custom keyboard layout

pic related is a keyboard layout i'm designing. i want it to help me during long hours of programming and writing documentation on emacs (also gonna write some philosophy articles) i'm trying to make it comfortable to use for typing and emacs bindings (i like the mnemonic approach), so i based it on programmer dvorak and edited from there. >i gave priority to parenthesis (i do a lot of lisp) > some characters used in emacs (! $ &) are better positioned > i changed 5 (frame control) 3, 2 (split) and 0 (delete frame) to be better to access > changed the top row to have extra arrow keys and pnfb for navigation >switched caps and esc >added an hyper key for the right shift >put X and C on better positions for prefixes i still am deciding what i'll to with the two extra keys on the bottom row. any tips on what to do? any extra modifiers i could use?

What's the rationale for hyper on right shift rather than one of the bottom row keys? Breaking modifier symmetry is one of the worst changes you could make when it comes to fast touch typing.

>>17746 yeah, i might just use the bottom keys instead

Never seen an emacs-inspired layout that didn't move the ctrl key somewhere more sane. The board I'm typing on now has it remaped to the caps key, and the caps key is just eliminated because it's totally useless. Emacs pinky no more. Also it's an old terminal-style keyboard with ten extra function keys in two columns of five on the far left side of the board. That's always a nice place to put odd modifiers and stuff.

>>17752 Ctrl at the bottom is better for me, i don't use the pinky, but rather the bottom of my hand

>do a lot of lisp This might not fit easily into the work on your design so far, but it's really comfy to have parenthesis on a third layer letter key. E.g. on qwerty; SomeModifier + J = ( SomeModifier + K = ) Them being used so frequently it's a game changer to have access to them on home row.

>>17757 Iiiinteresting. Can't say I've ever heard of such a thing--but I'm trying it now and hot damn--it's not so bad! I kind of feel foolish now after all these years.

>>17769 Control on caps is a crutch, it breaks symmetry, rendering half the keyboard uncomfortable to use, and occupies a position better served by escape or backspace. I know some old terminal boards have control there, but that doesn't make it a good design as far as I'm concerned. Pressing control with one's palm is really the `correct' way and what most proficient typists will pick up automatically when using Emacs. it is unfortunately little attested to online - I only remember seeing it on Xah Lee's Emacs blog - possibly because of the popularity of chiclet keyboards, or, as I suspect, because many people can't type correctly to begin with. I used to spend a lot of time in keyboard communities obsessing over layouts and designs, one of the things that eventually made me put it aside was the realisation that so many of the users theorycrafting about optimal finger movement were clearly hunt and peckers, or otherwise didn't type in the normal way. Removing right shift was a very common indicator; someone who went through typing tutors as a kid will use it, but it's rare for the self-taught and thus seen as a target for removal. Designing something without preconceived notions can be valuable, but I'm a very firm believer that one who wants to innovate should first become proficient in the traditional forms, be it in music, art, or typing. At higher skill levels simple techniques otherwise hidden will become evident. Beginners are taught to stick religiously to the homerow for good reason, but people typing >100wpm will press keys with the `wrong' finger constantly. Likewise, message boards will continue to bemoan the horrors of Emacs pinky when simply rolling one's wrist would seem straightforward.

>>17769 yeah, i use ctrl on caps for the laptop as the flat keys aren't good for hitting with the palm. But with the bottom of your hands you don't even need to move away your hands from the center of the keyboard to use ctrl

>>17771 Yeah, totally agree with you about right shift. I have no idea how people advocate for its removal. And now that I'm on a keyboard with proper height keys, I definitely agree with you about palming ctrl as well. It's definitely not for those who have been on laptops for the past several years. I usually read most of Xah Lee's stuff, but I haven't seen that particular bit. I've been missing out. Full disclosure: I'm an old user who first touched a control key on one of those terminal keyboards. Just never got away from it I guess.

>>17773 >I usually read most of Xah Lee's stuff, but I haven't seen that particular bit. It isn't exactly easy to find a single article on his sprawling sites. http://ergoemacs.org/emacs/swap_CapsLock_Ctrl.html