharpKey to remap half the board. I admit I do feel silly now. Here I was wasting time coming up with new ideas while you were doing serious work.

Besides that, the single wide does work nicely, doesn't it? Feels very natural after only a short time. While it seems like I am hardly the first person to come up with the idea, I just wonder why I've never heard of it before. Once you've seen it, it becomes so obvious.

As for the doubles, I recommend ignoring most of the double wides I posted and checking out the asymmetrical 'RegisFree' layout. I agree that the regular double wide IS a bit too much for most. Since I never use the R.Shift, I find the asymmetrical layout puts me in a much better position for the enter and backspace and leaves the ' alone. I imagine for left shifters who can't switch out the capslock this could be useful. It needs some reworking on an ISO, probably putting the ' in the ; position and moving the ; to the center, but the bottom row is preserved. That is doubtlessly a plus for people who like to ask a lot of questions.

Something I've just discovered, depending on your board, the upwards shift of the doubles can be a blessing. Shifts the palms up onto very narrow boards and stabilizes them.

Unfortunately I never learned to alternate thumbs for the space so, being a right spacer, I get no benefit from the asymmetrical layout's additional thumb access.  I'd have loved to put in a " the " key (spaces included) on the bottom, but Windows limits to four characters per keypress. So a " the " key becomes a " the", "the " or "the" key, which makes for some awkward same-thumb combos. Still a " the" key would make words like "there" "theif" "theater" "thesis" and "thermos" a touch faster. It has only marginal use though. A "the" key would be great, with usage in >1800 English words, but that triple same thumb combo intimidates me. A "th" key could be useful, (>5000 English words) but anything less than a trigraph isn't worth the effort. All of these arguments work for an "and" key as well(>1800 english words) and various other trigraphs. In case you are wondering, you can check for number of words starting with, containing and ending with at morewords.com

So to summarize, toss the regular layout, play with the double wide, go home with the single wide.

The arensito is a bit convoluted, but it does make sense if you stare at it a bit. It really should have finger coloring, but if you look you will notice some sensible changes. I am figuring it is named after the home positions, so it looks like the pointers have only 5 keys assigned to them instead of the traditional 6. The separate quote and apostrophe keys are nice, and most of those brackets and slashes we've been moving about have been shifted off the board and onto a separate layer. The layout also enforces that 'comfort' shifting of the lower row that the ISO folks are so fond of, and upper row is also adjusted, so the left hand has a nice inward slope to match the right. Seems like it would have been more comfortable if the pointers had been shifted down a row onto the qwerty F and K keys. Learning it is probably a monster, but I don't think the thumbs are as bad as they look. Aside from the space, none of those is a really frequent customer, and there is enough time to find the shift when you need it. It is less like playing the piano and more like working organ pedals.

NEW LAYOUT IDEAS
Now, taking things to their logical (if impractical) conclusion, I present you with the ultimate width solution.

Wide Board, AlphaPad: Deskhog

Why, oh why does the number pad use a separate set of scan codes? Not only that, but they are under used! No shift states at all. It makes such a simple layout switch into something far too complicated. If you have a full board, or a compact with a separate number pad (awesome!) AND you don't mind wrangling with the registry, or PKL take a look. It's not a freestyle, but it won't cost you 100 USD either. Note for you laptop folks, you will probably need a surface for this, so don't plan on typing on your lap.

Numbpad, 17 key default
N / * - 
7 8 9 +
4 5 6 + (homerow)
1 2 3 E
000 . E

Numbpad, 17 Key AlphaPad
l u y '
N E I O (homerow)
m , . O
h k j E (thumb hk, ring for j, pinkie Enter)
Spc B E (thumb space, ring Backspace)

Numbpad, USB 19 Key Default
N / * - 
7 8 9 B (Backspace)
4 5 6 + (homerow)
1 2 3 E
0 @ . E (@ is the 000 key)

Numbpad, USB 19 Key AlphaPad (rotate clockwise)
j l u y '
h N E I O (homerow)
k m , . S (Shift)
Spc A B E (AltGr)

Really, the only way this could be expanded any further is to use two entirely separate keyboards. That would probably be a simpler solution than this. I can say from personal experience that two compacts work like a charm, but they do get in the way of the mouse. Unless you turned them sideways. Hey, align them so they slope up to the center and that is pretty comfy. Fingers line up better too! Try this home row, qwerty labels ".LP- 3EDX" or "EDXAlt".

