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Introducing Allenak

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EDIT: This is an older version. The newest version is Allenak 0.9 Light  (assuming I didn't forget to update this link)

YAKL by a one post newb. . .

It is impractical for me to learn a new layout until I buy a programable keyboard.  Until then, I have plenty of time to have fun making my own layout.  This layout is completely untested (through human usage).  It should be considered purely theoretical.

Design Principles:

  1. Maintain ZXCV and punctuation key positions, and if possible QWA.

  2. Maximize inner rolls while minimizing outer rolls.

  3. Very low 'Hard Digraphs'.

  4. If possible, reduce single finger use.

  5. Promote alternative keying when reducing SFU is not practical.

qwlm b  j ysu;
ionr d  f ehta
zxcv p  g k,./

How I did:

  1. I was able to maintain ZXCV QW, but not A. Punctuation is same as Colemak.

  2. This layout has 50% more inward rolls, and 12% less outward rolls (compared to Colemak).

  3. I think I did well with this.  IMO, the hardest common digraph is CO.

  4. Epic Fail. This comes in around 4% !!! This is very hard to do when trying to maximize rolls (I always gave rolls a priority over SFU).

  5. Alternative keying reduces this by 1% (using simple alternative keying, nothing exotic).

Most Common SFU

  • Left: PR NC RD MP

  • Right: GE UT TU  S, SH EF KE FE
    Underlined digraphs indicate easy alternative keying.  NC is only easy if using a standard offset keyboard.

This layout was manually designed based upon a frequency analysis of google's trillion word corpus.  If I can figure out how to post tables, I will share my research.

For Reference:

`1234567890-=
#qwlmbjysu;[]\
#ionrdfehta'*N
*Lzxcvpgk,./*R
##*S#
*L
#######&**()_+
######JYSU:{}|
######FEHTA"
######GK<>?
#
*R
~!@*#$%^
#QWLMB
#IONRD
#ZXCVP
#
{"label":"Allenak","fingerStart":{"1":29,"2":30,"3":31,"4":32,"5":56,"6":56,"7":35,"8":36,"9":37,"10":38,"11":56,"false":-1},"keyboardType":"standard","keys":[{"primary":96,"shift":126,"finger":1,"id":0},{"primary":49,"shift":33,"finger":1,"id":1},{"primary":50,"shift":64,"finger":2,"id":2},{"primary":51,"shift":35,"finger":3,"id":3},{"primary":52,"shift":36,"finger":4,"id":4},{"primary":53,"shift":37,"finger":4,"id":5},{"primary":54,"shift":94,"finger":7,"id":6},{"primary":55,"shift":38,"finger":7,"id":7},{"primary":56,"shift":42,"finger":8,"id":8},{"primary":57,"shift":40,"finger":9,"id":9},{"primary":48,"shift":41,"finger":10,"id":10},{"primary":45,"shift":95,"finger":10,"id":11},{"primary":61,"shift":43,"finger":10,"id":12},{"primary":8,"finger":10,"id":13},{"primary":9,"finger":1,"id":14},{"primary":113,"shift":81,"finger":1,"id":15},{"primary":119,"shift":87,"finger":2,"id":16},{"primary":108,"shift":76,"finger":3,"id":17,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":109,"shift":77,"finger":4,"id":18,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":98,"shift":66,"finger":4,"id":19,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":106,"shift":74,"finger":7,"id":20,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":115,"shift":83,"finger":7,"id":21,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":117,"shift":85,"finger":8,"id":22},{"primary":121,"shift":89,"finger":9,"id":23},{"primary":59,"shift":58,"finger":10,"id":24},{"primary":91,"shift":123,"finger":10,"id":25},{"primary":93,"shift":125,"finger":10,"id":26},{"primary":92,"shift":124,"finger":10,"id":27},{"primary":8,"finger":1,"id":28},{"primary":105,"shift":73,"finger":1,"id":29,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":111,"shift":79,"finger":2,"id":30,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":110,"shift":78,"finger":3,"id":31,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":114,"shift":82,"finger":4,"id":32,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":100,"shift":68,"finger":4,"id":33},{"primary":102,"shift":70,"finger":7,"id":34,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":101,"shift":69,"finger":7,"id":35,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":104,"shift":72,"finger":8,"id":36,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":116,"shift":84,"finger":9,"id":37,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":97,"shift":65,"finger":10,"id":38,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":39,"shift":34,"finger":10,"id":39},{"primary":13,"finger":10,"id":40},{"primary":16,"finger":1,"id":41},{"primary":122,"shift":90,"finger":1,"id":42},{"primary":120,"shift":88,"finger":2,"id":43},{"primary":99,"shift":67,"finger":3,"id":44},{"primary":118,"shift":86,"finger":4,"id":45},{"primary":112,"shift":80,"finger":4,"id":46,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":103,"shift":71,"finger":7,"id":47,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":107,"shift":75,"finger":7,"id":48,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":44,"shift":60,"finger":8,"id":49},{"primary":46,"shift":62,"finger":9,"id":50},{"primary":47,"shift":63,"finger":10,"id":51},{"primary":-16,"finger":10,"id":52},{"primary":17,"finger":5,"id":53},{"primary":-91,"finger":5,"id":54},{"primary":18,"finger":5,"id":55},{"primary":32,"finger":5,"id":56},{"primary":-18,"finger":6,"id":57},{"primary":-91,"finger":6,"id":58},{"primary":-93,"finger":6,"id":59},{"primary":17,"finger":6,"id":60}]}
Last edited by Loonster (15-Nov-2012 07:49:44)
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I'm now onto the 6th iteration of the keyboard layout.  I guess I should show my previous "attempts" before I unveil the newest one. Hopefully you might learn from my mistakes. At the very least, you can all laugh at how bad the first couple were.

