I think that you may be able to type faster on keyboards with rather symmetric button movements if you turn the keyboard around 180 degrees. This way, your thumbs can select between more values, on the "number keys".
More generally, is there any evidence that the "home row position" (indices on f and j) is optimal?
I hate to just post conjecture without gathering some experimental data. I hope that I have time to test some of these ideas, albeit informally.
WM
Which fingers would hit the Space bar? Since it is by far the most used key.
Hi-games profile: http://hi-games.net/profile/4663
TypeRacer profile: http://data.typeracer.com/pit/profile?user=patcm
If you wanted to do that you'd have to remap the space bar for sure. You could use cevgar's foot pedal idea (using a spare, partially stripped USB keyboard with your feet) for instance.
My gut feeling tells me it'd still be disastrous due to the slant of boards and keys. It'd go "against the grain" of most boards I know of, I'm afraid. But don't let the people saying a thing cannot be done get in the way of the people doing it, heh!
*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***
In the future we could use biotechnology to have some more artificial hands (we will be like octopus then) to type with more fingers to fully optimize the current keyboard.
Or we will train our toes to type. We have tried our toes in sex training already.
Voice recognition would be good too. Not for stutters, though.
My fastest typing records http://hi-games.net/profile/4314
My switching experience https://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?id=970
I don't believe in voice recognition for everything. It's useful for making doctor's reports apparently, but in noisy conditions or where you need to keep your voice down not so much.
I do believe we'll manage to produce reasonably reliable mindlinks within a decade or two. The basic technology of picking up brain currents with headbands fitted with a lot of tiny coils is already there, so it's a question of the right signal processing and basic knowledge that remains.
*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***
With regard to the OP. The idea had been posted on the forum previously.
* You may be able to repurpose the function keys or nomber row as modifiers
* However there sometimes is a change in gap and position of the function keys relative to the number row
* The space bar in all likelihood would need remapping
* Many standard keyboards are elevated (front to back) with partial contouring (sometimes you can't swap key caps because of this), which might pose an ergonomic issue when flipped
Whether the home row style of typing (fingers on F and J nubs) is the most optimised for the standard keyboard is a whole topic in itself.
@William did you ever test these ideas?
--
Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.
