What Is an Ortholinear Keyboard, and Should You Use One?
www.howtogeek.com
What is an ortholinear keyboard, anyway?

I’m just a newb when it comes to high grade keyboards, but these things look wild, and I kind of want to try one.

  • johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    5 months ago

    Prefer column staggered, but yes they really make you wonder how we got stuck with the dominant keyboard configurations. Typing with linear columns feels way more natural.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      Wasn’t the whole idea to minimize the amount of times your typewriter seized up? Happened often enough with QWERTY keyboards when it came to the cheap typewriters. Yes, I’m old.

    • Khanzarate@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      Typewriters.

      They had bars that needed to physically move, and so staggering them helped them not collide and get jammed.

      If you imagine a bar coming from the center of each key towards your screen, you can see how the staggering was helpful. For instance, M misses J and K above it, naturally, but it also slightly misses I and the 8 above that.

      It’s a great solution for a nonexistent problem in keyboards.

      • SendMePhotos@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        5 months ago

        Colemak is an alternative keyboard created by Shai Coleman, named as a portmanteau of Dvorak and Coleman. Its design goals consist of easy transition from QWERTY due to repositioning only 17 letter keys. Additionally the AZXCV shortcuts are in the same location perhaps allowing an easier time switching from QWERTY.

        It also claims greater efficiency than Dvorak. Furthermore it places complete emphasis on the home-row: the ten most-common characters in English are on the ten home-row keys.

        Source: Wikipedia

        I type in dvorak and actually love it. It just feels comfortable when I type.

        • Spike@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
          1·
          5 months ago

          just to chime in on alternative keyboard layouts:

          I’m german and can’t recommend the neo2 family of layouts enough.
          I currently am using the “noted” layout and it feels absolutely amazing.

          The different layer approach makes it easy to write all the symbols for programming I need, or if you are a writer, all the »correct« „quotation“ marks.
          there’s even support for all the greek letters used in math equations: ℤℵ×∀ℂΣ∫∃∇ℕℝ∂ΛΦΨ

          You can learn more about the layout here (site is in german):
          https://www.neo-layout.org/

    • s_s@lemm.eeEnglish
      0·
      5 months ago

      That’s a columnar stagger, not ortholinear.

      I was kinda disappointed that this article didn’t explain columnar stagger.

      I daily drive an iris by keebio.

  • the_weez@midwest.socialEnglish
    0·
    5 months ago

    I have a planck at work and a preonic at home. It takes some time to get used to but now that I have switched I will never go back. I might try something split like a corne next but I’m kind of waiting for something that matches my olkb boards a bit better. Ortholinear would be the new standard if I had my way. I’m also eyeing that MNT Reform pocket pretty hard for that awesome keyboard but I really want them to release a tactile switch option for it.

      • the_weez@midwest.socialEnglish
        1·
        5 months ago

        Olkb.com can probably answer most questions you have. They where one of the first to bring ortholinear keyboards to the market. Planck and Preonic are models they make. Preonic has a number row, planck doesn’t. MNT is a company making open and hackable devices like laptops, they aren’t making devices for the masses, instead trying to make something that is longer lasting and repairable. Their ‘pocket’ model has an ortholinear keyboard built in, and I just think that’s neat.

  • ILurkAndIKnowThings@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    5 months ago

    I just received my 4x12 keyboard 4 days ago! While there has been a steep learning curve and I took a huge hit on my typing speed, I really enjoy using it. I was a bit hesitant to spend much $$$ on something I wasn’t sure about, so I decided that if I didn’t like it that I could just use it as a macropad or use it in place of my dying Logitech G13 gaming pad. So far, I’ve been carrying it between work and home and using it for everything. If all goes well, this will be my main and only keyboard.

    It’s a CSTC40 that I bought from aliexpress. Unfortunately, it looks like they stopped selling it after I received mine (lucky me!). This unit seems to get shit on by mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, but I love it because it was cheap ($70CDN shipped) and didn’t require soldering. I happened to have a set of keycaps that I’ve made work for this keyboard. I don’t really look down when I’m typing, so I don’t really care that some of the legends don’t make sense.

      • ILurkAndIKnowThings@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        4 months ago

        I figured out a mental trick after 2 days. It’s hard to explain in words, but here goes…

        In my brain, I created a second typing profile where in my minds-eye, I imagine the ortholinear keys while on my new keyboard. When I go back to my old keyboard, I try to keep my brain aware that it’s the old layout. I have a Logitech G13, which is an ortholinear style gaming pad, so I think my brain was already wired for ortholinear finger movements and it was already natural for my brain to distinguish between the two.

        Now, the “weirdest” keys for me to type on the old keyboard are C, B, Y. I realize how super annoying it is having to stretch my fingers out for some keys and that’s why I’m certain that I’m going to stick with ortholinear in the long run.

        Edit 25 days later: I am now slower on a staggered keyboard because my fingers are no longer accustomed to stretching far. I now hate the number row and backspace on staggered keyboards.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    5 months ago

    I’m of the firm opinion that the best keyboard layout and type is the one you feel most comfortable with.

    But then I’m also of that opinion when it comes to things like desktop OSes, phone brands, etc.

    It’s not a popular opinion.

    • Soup@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      That sometimes works, but sometimes the right way is not immediately comfortable so people so stuff that seems right and hurt themselves. Sometimes the thing that seemed correct initially was only because of a lack of deeper understanding and an ignorance of the knowledge of those who have already made the mistakes.

      I dance, play instruments, drive cars, and do a whole lot of other things where the immediately comfortable thing is so often one of the best ways to develop a massively limiting habit that is a huge pain to get away from once you realize how badly it’s holding you back.

      It’s a case-by-case basis, of course, but simply “the best is what you’re most comfortable with” does not have near the nuance it needs to not be abused. It is great advice for people once they have built up a strong base of knowledge, and until then they need to get over it and try things.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        5 months ago

        I can’t use a split keyboard because of the way I’ve taught myself to touch-type. My fingers move around too much. On the other hand, I type around ~90 wpm (mostly using two fingers) so I win something or other.

        • Murkbeard@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          5 months ago

          I had the same problem, and never cracked touch typing, because my brain kept going back to the old, faster way.

          I finally cracked it by learning a different layout while only touch typing. Maybe that’s a way to go if you want to get there?

        • s_s@lemm.eeEnglish
          0·
          5 months ago

          You can re-teach yourself.

          Touch typing is like learning different languages. Just because you learn a new one doesn’t mean you forget the first.

          • MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            5 months ago

            This is true. I’ve gotten to the point where I can now type QWERTY and Colemak-dh on a standard, ortholinear or ortho columnar keyboards with no issues.

    • trolske@feddit.orgEnglish
      0·
      5 months ago

      I would really love to try something like that, but I don’t want to sink money into it just to realize I hate it.
      Edit: 400$ for the Glove 80. As much as I love the idea, that’s a no for me

      • rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com
        0·
        5 months ago

        The best way to “try before you buy” is to go to keyboard meetups in your area if they’re available. Unfortunately, that does leave a lot of folks out, but if you live in a city that will probably be your best bet.

  • rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com
    01·
    5 months ago

    I have a split ortholinear keyboard that I made with parts from Keebio, I fucking love it. It has really reduced wrist strain for me.

    It’s the Levinson Rev. 3, which is relatively cheap (this is an expensive hobby just FYI) if you want to get into keyboards.

    Edit: Levinson Rev. 3 was discontinued but the BFO-9000 is still a good option for a no-frills dip into things.