Aye. The old kinesis is pretty reprogrammable, so it's not too bad on that front, and the ergodox (when I get it) is immensely programmable, and it has a few extra proper keys compared to the kinesis. There are some nice UI tools for programming it which offer a LOT of flexibility, and it runs off a teensy and the firmware is in github, so i can go crazy with that if there's extra that I want :) just got the painful wait for it all to be despatched :(

I have but I think it would be impractical to switch keyboards by application.  (i.e. When doing web design I often need to switch back and forth between typing markup and editing graphics.  I am a newbie at it, though, and don't know if this is the norm…)

Also, I figure I would rather get used to one kind of layout.  It's a shame because I really like the non-staggered design but I haven't found many keyboards that have this.  And of the one's I have found that do:,

• Kinesis (Advantage)

• Maltron (Dual Hand)

• Truly Ergonomic

• TypeMatrix

• Datadesk SmartBoard (discontinued?)

• PLUM (discontinued)

• Scythe Ergo Diver (discontinued)

• ErgoDox (DIY?)

• Humble Hacker (not yet available?)

none of them except the SmartBoard have modifiers in the standard position.  Not that that's necessarily a bad thing but so far neither the Kinesis nor the Truly Ergonomic are comfortable for me in this regard in the same way that a standard keyboard layout is.

What I'd like to try is something like this, but without the numeric keypad:

Sadly, it doesn't exist.  It's a mock-up from the blog article, Towards Better Keyboards.

If you go here https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ergodox you should be able to sign up to be notified if they run it again, but you may need to register with the site before you can do much.

If you keep an eye on these couple of forum threads (sign up on the site and you can get it to auto notify you when new posts are made) there may be news of other people arranging group buys of the bits: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=22780.1680 http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/spli … 3-780.html

You may notice that despite the fact that it needs some serious assembly it ain't cheap :(

Thanks, I'll check them out!

You know, I hadn't thought of that…  That makes a lot of sense to me.  It seems both the Kinesis and TE address this in different ways: The Kinesis by having more space between the hands and the TE by having angled keys in the direction of each arm.  Interesting, I wonder why more keyboard manufacturers don't make keyboards with a complete split between left hand and right hand like the ErgoDox.

Admittedly, regarding the stagger, since my TE got bricked (note that I don't say I bricked it, I followed their instructions!), I've been typing on the standard layout again and after a little bit of an adjustment period I don't really notice the stagger anymore.

What has made a big difference to me is that the modifier keys are comfortable to use again.  Since the TE places them in a vertical line on top of each other, I was toggling them with the pinky and ring-finger, which required the rotation of the wrist in an unnatural/uncomfortable way.  It's likely I didn't use it long enough to find a more ergonomic way to reach those keys and get used to it.  I would still be using the TE today if it didn't die on me, but as it stands I'm sending it back.

Good point!  The money I don't mind nearly as much as the time, and I have laughable soldering skills.  I really appreciate all these people trying to be innovative and make better keyboards!  If and when they come to market I will gladly show support with my wallet  :).  Until then, I'll just make do.

I distrust non-staggered boards unless they split in the middle. I think that to keep your wrists straight you need stagger – but in the right direction. Ruining the right hand stagger to fix the left hand one isn't the way to go. I may be wrong but I'm fairly certain about this one!

another monthish has passed so i thought i should give myself a quick benchmarking session on my little common words list and I just hit 49.5 wpm and 99% accuracy. i'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself now :) there was a possible hint of fluke to that run as i'm sure i'm not that accurate normally, but i'll go with what the test said. i'm not blasting up to the same high speeds that some other colemakkers have reached in the same timeframe, but I'm seeing improvement which is the main thing, and i'm not doing any focussed practice so i don't feel bad about it. i still feel slow compared to my old qwerty speeds, but continuing to be less and less frustrated by it as that gradual improvement is kicking in.

Nice accuracy! With that, your speed will be picking up steadily I'm guessing.

Maybe for a challenge you could do an odd burst test? Forgo a little accuracy to "let'er rip" so to speak, see what the gross speed is then. That's no way to practice long-term, but it can be a useful variant occasionally.

It seems that your accuracy there was pretty much on the mark. Anything less than 98% hurts although some live with it. Anything above is just swell.