ANYWAYS, the advantages for the AlphaPad are:
   W-I-D-E
   Doesn't mess with the rest of the board layout. Need something special? Just move back.
   Right hand is only a hand's width away from the mouse.
   On a full board, R.Thumb comfortably near the arrow keys.
   On a full board, R.Pointer is in reaching distance of PgUp and PgDn.
   With a USB NumPad, ADJUSTABLE SPLIT KEYBOARD!!!! (even more adjustable if you switch the left hand to the right side of the keyboard. Align so that L.Pinkie on the Right nub.)
   
Disadvantages for the AlphaPad:
   Impractical.
   Feels very unfamiliar. Requires adaption.
   17 key, No AltGr.
   17 key, No R.Shift.
   17 key, Heavy thumb dependence.
   Small R.Space.
   Very limited in number of keys available, unless several layers are added, no good for code.
   Requires registry level key remap.
   Requires keyboard layout edit if you want the numberpad back as a shift state.
   Puts the qwerty N in an awful spot.
   
Now, if I could find two USB 19 Key NumberPads with different scan codes, I could almost get rid of my keyboard. Maybe I should look into those "half keyboard" pc game pads?

While I'm here though, I found myself wondering something. There are 33 center keys on the board, spread across 8 fingers. 3 for each, except for the pointers that have 6 (or 7 depending on how you type). Well, what if we tried something like this...

Colemak Double Wide 10 Fingers
___________________________________________________________
| T | q | w | f | p | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | l | u | y | ; | BSp |
| BSp | A | R | S | T | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | N | E | I | O | ' |
| Shft | z | x | c | v | 3 | [ | ] | 0 | m | , | . | Entr |
| Ctrl   | \ | / | b | D | g | = | j | H | k | - | Shift  |
| `   | Wn | Alt | Space              | Alt | W | M | Ctl |
-----------------------------------------------------------

Thumbs home at D and H. Discounting the awful number placements, how does that look? Pretty bad actually. Maybe shuffling the keys might improve the-... no, probably not. Eh, well nevermind then, it was worth a shot.

Well, that about wraps it up for width. I don't think there are any other possibilities that don't involve physical modification. Next I might try modifying angle. Maybe something like this:

Colemak A-Frame (US)
___________________________________________________________
| ` | - | = | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | BSp |
| Tab | [ | ] | q | w | f | p | j | l | u | y | ; | ' | \ |
| BkSp | / | A | R | S | T | d | h | N | E | I | O | Entr |
| Shift  | z | x | c | v | g | b | k | m | , | . | Shift  |
| Ctr | Wn | Alt | Space              | Alt | W | M | Ctl |
-----------------------------------------------------------

Home row, upper left and lower right keys shifted right once. G placed on bottom row. B stays in its relatively bad position. Those who have ISO boards, you might want to shift this whole layout back to the left by a key, and tempting as it is, I would not put an extra letter between the hands, as the separation with this much inward slope might be hard on the wrists. It is your call. Also, this switch isn't as universal as the others. It makes a right mess of the qwerty T position.

Ok, that is it. No new layouts from me. I promise. I'd rather see the single wide finished than continue playing with ideas.

I have been using a similar mod for Dvorak, and I find it way more comfortable than the standard one.

Only issue so far: none of my membrane keyboards allowed moving the right home key (J). I don't type on membrane keyboards anymore, therefore to me is not an issue at all.

I was working on the gif below, when I took a look at Dvorak. I'm reconsidering going back to the double key numberpad adjustment idea. It is not that big of a deal, but shifting everything like we have uneccisarily messes up the dvorak brackets. I feel the -= keys should remain next to each other for cross layout conformity.

Anyway show your support! Animated signature. For those of us who don't mind being gaudy eyesores. (note that the keys have remained mostly unlabeled, so feel free to share it with all your qwerty loving friends!)