QWLR P J DSU;     Version 0.1
FTHE G Y NAOI
ZXCV B K M,./
QWLF J K DSU;     Version 0.2
ATHE G Y NROI
ZXCV B K M,./
QWLY J K DSU;     Version 0.3
ATHE G F NROI
ZXCV B P M,./
QWDP B K YSU;     Version 0.4
ATHE G L NROI
ZXCV J F M,./
QWLM B J YSU;     Version 0.5
IONR D F EHTA
ZXCV P G K,./
QWLY J B PRU;     Version 0.6
ATHE F D SNOI
ZXCV K G M,./

As you can see, 0.5 was extremely different than the previous versions.  It was mostly an attempt to reduce the problem with having 'E' above 'V & C'. 

Luckily in that version, I learned that both N and E should not be on opposite index fingers, because D & G should always follow N.  Either I have to put them further inward than N, or I need them on the opposite hand.  I like the idea of having E on an index finger.  The solution was simple, move N outward.  Now I can reach ND and NG by horizontal hurdle.  (I dislike horizontal stretching, but it's impossible to maximize everything)

Version 0.6 is much better than 0.5. It beats it in all the attributes that I consider important. Andong's keyboard tester concurs (The arbitrary overall effort score now 'beats' Colemak depending upon the text. I would say it's within the margin of error, but its still interesting).

SFU is still a high ~3.6%.  Switching O and I would lower it by 0.6% at the expense of more awkward rolls and higher pinky usage. I don't think it's worth it. . .

