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Comment by satvikpendem | Hacker News Reader

What is this keyboard? I am looking for a split keyboard as I already use a 60% with no issues.

> I already use a 60% with no issues.

This fad completely mystifies me. Why would anyone want fewer keys and less keyboard on the desk?

I'd understand immediately if these were intended to be portable units, but I've never seen any of them billed that way.

Mouse position. I want my main keys centered and a keyboard with a numpad makes it annoying to use the mouse if you're right handed, it's a less natural position.

But just a numpadless keyboard does the same, right? That's what I have been using for over 10 years anyway.

What I, and presumably also the previous poster, don't understand is using the 60% keyboards that remove so many more keys than just the numpad.

I mean, if you're happy with it then great; it's your keyboard. But I just don't understand it.

Depends how big your desk is and how often you use those keys. If you don't use them that much then it's fine having a smaller keyboard.

ZSA has Voyager, which is portable. [1]

Many keys means you'll have to move the hands to reach the outermost (or at least rotate the hand around it's "heel" bone). It limits speed and adds to fatigue. When there are less keys, your hand does not need to move/turn to reach, but you'll need 1-2 extra layers and modifier keys (most users put them on thumbs pad). This will take some time to learn, and it's not clear how to organize them.

So this is a fundamental problem: many easy to use keys vs fewer keys, less reach distance but harder to learn.

I've recently emailed the ZSA team about my struggles with text editing, and they suggested me examples how to overcome this with an extra layer specifically for this. [2]

1. https://www.zsa.io/voyager

2. https://configure.zsa.io/voyager/layouts/BwvyQ/latest/3

How do you navigate in text? In particular, I use very much Shift+Home/end/pgup/pgdown and shift+(ctrl+)cursor keys. This is doable in my current ergodox layout, but only once -- alternating becomes very inconvenient. Example: shift down (to select text), go a line up, up, up, then to the home, then release the shift.

I'm not the parent commenter, but I use a Dygma Raise (60% split kb). It has some issues but navigation hasn't been a problem. I use two of the thumb buttons as momentary (push-and-hold) layer shifts, with hjkl (and asdf) becoming arrow keys as long as that navigation layer is active, and qerf/yuio becoming home/end/pgup/pgdown in that navigation layer.

I don't use shift with page up or down as I don't select pages of text at once, but for the Anne Pro 2, page up and down work normally due to being accessed via modifier keys, same with arrow keys.

Ergodox EZ.

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