I've preferred ergo keyboards for years and just bought my first Alice last year. I love it, but have always felt that there was something about it that didn't feel right. Your build made me realize that I'm missing a tented ergo keyboard. Thanks for the post and the parts list!
Is there a guide for what kind of keyboard to get based on the size of your hands? How did you settle on this layout? It looks interesting. I have a habit of hammering away with bad handwriting and typing for years, I recently fixed my handwriting and removed the half-cursiveness
I didn't read much on the subject, but I have tried and owned keyboards of several sizes. At first I thought I couldn't live without function keys and a numpad, but you stop missing them real soon once you get used to customizing layers. So I bought a TKL (80% size) board and loved it. Then I started experimenting with smaller boards and weird arrangements, and drew the line at ortho layout -- not only was it not teaching me to be a better typist, it also felt like it was bad for my wrists. I don't have carpal tunnel or RSI and hadn't had any issues with normal layouts so I wasn't looking for anything ergonomic until I tried a friend's Alice keyboard. It just clicked, I felt like I could actually keep my hands on the home row, there were few enough keys I could reach them all without looking, but enough that normal typing didn't require weird chords and stuff.
Try some things out at Micro Center or whatever and see what you like
Ever tried something else than QWERTY? I'm on Colemak-DH since about a year or so and it's pretty great. 🙂 I imagine that could be great with a keyboard like this.
Great question. Not "hard", no. 🙂 I've been using QWERTY for almost 40 years, so that's pretty ingrained. Like riding a bike. Also I'm still on QWERTY on my phone.
But, I do type slower on a regular keyboard nowadays. Partly because I changed my layout, and partly because the ZSA Voyager, which is my main keyboard, is both split and column-staggered, rather than row-staggered like most keyboards. It's hard to go back to rowstag after getting used to colstag. Rowstag just feels so incredibly wrong. Not at all meant for a human hand. 🤖
17 Comments
rektdeckard@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 14d
Tented Alice layout is so comfy, and much easier for my fat fingers to learn than an ortho.
ContriteErudite@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 14d
I've preferred ergo keyboards for years and just bought my first Alice last year. I love it, but have always felt that there was something about it that didn't feel right. Your build made me realize that I'm missing a tented ergo keyboard. Thanks for the post and the parts list!
Noodle07@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 14d
Ill never get used to M being down there
fvlegacy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 14d
Gorgeous! Dolch is my favorite colorway and silver boards always look great.
I'm mostly retired from the hobby at this point but I've always wanted a TGR Alice. Absolutely beautiful board.
paperd@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 14d
Looks awesome!
thatsnomayo@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 14d
Is there a guide for what kind of keyboard to get based on the size of your hands? How did you settle on this layout? It looks interesting. I have a habit of hammering away with bad handwriting and typing for years, I recently fixed my handwriting and removed the half-cursiveness
rektdeckard@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 14d
I didn't read much on the subject, but I have tried and owned keyboards of several sizes. At first I thought I couldn't live without function keys and a numpad, but you stop missing them real soon once you get used to customizing layers. So I bought a TKL (80% size) board and loved it. Then I started experimenting with smaller boards and weird arrangements, and drew the line at ortho layout -- not only was it not teaching me to be a better typist, it also felt like it was bad for my wrists. I don't have carpal tunnel or RSI and hadn't had any issues with normal layouts so I wasn't looking for anything ergonomic until I tried a friend's Alice keyboard. It just clicked, I felt like I could actually keep my hands on the home row, there were few enough keys I could reach them all without looking, but enough that normal typing didn't require weird chords and stuff.
Try some things out at Micro Center or whatever and see what you like
thatsnomayo@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 13d
I can go ask people to use their keyboards you're right I guess it wouldn't really impose.
rektdeckard@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 13d
Lol. You don't have to buy there, they just had one or two alive boards on display at mine so I went to try them
rektdeckard@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 13d
And to pick up an SSD and some cat6. Oops.
hDGGgrLpg8nEucjxWnJz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 14d
Please can you elaborate on your handwriting?
InFerNo@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 14d
Very nice aesthetic
UncleReaton@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 13d
Man it looks amazing!
victorz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 14d
Ever tried something else than QWERTY? I'm on Colemak-DH since about a year or so and it's pretty great. 🙂 I imagine that could be great with a keyboard like this.
rektdeckard@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 14d
Never have. Do you find it hard to switch back and forth if you ever have to use laptop keyboard / somebody else's computer?
victorz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 13d
Great question. Not "hard", no. 🙂 I've been using QWERTY for almost 40 years, so that's pretty ingrained. Like riding a bike. Also I'm still on QWERTY on my phone.
But, I do type slower on a regular keyboard nowadays. Partly because I changed my layout, and partly because the ZSA Voyager, which is my main keyboard, is both split and column-staggered, rather than row-staggered like most keyboards. It's hard to go back to rowstag after getting used to colstag. Rowstag just feels so incredibly wrong. Not at all meant for a human hand. 🤖
Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 13d
Looks great! I love the background glow!