`1234567890-=
#qwlyjbpru;[]\
#athefdsnoi'*N
*Lzxcvkgm,./*R
##*S#
*L
#######&**()_+
######BPRU:{}|
######DSNOI"
######GM<>?
#
*R
~!@*#$%^
#QWLYJ
#ATHEF
#ZXCVK
#
{"label":"Allenek","fingerStart":{"1":29,"2":30,"3":31,"4":32,"5":56,"6":56,"7":35,"8":36,"9":37,"10":38,"11":56},"keyboardType":"standard","keys":[{"primary":96,"shift":126,"finger":1,"id":0},{"primary":49,"shift":33,"finger":1,"id":1},{"primary":50,"shift":64,"finger":2,"id":2},{"primary":51,"shift":35,"finger":3,"id":3},{"primary":52,"shift":36,"finger":4,"id":4},{"primary":53,"shift":37,"finger":4,"id":5},{"primary":54,"shift":94,"finger":7,"id":6},{"primary":55,"shift":38,"finger":7,"id":7},{"primary":56,"shift":42,"finger":8,"id":8},{"primary":57,"shift":40,"finger":9,"id":9},{"primary":48,"shift":41,"finger":10,"id":10},{"primary":45,"shift":95,"finger":10,"id":11},{"primary":61,"shift":43,"finger":10,"id":12},{"primary":8,"finger":10,"id":13},{"primary":9,"finger":1,"id":14},{"primary":113,"shift":81,"finger":1,"id":15},{"primary":119,"shift":87,"finger":2,"id":16},{"primary":108,"shift":76,"finger":3,"id":17,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":121,"shift":89,"finger":4,"id":18,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":106,"shift":74,"finger":4,"id":19,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":98,"shift":66,"finger":7,"id":20,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":112,"shift":80,"finger":7,"id":21,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":114,"shift":82,"finger":8,"id":22,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":117,"shift":85,"finger":9,"id":23,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":59,"shift":58,"finger":10,"id":24,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":91,"shift":123,"finger":10,"id":25},{"primary":93,"shift":125,"finger":10,"id":26},{"primary":92,"shift":124,"finger":10,"id":27},{"primary":20,"finger":1,"id":28},{"primary":97,"shift":65,"finger":1,"id":29},{"primary":116,"shift":84,"finger":2,"id":30,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":104,"shift":72,"finger":3,"id":31,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":101,"shift":69,"finger":4,"id":32,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":102,"shift":70,"finger":4,"id":33,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":100,"shift":68,"finger":7,"id":34,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":115,"shift":83,"finger":7,"id":35,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":110,"shift":78,"finger":8,"id":36,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":111,"shift":79,"finger":9,"id":37,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":105,"shift":73,"finger":10,"id":38,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":39,"shift":34,"finger":10,"id":39},{"primary":13,"finger":10,"id":40},{"primary":16,"finger":1,"id":41},{"primary":122,"shift":90,"finger":1,"id":42},{"primary":120,"shift":88,"finger":2,"id":43},{"primary":99,"shift":67,"finger":3,"id":44},{"primary":118,"shift":86,"finger":4,"id":45},{"primary":107,"shift":75,"finger":4,"id":46,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":103,"shift":71,"finger":7,"id":47,"altGr":-1,"shiftAltGr":-1},{"primary":109,"shift":77,"finger":7,"id":48},{"primary":44,"shift":60,"finger":8,"id":49},{"primary":46,"shift":62,"finger":9,"id":50},{"primary":47,"shift":63,"finger":10,"id":51},{"primary":-16,"finger":10,"id":52},{"primary":17,"finger":5,"id":53},{"primary":-91,"finger":5,"id":54},{"primary":18,"finger":5,"id":55},{"primary":32,"finger":5,"id":56},{"primary":-18,"finger":6,"id":57},{"primary":-91,"finger":6,"id":58},{"primary":-93,"finger":6,"id":59},{"primary":17,"finger":6,"id":60}]}

I will have to figure out how to get Carpalx to work. So far I'm completely lost.

Last edited by Loonster (07-Nov-2012 07:00:05)
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You could get millions of layouts by switching keys around. It's a kaleidoscope.

Carpalx code can find them very fast and efficiently.

Last edited by Tony_VN (07-Nov-2012 08:36:31)
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Don't underestimate the human brain, and trial and error.  It's great at pattern matching.

--
Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.

