I have to have a split keyboard due to suffering a bit of rsi and I currently just have a boring old Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard.
However I am debating on whether or not to pre-order the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard.
swelham
OvermindDL1
Heh, interesting though I tend to like to press so many keys at once that I like dedicated F# keys and numpad as well as I like having my 21 extra programmable keys, all of which are used. ^.^
I’ll keep it in mind though, interesting…
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swelham
If I remember correctly the keyboard has multiple key map layers used for various things and I believe they were configurable to allow for this kind of thing. I remember seeing a demo of someone using it to control their mouse cursor for example.
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OvermindDL1
It is but that swapping would slow me down, I’m often pressing upwards of 6 keys simultaneously as I type with just enough temporal spacing to work properly… :-/
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sztosz
Whoa, I just read the Hand Movements Minimized sections. They picture hand movement like something bad, IMHO they better in spreading FUD than Microsoft at it’s best days 
Really, they don’t say straight that moving your hands in bad, but on subconscious level you start to wonder: "Hmm… if the emphasize the minimized hand movements, maybe I move my hands too much, maybe it’s really bad for me… 
". Really precious. Maybe I move my body too much? Maybe I should move my fat ass less, make it sit on my chair more? Sorry couldn’t help it 
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swelham
For some reason I just have this image of a crazy coding octopus in the middle of a mad coding session 
Lol made chuckle! I can’t say I have read much of their docs yet, I’ve just seen some videos and had a quick scan of the features. You raise some good points there!
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DianaOlympos
uhm interesting, just the left key cluster addon would be enough to interest me. And they have Cherry MX Clear switch oh my…
The goal for next month is to get a WASD keyboard, full, Canadian Québec QWERTY in MX clear.
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bbense
FWIW, those MS ergo keyboards have eliminated RSI pain in the wrists for me. Typing at a “standard” keyboard for only a few minutes inflames my joints.
Oddly enough the laptop keyboard doesn’t trigger the pain either. I think it’s because it’s small enough that I can still keep the same angles in arms/wrists.
On the other hand I don’t get the whole MX switch thing. I tried one and it was eh…
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OvermindDL1
What angle is that? I type fairly weird compared to most people (home row is not so much for me, my fingers just kind of fling about to hit whatever key is closest to a given finger based on the placement of where the hand is as the hand moves around to bunch keys as much as possible), and I’m curious if my angle helps prevent it in me or something…
Oh they are glorious! That satisfying click you feel in your finger, knowing exactly when the key was pressed…
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swelham
@bbense I am exactly the same. A company that I previously worked at started me off with a straight keyboard and after a few weeks I could barely type. However I can use my laptop at home for hours on end regularly without issue.
I also know a guy that (IIRC) suffered carpel tunnel and now uses one of these to prevent any issues, but can use a laptop just fine.
I have always assumed the difference with a laptop keyboard is because my hands are positioned more on top of the keyboard instead of reaching onto something that’s higher than the surface my wrists are resting on.
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