Emacs Keyboard Design 25: Out of Bounds

Break out of the grid layout.

keyboard-layout-25.png

  • Thoughts on the last layout 24 follow
  • Grid layout was great for the possibility of experimentation
    • In the process of exploring how to lay it out I discovered what I really want
  • Keep staggered keys
    • Afraid of pain
    • Afraid of keeping people away
  • Layout
    • Keep it as similar to ANSI 104 as possible
      • Keep people comfortable
      • Keep it simple
  • Maximize use fingers Thumb-Index-Middle (T.I.M.)
    • Seriously, do it for real
  • Always remember the cognitive notions of distance and interruption
    • They define where to put keys and what size they are; they are the evidence
  • Layout plan follows
  • Start with an ANSI 104 layout for editing
  • Open the ANSI 104 layout in another window for reference
  • Number format the F keys so F01 instead of F1
  • Add F13-F24
    • Aligned with F01
  • Move Caps Lock
    • Above Esc
    • Make it 1W
      • Infrequently used, ok to interrupt
  • Label the space bar
  • Enter and Shift are
    • Strike frequency is nearly identical
    • Naturally part of the flow
    • Easily combined with with T.I.M.
    • Make them full bars 6W
      • 0.5W right of each other staggered to the right
        • Same as rest of main keys
    • Delete other enter and shift keys on keyboard
  • Configure modifiers for easy T.I.M access on each side of the 3 big keys
    • Size: 1.25W
      • Curious, they are T.I.M keys so make them easily struck
      • Tried 1.75 and they take up too much space
    • Layout
      • Space: Control, Meta
      • Enter: Super, Hyper
      • Shift: Alt, Gui
    • Delete other occurrences
    • Don’t need C.A.S key because you can strike it with T.I.M
  • On number pad delete
    • /, *, -, up, down, left, right, 5, +
  • Scroll Lock and Page/Break
    • Are no longer used
    • Delete them
  • Move arrow keys to the right of the ?
  • Make | \ 1.75W
  • Make Backspace 2.25W
  • Try to make keys maintain some order since the original layout does that
    • This makes .25W option available for all of the keycaps
  • PrtSc below right arrow
  • NumLock below PrtSc
  • PgUp, PgDn
    • Below tab
    • Delete dupes
  • Delete NumLock
  • Delete below |, make 2.25, powerful key
  • Insert below downarrow
  • This leaves a rectangular keyboard
    • Kind of ugly, probably OK
  • T.I.M. keys
    • Bulk of frequent and difficult operations live here
  • !T.I.M. keys
    • All are infrequent or breaking operations
      • F keys
      • Caps lock
      • Escape
      • Cursor navigation
  • Thoughts 1
    • Only use standard scancodes
    • Keep F, Symbol, Number keys close to original position
    • Move big keys and modifiers to core
    • Keep navigation and mode cluster as a cluster
    • Keep arrow keys off on their own
    • Non-programmable, impact on price?
  • Thought 2
    • For bulk of muscle memory, keys remain the same
      • No adjusting, at all
    • For power/T.I.M keys
      • They are all in one spot
      • Easily reachable and combine-able
    • When muscle memory fails
      • There is nothing to the left or right to trip you up
        • You must go to core-home, it is the only option
    • Considered going with ANSI layout for nav keys
      • They are wrong
      • Page movement is more frequent when browsing hands-off keyboard
    • Arrow keys need space so you can feel the difference
    • Space lets you feel where thing should and shouldn’t be
    • For modifiers
      • Already familiar if you are coming from OS X or Windows and you set it up like that

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