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What is the rationale for putting symbols on the RHS?  Under Qwerty I find the - and =, and [ and ] keys are easy to mess up.   The pinky ends up getting designated a load of work (for those that use those keys anyway.)   It seems to negate layouts that try and go easy on it.  Plus it makes the backspace and return key, further away from the home position.   And keeps the hands bunched together.

Merely a comment really,  you clearly set out that you want to keep the punctuation where it is.  (Not sure why you would want to though!)

--
Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.

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pinkyache said:

Don't underestimate the human brain, and trial and error.  It's great at pattern matching.

You're right, there are some tasks better left to human judgment (or at least until you can find some nice parameters to localize and discover such patterns with a computer). Then again, there are also many tasks better off left to the computer. Here, he notes that several iterations were largely a result of human trial and error, by twiddling with permutations and using the most popular di/trigraphs as the respective constraints. And I'd argue that such a task is infinitely more efficient using a computer, and is where something like Carpalx would shine.

Colemak (start 11.5.12): ~80 WPM.
QWERTY: ~90 WPM.

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| in ## 19 ni | at 60 31 ta | se 43 72 es | ri 36 13 ir | ve 31 11 ev | ca 27 24 ac |
| th 99  8 ht | ti 59 45 it | ed 43 34 de | ro 35 64 or | ta 31 60 at | ur 27  6 ru |
| er 88 81 re | st 58 22 ts | is 42 31 si | de 34 43 ed | si 31 42 is | la 26 47 al |
| re 81 88 er | en 57 36 ne | ea 41  1 ae | ra 34 51 ar | ha 31  2 ah | ch 25  1 hc |
| he 79  4 eh | nt 53  2 tn | ng 41  3 gn | io 34  5 oi | ma 30 17 am | hi 25  1 ih |
| an 78 24 na | ar 51 34 ra | ou 39  1 uo | ic 34 11 ci | ec 30 28 ce | di 25 13 id |
| on 75 23 no | to 51 24 ot | le 39 28 el | li 34 23 il | om 28 16 mo | ho 25  2 oh |
| es 72 43 se | nd 50  2 dn | co 39 10 oc | of 33 24 fo | ce 28 30 ec | fo 24 33 of |
| or 64 35 ro | al 47 26 la | me 38 22 em | as 32 23 sa | el 28 39 le | ns 24  3 sn |
| te 60 32 et | it 45 59 ti | ne 36 57 en | et 32 60 te | ll 27 27 ll | ot 24 51 to |

If looking at the top 50 digraphs and their reverse, it becomes much easier for the brain to decide how things should be done.

TH should roll inward
HE should roll inward
ND should roll inward
NG should roll inward
NT should roll inward
etc.

Digraphs like RE should either be on opposite hands, or under fingers that are easy to roll both forward and backwards (index & middle). 

Versions 0.1 & 0.2 were mostly guesswork.  0.3 & 0.4 were mostly intelligent design, and then guesswork near the end.  0.5 & 0.6 were done with little (if any) guesswork.

Version 0.1 - 0.2: I used just the common digraph frequency order.
Version 0.3 - 0.4: I used a digraph frequency matrix (26x26 grid with all of the digraph frequencies).
Version 0.5 - 0.6: I used the matrix, and I created an excel program to help me more clearly picture things.

Now after I put the first 10 letters down, it seems to be (nearly) predestined what the outcome will be.  Computers are very useful for helping the brain decide what to do.

Last edited by Loonster (07-Nov-2012 17:47:17)
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pinkyache said:

What is the rationale for putting symbols on the RHS?  Under Qwerty I find the - and =, and [ and ] keys are easy to mess up.   The pinky ends up getting designated a load of work (for those that use those keys anyway.)   It seems to negate layouts that try and go easy on it.  Plus it makes the backspace and return key, further away from the home position.   And keeps the hands bunched together.

Merely a comment really,  you clearly set out that you want to keep the punctuation where it is.  (Not sure why you would want to though!)

I just left them where they were... This may make it easier to learn.  Ideally I would like a punctuation dead key, but that would be very hard to place on a traditional qwerty keyboard.  I think a thumb-key would work best for this.

