I had an interesting experience the other day. I have been using split keyboards for years, but only recently began using a Kinesis Advantage 360 Pro as my daily driver for work; I am so use to the layout now, that in instances where I have to use a non-split, or even my older splits, my fingers fail me entirely - like my brain forgot how to type, my thumbs eagerly searching for the thumb cluster that isn’t there.
So, I never learned how to touch type on a standard QWERTY layout. When I got into ergo splits I need to learn how to touch type and decided to take the opportunity to learn an alternative layout. I chose Colemak DH.
Now I have two types of muscle memory. One that’s a janky peck style typing for QWERTY, the other pure touch typing for Colemak split keyboards.
Lol, are you me? Same story.
Lol, are you me? Same story.
I am at the beginning of the same journey I think - a big part of why I never learned to touch type was how uncomfortable standard keyboards are. It always felt like trying to get my body to do something really stressful and unnatural, no matter how much I practiced, and I would get a lot of pain when typing.
I’m going whole hog on learning once my new board gets in - fully ergonomic split, column staggered, tenting, most likely Colemak DH, and we’ll see if we can make this ish work!
This is one of my worries with adapting to a non standard layout. My work means I’m constantly on different devices and machines so I need to be able to use a normal keyboard and windows. Using Linux is already making the windows part frustrating.
If you’re needing to physically type on different machines, you could try hasu’s USB2USB device, which is a programmable dongle that sits between the keyboard and computer and applied whatever layout you want.
Piggybacking on this comment, I made one of these, works great but I don’t use it anymore. If anyone wants it feel free to PM me. (I guess we’ll learn how PMs work on Lemmy…)
My speed on row-staggered QWERTY non-split keyboards is pretty much the same as before. Maybe it’s because I switch to Colemak a few weeks after switching to split columnar keyboards. I think that they are just separate in my head now. Similar to how learning to use split keyboards didn’t erase my memory of how to ride a bike.
If you’re constantly switching, you have have issues.
I will say I have it on my radar to build a Ferris Sweep with ZMK and hotswap Choc sockets; between watching Ben Vallack’s excellent videos (thanks Ben!) and watching, “34 Keys is All You Need” - introduced me to the idea of using the Sweep with the Miryoku layout. As someone who spends all day either conducting workshops, interviewing clients where we type a mountain of notes, or turning those interviews and workshops into reports that extend into the multi-dozens of pages it appeals to me as seriously efficient and very travel friendly. Anyone have experience with said combo?
I’ve bees using 34 keys WITH HRM (not Miryoku, something home brewed) and it’s been a great experience. I recommend wholeheartedly. Just keep in mind it’ll take some time to get the layout exactly how you want it. And you may just permanently be tweaking it lol
I don’t use the sweep but I actually have plans to build that on next! But I do use 34 keys only and I love it. It is an incredibly comfortable experience and I really can’t imagine going back to non-programmable boards without layers. It does take time to get used to but once you do its kinda game changing.
I have 2 very different modes:
- typing with 5 fingers looking at the keyboard on classical keyboards.
- touch typing with bépo layout on my split 40% keyboards
That’s two different things, like riding a bicycle and a motorcycle.
After my kyria went dark, I had to type on a KBD candybar at work. and a logitech keyboard at home. The candybar is annoying but the non mechanical logitech is killing my hands. So I say the adjustment is not as bad if its mechanical, I can survive. But not a non-mechanical one, my hand muscles are sore after half a day.
Edit: I used to just carry my Kyria with me wherever I work since its so portable, which probably contributed to its demise…
It’s not TOO bad. I am now forced to go back to the office once a week to sit in calls at the office instead of at home, which means that day I have to sit on my laptop in meeting rooms talking to TVs (yes, I hate that) and use the MacBook keyboard. It’s not the worst or hardest thing ever, but my wife has made fun of me for not remembering where the print screen key is on a full size. So there’s that.
I have started adding splits to each of the computers at home though. But honestly it’s kinda harder to use different split layouts more than moving between split and what we should call “bad” keyboards :)
Aside from the forced wrist pronation of standard keyboards, it’s always the pesky square brackets and parenthesis that mess with me when I switch.
I find it hard to adapt to ergo split keyboard (moonlander).
But I’m making a lot of typo on my wooting so maybe I just need to power through the moonlander until I am use to it.
I can switch between split and traditional row staggered (if the row staggered board is not a mechanical keyboard. Apparently my muscle memory for row staggered mechanical keyboards is messed up)
But I don’t like to use a „normal“ keyboard. Everything feels far apart and only reachable by weird hand motions. I got used to having everything in reach thanks to layers
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I daily drive my Moonlander for a good 95% if not more and when I go to the office once a week, I just bring the laptop.
I miss some automation and shortcuts but it’s not that terrible after the first 10 minutes of typing.
I do miss my Moonlander at work and I’m able to carry it with but I’m also lazy. 😊
Same experience for me, but I am unfortunately not allowed to bring mine to work. But the back and forth is fairly simple.
I need to fix the position and angle of split keyboards. If the halves move too easily, I lose accuracy. Therefore I prefer non split keyboards. If they have angled halves that allow the wrists to be comfortable, that’s the best of both worlds for me.
I constantly switch between an ergo keyboard with Colemak DH and standard keyboards with QWERTY at work. Somehow they feel different enough that I can keep the muscle memories separate and switch easily.
It just takes me a minute or less to get back into a normal keyboard. Unless that keyboard has shitty switches. Like laptops or cheap keyboards. I never stop hating the mush when I use them.
