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    Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    • Started by wussboy
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    17-Oct-2009 20:52:58#1 Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    Hey everyone.  I've been exclusively on Colemak for several years now, and I've just hit some colossal snags at my new job.

    At my work, they forbid me from installing either the Colemak driver or from using the AHK script.  Basically, there's no way they'll let me use software they have not specifically approved, as it's clearly a security risk and they don't want to "do regression tests on all our systems".  Let's ignore the ridiculousness of this statement and the fact we're still using IE6 and I have administrator access on my computer.

    So I'm doomed to using Qwerty.

    Does any one have any ideas about how I can type again in my beloved Colemak?  Does someone make a physical keyboard I can buy that is wired appropriately?

    I'm desperate for ideas.  I'm trying to pursue the "Health and Wellness" aspect, but they want a note from a doctor.

    Any help is appreciated.

    Kind regards,
    wussboy

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    • Shai
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    17-Oct-2009 22:21:41#2 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    I've been contacted from TypeMatrix a couple of months back regarding a TypeMatrix keyboard with built-in Colemak support and skin. I'm not sure where it stands at the moment though.

    Try contacting Henry Webber from TypeMatrix, henry{at}typematrix.com for an update.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    18-Oct-2009 00:29:13#3 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    What we need is a QIDO-type adapter. There's been talk but nothing's been made so far. I've toyed with the idea of learning microcontroller programming for this purpose...

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

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    18-Oct-2009 17:44:51#4 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    A kinesis contour can be programmed 'on bios' to run colemak. I have no idea why other keyboards don't offer this functionality. It's definitely a good solution: colemak anywhere you go, no install.

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    18-Oct-2009 21:32:33#5 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    "we're still using IE6 and I have administrator access"

    thanks for the good laugh!

    http://DRCGH.com | http://texasiaido.com
    http://hi-games.net/profile/14

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    20-Oct-2009 10:22:52#6 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.
    DreymaR said:

    What we need is a QIDO-type adapter. There's been talk but nothing's been made so far. I've toyed with the idea of learning microcontroller programming for this purpose...

    I know microcontroller programming programming : ) ! Unfortunately I don't really know microcontroller programming : ( .

    Last edited by RevRal (20-Oct-2009 10:24:02)
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    20-Oct-2009 12:17:20#7 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    I know so little about microcontroller programming that that last statement made no sense to me. Huh?

    I take it you couldn't convince an Atmel chip of choice into converting keyboard scan codes to other scan codes, then?

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

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    21-Oct-2009 10:30:14#8 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    wussboy: I'd continue to push the health and safety angle, complain that you experienced pain when using QWERTY which is why you switched. It may be an idea to be very slow until you get your own way...

    Or, if you've got the balls, simply refuse to type QWERTY.

    Good luck.

    Last edited by simonh (21-Oct-2009 10:30:45)

    "It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in." - Earl of Chesterfield

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    23-Oct-2009 03:56:32#9 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    Thanks for the advice, everyone.

    Shai, I think I will contact Henry Webber as you suggested.  I'll keep you all posted as to what happens!

    Kind regards,
    wussboy

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    24-Oct-2009 14:27:45#10 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    Install Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator on your home PC. Export Colemak layout as source file (*.klc). Install MKLC on your PC at work (setup is signed by Microsoft, therefore trustable). Compile and install the layout. Run a registry script to have Caps Lock remapped. Done.

    Cannot install MKLC? Remap keys using registry remapping, export *.reg script, run it at work (warning: you won't be able to switch layouts then). Done.

    Good luck!

    Last edited by spremino (24-Oct-2009 14:29:31)

    Dvorak typist here.  Please take my comments with a grain of salt.

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    26-Oct-2009 08:53:22#11 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    You can registry remap by-user, so other users of the same computer won't hate you.

    Here's my script as an example:

    REGEDIT4 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] 
;"Scancode Map"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout]
; The next line maps RWin <- CapsLock <- BackSpace
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,0e,00,3a,00,3a,00,5c,e0,00,00,00,00
; The next line remaps only CapsLock <- BackSpace
;"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,0e,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
; The next line removes all scancode remappings
"Scancode Map"=-

; Numbers are LittleEndian (0x12345678 -> 78,56,34,12)
; ---------------------------------------------------------------------
; Bytes          Meaning
; ---------------------------------------------------------------------
; 00 00 00 00    Version info (usually zero)
; 00 00 00 00    Flags (usually zero)
; 03 00 00 00    # of entries (# of mappings +1 for the terminator)
; 0e 00 3a 00    The CapsLock(3a) key now sends a BackSpace(0e) scancode
; 3a 00 5c e0    The RWin(e05c)   key now sends a CapsLock(3a)  scancode
; 00 00 00 00    Null terminator (always zero)

    That one 'demaps' the global registry mappings and you can choose a few options by-user (removing and adding semicolons in front of the lines). The line with only a '-' mapping is what you'd use to remove your mappings again, if needed.

    Just put the code in a file, call it something.reg and run it to implement the registry mappings.

    Last edited by DreymaR (26-Oct-2009 08:57:30)

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

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    02-Nov-2009 14:07:04#12 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.
    DreymaR said:

    I know so little about microcontroller programming that that last statement made no sense to me. Huh?