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This is a mock up of what a Num-lock might be (activated with thumb somehow...).

           =/*    NUM-LOCK  Version: a
 {[(< '   789-
   ?! "   456+      
 ~@#$ % 0 123E      - E = Enter
         
                  NUM+LOCK + SHIFT
 }])> ` y def       - The y/n keys are because I often need to press y/n on programs at work (while using 10-key).
      ^ n abc       - abcdef is for easy hexadecimal entry.
                    - Empty row

I think having it be both a sticky key (if pressed by itself) and a num-lock (alt+dead-key) would be best.

I am missing some symbols in this version. It is only a rough draft.  Nothing is optimized.

edit: I removed the save hot key, and moved some things around. 
edit2: removed select all hotkey (too dangerous to have next to keys that type)
edit3: removed all hotkeys from this deadkey.

FYI, this idea was heavily influenced by DDvorak.

Last edited by Loonster (08-Nov-2012 05:56:42)
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This is a rough draft of how layers might work. I like how some symbols are placed.... others not so much.

ALLENAK VERSION 0.7
           =/*          Normal Layer
 qwly j b pru-          - Note: Caps lock replaces ` key. Most keys are dead on this row.
 athe f d snoi'         - Note: Num lock replaces caps lock on standard keyboards.
 zxcv k g m,./

           =/*          Shift Layer
 QWLY J B PRU_ 
 ATHE F D SNOI"
 ZXCV K G M;:\

  ⟨‹«      =/*          Num-Lock Layer 
 {[(< ≤ # 789-          - Note: E = Enter
 &|?! = . 456+'
 @~`^ ≈ 0 123E

  ⟩›»      =/*          Num-Lock + Shift Layer
 }])> ≥   def°
   ¿¡ ≠   abc%"
   ⸮‽ ± £ $€¥E

For reference:

#
‡qwlyjbpru-
†athefdsnoi'*N
*Lzxcvkgm,./*R
##*S#
*L
#
######BPRU_
######DSNOI"
######GM;:\
#
*R
#
#QWLYJ
#ATHEF
#ZXCVK
#
†
########=#**
#{[(<|#789
###?!&#456+
#~@*#$%0123
#
‡
###########
#}])>`####
#####^####
##########
#

Edit: I found DreyMar's post about NumPad functionality. I liked some of his ideas and added them where I could (currency symbols and º around numpad).

I also added guillemets(‹«›»), chevrons(⟨⟩), and inverse punctuation (¿¡).  These all should be in a semi-logical place. . .

Last edited by Loonster (08-Nov-2012 20:10:07)
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Errr... you're no longer a one-post newb. ;)

*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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DreymaR said:

Errr... you're no longer a one-post newb. ;)

;) Not any more. It was mostly a joke about how new members (on many forums) try to improve things without necessary knowing enough to make a valid improvement.

I should thank Shai for being open-minded enough to allow others to post non-Colemak layouts on a Colemak forum.

Moving on. I think the punctuation / symbol placement now looks much better.

Punctuation Design Principles

  • [,],[.],['],["] retain their place on the keyboard because they are so common.

  • [;] is accessible by [shift]+[,], colon by [shift]+[.], and [\] by [shift]+[/]. These should all be easily remembered.

  • [-] is now easily accessible while typing. It's position (coincidentally) corresponds to the numpad minus symbol.

  • [_] is still accessed by [shift]+[-], but on a new location.  This had an unintended bonus of ALLOWING_EASY_TYPING_OF_CONSTANTS. Underscore should be programmed so it's on the caps-lock layer.

  • Opening bracket characters are all grouped together. Closing brackets are found under their respective opening bracket.

  • Equal-like symbols are found in the 5th column. I'm nut sure if this was a good design move. . ?

  • Symbols that are frequently found near numbers are near the numpad.

  • The []\ keys are intentionally left blank.  This is to give room for potential 'cut', 'copy', and 'paste' hotkeys.