Edit: Added this (hopefully) more tasteful option. The timing is still a little rough (paint.net is really not made for this sort of thing), but it is still huge step up from the previous version. It isn't quite as straight forward (I do miss the cheerful thumb indicators), but I suppose not appearing like a rabid fanatic is the price one pays for having people take you seriously. Note that like the first, the keys are unlabeled, to go along with the whole layout independent aspect of the mod. So, attach it to your signature, link it back here to the reg files and let people know that they have a choice!

As we've already discovered, I am a poor typist and I have an ANSI board. Oddly enough I have ONLY ANSI boards. That being said, I already have the bottom row shifted. CVB on the pointer, X on the middle or ring (depending on the word), and ZX on the ring. For a good typist who follows the guides, the shift might be worth it. Probably is worth it, in fact. For poor typists, I think that taking an extra key off a single finger will not outweigh the advantages of easing pressure off both wrists.

The \ / switch on the ISO is a good idea. I could go either way with the number bar.

The GIMP. How could I have forgotten the GIMP? Granted I haven't used it since I discovered PDN but that is no reason for forgetting it. I think blender might do 2D as well. I haven't messed around much with inkscape, but I guess I need to get around to it sooner or later. And then there is that Plastic Animation Paper program... anyway, thanks for the offer on the images, if I think of anything I'll let you know.

The ErgoRemaps collection looks good. I'd like to see a image for the ANSI Wide board too, not just the A-Frame. Just so people know what to expect and to even things out. Four png's for four reg's. Maybe a README.txt too,  for people who haven't been following the thread and don't think of editing the reg files to see author's notes. (Or check for malicious code)

Another thought, the images probably won't mean much, and could possibly frighten off users of other layouts. Perhaps the remap images should show the repositioning for the big three US boards (Qwerty, Dvorak, Colemak) stacked top to bottom, to highlight that the same key positions were moved on each layout. Or a set of blank boards with color coded before and after images. Like the animations... just like, the animations...  I'll get back to you on that.

Ah, sorry, but I think that might have come across wrong. I didn't mean that I deliberately changed my technique, or that I recommend anyone switch from proper fingering to duplicate what I do. It is just that I've always done it that way. The outward slope the left hand is suppose to take never made sense to me, so I chose to learn it wrong. It is much like the left shift, or the right space. If the stagger wasn't as bad, I suppose I would be tempted to learn the proper fingering though.

Regardless of fingering, I can't help but feel (you are all perfectly free to feel and reason otherwise) the ANSI Wide + zxcvb shift gives up too much benefit for too little return. To each their own, as I obviously cannot speak for the comfort of others.  For me, widening the entire board moderately improves the wrist position for almost all the keys. Shifting to get the proper zxcvb stagger returns all but 5 letter keys to the same positions relative to their starting points. That means it sacrifices moderate improvement I gain on all of the letter keys, for fantastic improvement of just five. If those five were etaio I'd go with the shift, but according to wikipedia  the combined relative letter frequency of zxcvb in English is about 5.5 percent. That doesn't make a particularly strong argument. On the other hand, if the normal typewriter hand spacing doesn't bother you the zxcvb shift is probably brilliant. It is all rather personal in the end.

I feel remarkably dense. I was getting frustrated with where this was leading, so I thought about what I might be missing. It may be difficult to believe, but I never gave the specifics of proper technique much consideration. Looking at the choices for hitting the keys with the proper fingers reveals only three options, each worse than the last. Either stretching down to the right at a 45 degree angle from a comfortable wrist position, tilting the whole wrist inward when a key on the lower row needs to be hit, or (a truly horrifying prospect) leaving the left wrist constantly bent outwards to be aligned for the zxcvb stagger. Taken in that light, I understand where you are coming from and the point you are making. Straight steady wrists are paramount. I agree.

Still, not everyone types properly, and... yeah, long story short, three alternatives sounds good. Improper typists might have some adjustment to do on the ISO, but it is in their own best interest.

I think this layout is suitable for flatter keycaps, like chiclet or scissor-switch. On my regular keyboard, I don't feel it that comfortable.

Nice idea BTW! ^_^

Agreed. Specifics, please. I've added a... somewhat limited index to the top of this thread if it helps any.