    I take it you couldn't convince an Atmel chip of choice into converting keyboard scan codes to other scan codes, then?

    Sorry. I wouldn't feel comfortable helping on it, since it was mostly a brief high school love affair. I am well practiced with Python and other languages; and, I'd like to see Colemak continue to grow since I like it so much. So, hopefully sometime in the future I can help with something else when I get some time freed up.

    *E: I'm still trying to find time to optimize Colemak for Vim. I'm glad other people already worked it out.

    Last edited by RevRal (02-Nov-2009 14:11:01)
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    02-Nov-2009 14:58:16#13 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    I've done a lot on my colemak.vim and finishing off that project is also on my todo-list. It's all coming together with the PKL 'extend' mode.

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

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    02-Nov-2009 23:56:32#14 Re: Work woes! Desperate for ideas.

    Here's the keyboard remap part of my colemak .vimrc. It differs a bit from the official one, and I use a slightly different one for ViEmu.

    """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"
" Keyboard maps
"


" Q
nnoremap q q|       " Record macro
nnoremap Q @q|      " Macros (replay the macro recorded by qq)

" W
nnoremap w "_c|     " Change  
vnoremap w "_c
nnoremap W "_C|     " Change until end of line  
onoremap w iw|      " inner word

" F
nnoremap f f|       " Find next char on line
onoremap f f|        

" P
noremap p ;|        " Repeat last f, t
noremap P ,

" G
nnoremap g g|       " Go to

" ----------------------------------------------

" A
nnoremap a V|       " Visual line mode
nnoremap A viw|     " Visual mode with word preselected

" R
nnoremap r r|       " Replace

" S
nnoremap s i|       " Insert mode
nnoremap S I|       " Insert at beginning of line
vnoremap s gS|  " Selection to visual studio selection

" T
nnoremap t a|       " Append
nnoremap T A|       " Append to end of line

" D
nnoremap d d|       " Delete

" ----------------------------------------------

" Z
nnoremap z u|       " Undo
nnoremap Z <C-r>|   " Redo   
nnoremap <C-z> u

" X
nnoremap x "_x|     " Delete char into black hole  
vnoremap x <esc>`.``gvP``P|             " Swap selection for deletion
nnoremap <C-x> "*dd|" Cut into clipboard       

" C
nnoremap c y|       " Copy
onoremap c y
vnoremap c y
nnoremap C y$
nnoremap <C-c> "*Y| " Copy into clipboard      
cnoremap <C-c> <C-y>

" V
nnoremap v ]p|       " Paste
nnoremap V [P
vnoremap v p
vnoremap V P
nnoremap <C-v> "*p| " Paste into clipboard      
inoremap <C-v> <esc>]pa
cnoremap <C-v> <C-r>

" B
onoremap B iB|      " By default use inner brace matching
nnoremap b %|       " Match brace
onoremap b %


" ----------------------------------------------
" ----------------------------------------------

" J
nnoremap j :call SwapParams("forwards")<cr>
vnoremap j <esc>`.``gvP``P|             " Swap selection for deletion

" L
noremap l b|       " Word left 
noremap L zk
nnoremap + zr|     " Open more folds

" U
nnoremap u k|       " Up 
vnoremap u k
nnoremap U 5k|      " 5*Up   
vnoremap U 5k
inoremap <c-u> <esc>bgUeea|    " Make last word uppercase
vnoremap <c-u> U|              " Make uppercase

" Y
noremap y w|       " Word right 
noremap Y zj
vnoremap y e|      " Forward until end of word

" ----------------------------------------------

" H
nnoremap h za|     " Toggle fold
nnoremap H zR|     " Turn off all folds
nnoremap <c-h> zt| " Scroll cursor to top (minus scrolloff)

" N
nnoremap n h|      " Left  
vnoremap n h
noremap N ^|       " Start of line 
inoremap <C-n> <C-p>| " Word completion

" E
nnoremap e j|      " Down  
vnoremap e j
nnoremap E 5j|     " 5*Down   
vnoremap E 5j 

" I
nnoremap i l|      " Right  
vnoremap i l
noremap I $|       " End of line 

" Indentation text motion
omap ii iB
omap ai aB

" O
nnoremap o o|      " Open new line  

" '

" ----------------------------------------------

" K
nnoremap k n|      " Search next  
nnoremap K N|      " Search prev  

" M
noremap m /|      " Search
noremap M ?|      " Search backward  
nnoremap - zm|     " Close more folds

" ,
let mapleader = ","
let g:mapleader = ","


" .
nnoremap . .|      " Repeat command  

" ----------------------------------------------
" ----------------------------------------------

" Backspace
inoremap <C-BS> <C-w>|  " Insert mode delete word backwards

" Space
nnoremap <space> <c-d>|       " Page down
nnoremap <s-space> <c-u>|     " Page up

" Esc
nnoremap <Esc> <Esc>:nohlsearch<bar>pclose<CR>

" Return
nnoremap <CR> i<CR><Esc>

" Tab (in insert mode we complete with tab)
nnoremap <tab> ==
vnoremap <tab> =
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