- I do not like the placement of the Grave (`) Character.  I might place it back (as well as other accent characters) on the natural num-row.
- I'm not sure about the placement of | and &.  I only knew that I wanted them together. This kinda makes sense because the and symbol appears over the A (assuming I don't move the A).
- I included some odd forms of ?!, I not sure why...

Last edited by Loonster (08-Nov-2012 20:58:15)
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Just one question since you're designing your own layout – do you intentionally keep the / and ? the way they are (meaning ? on the shifted state)? I swapped them about a year ago and I can't be happier with it. It all depends on how much you use each but having ? on a non-shifted key helps me a lot in typing.

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pafkata90 said:

Just one question since you're designing your own layout – do you intentionally keep the / and ? the way they are (meaning ? on the shifted state)? I swapped them about a year ago and I can't be happier with it. It all depends on how much you use each but having ? on a non-shifted key helps me a lot in typing.

Where did you move yours too? A link to your layout would be useful.

I moved [?] to the Num-pad layout (equivalent to [caps]+[d] on QWERTy keyboards). The [/] remained in the same spot because I do not know a better place to put it (if placed on the numpad layer, it would still be in an awkward position).

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Oh, I'm using Colemak for English :) What I meant was to swap / and ?
So when you press the key without modifier it produces ? instead of /

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  ⟨‹«      =/*          Num-Lock Layer   Version 0.7.1
 {[(< ≤ # 789-          - Note: E = Enter
 &|?! = . 456+'
 ←↑↓→ ≈ 0 123E

  ⟩›»      =/*          Num-Lock + Shift Layer
 }])> ≥   def°
 @~`^ ≠   abc%"
 ←↑↓→ ± £ $€¥E

This is only a minor update

  • I got rid of the silly ¿¡⸮‽ keys.

  • I added arrow keys. These might actually be useful (as keyboard arrow keys and not arrow symbols).

I should probably get rid of the other odd keys (≠≈±), but I'll keep them around unless I find something more useful

pafkata90 said:

Oh, I'm using Colemak for English :) What I meant was to swap / and ?
So when you press the key without modifier it produces ? instead of /

:facepalm: Okay, I get it now.  I'd imagine that would make sense for most users. I'm not sure which I use more.

The reason I moved the question mark was because I think the slashes would make more since if they were closer together (or on the same key), and it would make more sense if !? were near each other.

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I don't really think it makes more sense to have \ and / close, since there aren't actually many occasions you'd use both of them. Anyway, they're so rarely used compared to other keys that their position is far from crucial.

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Putting them on the same key is for easy remembrance.  As soon as you learn where forward-slash is, you would know where backward slash is. . .  Well anyways, I took your advice and moved [?] back to the first layer (unshifted).  Instead of putting [/] underneath it, I put [!].  Now all, of the common ending punctuation, are next to each-other in an easy to remember format.

The slashes are moved to the numpad layer (with [\] underneath [/]).  I removed [±], and changed it so [~] and [≈] are on the same key.  I also added a second [* ] key next to [/].

Unfortunately, these changes also might make it harder for programmers to type !=. . . Okay, I will get rid of the [≠] and add a second [!] so that it is underneath [=].  Programmer efficiency trumps rarely used characters.

I removed the =/* keys from the letter layer.  I also moved caps-lock to right-windows key.  This makes the top row completely blank.  This give 3 decent options:

  1. Make this row like the standard qwerty number row.  This has the upside of allowing easier switching to this layout.

  2. Leave it blank.  This forces the person to learn the hot-keys, and it allows an entire row to be set up for non-english dead-keys and/or other macros.

  3. Make this row a function row while in the letter layers. This will make for better use on micro keyboards (like the HHKB?). This has the downside of accidental Fn presses when switching from 10-key to letters.

