Technology
A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.
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I personally don’t love split but I know keebio specializes in split keyboards and many with tenting as well.
I got Lulu Keyboard that’s split. I was having a lot of pain from typing and this has really helped me. I think I would upgrade and get an even nicer one to be honest
I got a Glove80 recently and so far I love it! It took some getting used to but it's very comfortable and seems to be helping with my RSI.
I personally have used a self built Dactyl Manuform as my primary keyboard for the last two years or so, and it's great as a programmer. I mostly pursued it due to wrist discomfort, which has essentially disappeared since I started using it.
Boss bought me a UHK, I love it. The split and tent is great on my wrists and fingers. And it's extremely programmable.
It's awesome with a workplace that cares about ergonomics
I suggest the Moonlander by ZSA. It checks all the boxes for me:
- Ortholinear
- Fully programmable keys
- Programmable RGB lighting
- Hot-swappable keys (the keys are not soldered onto the board, allowing you to change the keyswitches)
- Built-in wrist support (can be detached or folded to hide it)
I've been happily using the Moonlander for over a year and can't see myself going back to a normal keyboard.
I have the Kinesis Freestyle Edge keyboard and so far I love it. The split definitely helps in allowing my shoulders to be more relaxed. And I feel like the tilt definitely helps as well, though I wouldnt set the tilt to be too high, as it may cause issues with typing.
I absolutely adore my kinesis freestyle 2. I have the 15° tilt attachments, and my wrists dont feel uncomfortable at all at the end of the day like they used to.
Same here. I wish the Freestyle 2 came with the attachments by default, because when I remove them I find it uncomfortable to use. But it's great with the tilt+palm rests!
I find that I go through phases, switching between the Kinesis and the Microsoft Ergonomic 4000. The latter is so cheap that I usually recommend it as a starting point for people.
I have 2 ergodox EZs, a homemade redox that uses Bluetooth, and a homemade dactyl manuform.
For ergonomics, I'd say these are my priorities:
- Split
- Ortholinear with staggered columns
- Tented
- Mechanical switches
The arrangement of keys on the ergodox got me to start typing correctly, and I think the split helped a lot with my posture.
I had some bad luck with my dactyl manuform, the tenting was too aggressive, and the thumb cluster was angled in such a way that it put lots of strain on my thumb. I'm currently looking at replacing that with a Ferris Sweep.
Bluetooth was a mistake, the latency was unbearable. It led to one half of the keyboard being consistently slower than the other half, so I'd constantly make mistakes. I used nice!nanos fwiw.
I would like to try one, but I have yet to see one that comes at a price that's even remotely tied to reality. If anyone can recommend a split keyboard (assembled, not a kit) that I can buy for under $200 I would be all over it.
I haven't tried one, but I probably won't like it, because I often type with one hand as my other hand is busy or dirty, and having to learn what's basicallly another layout is too much.
My wife and I use the ZSA moonlander when we're not gaming. When we game we switch to regualr 60%s. I also have a custom built split keyboard that I don't really use.
For me, it saved my wrists. My wrist and forearms used to go numb after extended coding sessions while using a regular 60%. I no longer have that issue using a split.
I do recommend researching switches, as I found that using Gateron Red Inks, 45g actuation force, also added to relieving stress on my wrists. I lubed and filmed them too, which is overboard for most.
I also recommend trying different key layouts, I use Colemak DH, but Workman and regular Colemak are also good. They lower the finger movement needed to press the most used letters in English. Layouts can be changed on the hardware level on the Moonlander, allowing it to just work on any device.
https://colemakmods.github.io/mod-dh/ https://workmanlayout.org/
They take a fair amount of getting used to, especially if you get an ortholinear variety. You might find yourself not really enjoying it out the gate, but it'll force you into better typing posture and you'll grow to love it over time and hate the times you have to type on a standard keyboard. I have an Ergodox and the ortholinear aspect took a while to get used to and settling into a function keys layout I liked took another good while. Expect to be worse at typing and less productive at the outset. Your hands and wrists will thank you in the long run, though.
I don't, but a coworker uses an ergodox and I've been eyeing it lately
I've been thinking about getting a Moonlander for work. Been having some pain in my arms/shoulders/wrists after work. Would be my first split keyboard.
I got my piantor yesterday and i really like it so far, it was a bit of a challenge to set everything up in a way i like. And my writing speed has deceased from 140 wpm to about 30. But that is just a matter of relearning to write on this keyboard and unlearning years of bad writing practices.
I have an Ergodox EZ that I use off and on. I used to use it regularly, as I mainly bought it because I was experiencing some shoulder pain.
When you bring your hands/wrists together to type on a regular keyboard, your shoulders tend to roll inward a little bit. Using the Ergodox or any split keyboard lets you open up your chest and shoulders to a more proper alignment and is much more comfortable in my opinion.
It only took me a couple days or so before I was typing at 80%+ of my normal speed on the split and ortho layout.
I haven’t used that keyboard regularly in a while since I wound up discovering that my shoulder pain was caused by my mattress (and just exacerbated by my regular keyboard). I had built out a layout that worked pretty well for me on the Ergodox, but then for the times I would travel for work I would get thrown off switching back to the normal layout of the laptop keyboard.
I've been using a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for 12 years. I broke my first one by spilling tea into it and immediately bought a second one after trying to go back to my previous keyboard. Now “normal” keyboards feel cramped to me.
One thing that's good is that it forces you to type more correctly, and if you're not a touch typer already, getting a split keyboard is a great time to learn since you're having to make adjustments anyway. I used typing.academy to learn.
My keyboard is flat on the desk and I never have problems with carpal tunnel or similar.
I use an Iris, a split ortholinear board. I also used a pack of differently sized rubber feet to tent the board a small amount. I love using it, I wish I could have one for every system I use.
I'm even keeping my eye on the Framework 16 inch laptop, since the customizable keyboard module will allow for a split board!
I can vouch for a split keyboard. I am using moonlander which I find highly comfortable to use instead of the keyboard on my laptop - moonlander does have a steep learning curve but I find it worth it.
Love split keyboards! After a few years of experimenting with them I settled on a Mistel MD770, which I've been happily using for about 2 years now. I played around with tenting, but found I didn't care for it as much as I thought I would. With a far enough split (~9 inches?) and a slight interior rotation, tenting doesn't really seem to add any additional comfort for me.