ALLENAK VERSION 0.7.2
                        Letter Layer
 qwly j b pru-          - Note: Caps lock replaces the right Windows key.
 athe f d snoi'         - Note: Num lock replaces caps lock on standard keyboards.
 zxcv k g m,.?

                        Shifted Letter Layer
 QWLY J B PRU_ 
 ATHE F D SNOI"
 ZXCV K G M;:!

  ⟨‹«      =/*          Num-Lock Layer
 {[(< ≤ # 789-          - Note: E = Enter
 &|*/ = . 456+'
 ←↑↓→ ≈ 0 123E

  ⟩›»      =/*          Shifted Num-Lock Layer
 }])> ≥   def°
 @`^\ !   abc%"
 ←↑↓→ ~ £ $€¥E 

edit: This is an updated code for andong's keyboard tester

#
‡qwlyjbpru-
†athefdsnoi'*N
*Lzxcvkgm,.?*R
##*S#
*L
#
######BPRU_
######DSNOI"
######GM;:!
#
*R
#
#QWLYJ
#ATHEF
#ZXCVK
#
†
#
#{[(<≤*#789
#&|**/=#456+
#←↑↓→≈0123
#
‡
###########
#}])>≥####°
#@`^\≠####%
#####~£$€¥
#
Last edited by Loonster (10-Nov-2012 07:03:48)
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You weren't tempted to mirror the brackets then, keeping them on the same layer?  Left sided bracket on the left hand etc.

!= is a pain anyway.

I quite like the idea of placing end of sentence chars to the far right.

How do you flip between layers?

I quite like the French approach, putting the punctuation on the number row, and requiring shift to get to the numbers.

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pinkyache said:

You weren't tempted to mirror the brackets then, keeping them on the same layer?  Left sided bracket on the left hand etc.

That does sound tempting, but I didn't go with it because:

  • I wanted numbers to be easily accessible on the keyboard.  This would work best if it's on the same layers as symbols (I think a large portion of RSI is caused by moving the right hand to and from: Arrow Keys, 10-key pad, Mouse.)

  • AFAIK, many compilers automatically add in closing brackets (I don't program for a living, so I wouldn't know for sure).

  • Shift + Opening bracket location is easier to remember (At the expense of same finger utilization).

  • All of the brackets are near each other.

pinkyache said:

I quite like the idea of placing end of sentence chars to the far right.

That was the ultimate goal.  Start on the outside and roll inward. As soon as you reach an index finger, switch hands.  This idea comes from two observations.

  1. Using the numpad. Typing 654654654654654 is much easier than 456456456456456.

  2. Teh is one of the most common mistyped words.  Obviously, most people are not going to forget how to spell the word "the".  I'd imagine the reason it's so often misspelled is because it's the most common trigraph, and poor timing between the hands.

I also read a blog post from a piano player about this same observation.  If I can find the post, I will link it. To paraphrase: Dvorak's theory about SHU is bupkis. As long as it's not excessive, SHU do not matter. The best practice would be to have 3-4 character strings per hand and then switch hands.

edit: I found it http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=35481&cid=3832754

pinkyache said:

How do you flip between layers?

Currently I'm using Num-Lock as a Num-Lock. It may make sense to use sticky-keys for single numbers/symbols, but for now everyone that uses this layout would have to type numbers/symbols like how Sean Wrona types CAPITALS.

Here is an outline of what it would look like:

Num-Lock == Off
    Caps-Lock == Off
        Shift == Not-Pressed
            Letter Layer
        Shift == Pressed
            Shifted Letter Layer
    Caps-Lock == On
        Shift == Not-Pressed
            Caps-Lock Letter Layer          // This layer is nearly identical to the Shifted Letter Layer.  All punctuation (with the exception of _) would remain in their non-shifted state.    
        Shift == Pressed
            Shifted Caps-Lock Letter Layer  // This layer is nearly identical to the Letter Layer.  All punctuation (with the exception of -) would remain in their shifted state.  
Num-Lock == 0n
    Caps-Lock == On/Off                     // This if statement wouldn't exist, I only put it here to show that Caps-Lock does nothing on the Num-Lock layers 
        Shift == Not-Pressed
            Num-Lock Layer
        Shift == Pressed
            Shifted Num-Lock Layer
Last edited by Loonster (09-Nov-2012 21:50:52)
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Problem with numlock, is that it's really hard to activate on my laptop.

What is SHU?  I assume it stands for Same Hand Utilization?

I think the reason people make a mistake with something like 'the' to 'teh', is just because they go at it at full gusto, and as such it's more likely that a mistake is made.

Last edited by pinkyache (10-Nov-2012 01:43:47)

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Correct. SHU = Same Hand Utilization.

Numlock would have to be remapped to another key.  I suggested capslock becomes numlock, but this is probably too impractical. After all, this part of the suggestion could easily be modified to work for qwerty/colemak/dvorak users.  I highly doubt colemak users would want to give up their awesome backshift.

Ideally I would want numlock to be thumb key.  Unless using a kinesis like keyboard, I do not see this happening. Right-windows could work, but that key doesn't exist on some keyboards, and it would be awkward to type during a sentence.

These keys are either currently dead:

  • `1567-=[]\

  • 234 could easily be made dead (I only added ⟨‹« because I had plenty of room).

Of those, the 7 key might make the most sense.  It would correspond with the 10-key num-pad.  Unfortunately, this key is hard to reach, and it makes it slightly-more difficult to follow up with a right-shift.

The 3 key might be the easiest to reach...

Or, could even go with a 'magic' key (i.e. Using both shifts at same time activates numlock).

Last edited by Loonster (10-Nov-2012 06:49:33)
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No right windows key on my thinkpad.  Two shifts at the same time sounds horrible.  On my laptop the number keys arm mapped Qwerty-numbers at M-0, J-1, K-2, L-3, and 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, which is at least nice in the way that it preserves the position of 7, 8 and 9.  However because the numlock is so hard to activate - I never use this alternative.

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If you still use dvorak, the [;] key (z on qwerty) would be a good spot.  As for qwerty (and it's derivatives), I currently do not have a good position.

 ',.p y f gcrl/         Letter Layer
 aoeu i d htns-         - Note: ※ = Numlock key
 ※qjk x b mwvz

 ";:P Y F GCRL?         Shifted Letter Layer
 AOEU I D HTNS_         -Note: ;: replace <>
 ※QJK X B MWVZ

  ⟨‹« ≈    =/*          Num-Lock Layer
 {[(< ≤   789-          - Note: E = Enter
 &|/* = . 456+'
 ※←↑↓ → 0 123E

  ⟩›» ~    =/*          Shifted Num-Lock Layer
 }])> ≥   def°
 @`\^ ! # abc%"
 ※←↑↓ → £ $€¥E

Your right pinky gets a break, your left one gets a work out. . .

I'm still undecided about the position of the num pad.  Moving it up has some benefits, but it also has downsides too.

Pros/Cons for keeping it low:
+[-] key stays on the same spot for both letter and numlock layer.
+ Hand naturally rests on 'home row'.
~ This is the design ddvorak uses.
- [0][.] keys are not in natural spots.

Pros/Cons for keeping it high:
+ [7][8][9] keys stay on the same spot for both letter and numlock layer.
+ Hand is closer to the most frequent numbers.
~ This is the design many laptops use (mine does too, but too hard to hit numlock aswell).
~ This is the design DreymaR uses uses.
- [* ][/] keys are not in their correct spots.

Last edited by Loonster (11-Nov-2012 16:48:11)
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I've tried out low designs for the NumPad but currently I'm in favour of the high ones (keeping the 789 digits). I have implemented this as a test in my XKB files but it's a bit rough still.

I use the / key for the division which is very logical, and 0 for * which at least bears resemblance both in position and shape.

It's described in the Big Bag of Tricks topic under the Extend section.

Last edited by DreymaR (11-Nov-2012 10:11:34)

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