I just got a ZSA Moonlander and I’ve been… on an adventure with it. Turns out my typing technique was total garbage so I’ve had to essentially start re-learning how to touch type. That, plus the ortho layout, plus the other ways my layout is now changed (special chars) has made the learning curve feel steep.

Going through all this has made me wonder some things about the long-term, and so I was hoping to lean on folks with more experience for some answers.

  1. Does learning to touch type on ortho (or a new layout w/ thumb clusters and such) mess with your ability to touch type on normal staggered boards? I still use my laptop when I travel and there is no shot I’ll be lugging around an ergo board.

  2. Is it worth going crazy with it and trying to learn workman or colemak at the same time? On some level I feel like it might not be that much harder, since it feels like I’m re-learning to touch type anyway.

  3. Would it be better to start with a keyboard that’s just split, but otherwise the same (Instead of ortho and alternative layout etc)? And maybe later move on to a crazier layout?

  • cerement
    2·
    7 months ago

    several people have used the switch to ortholinear/columnar as a chance to learn a new layout (Colemak-DH being a popular choice) – from most of the reports, the context switching between QWERTY on row-stagger and Colemak-DH on columnar seems to be enough to keep your muscle memory from confusing the two

    usually the biggest issue with switching to an alternate like Dvorak, Colemak, Workman, etc. is not the muscle memory but the availability of keycaps – you either have to shell out for an extra “typist” keycap set or settle on only using flat profiles (DSA, XDA, KAM, SA row 3, etc.) – if you are touch typing, it shouldn’t matter, but there’s still the aesthetics of the whole thing …

    • demesisx@infosec.pubEnglish
      1·
      7 months ago

      I’m about a month in on a Keyboardio Model 100 and I absolutely love the shape of the key caps.

      I am in the process of building 2 Sofles (I’ll be looking to sell one) and the fact that my key caps from Keyboardio don’t fit the Sofle’s spacing has me considering modifying the sofle V2 to follow the exact spacing as the Model 100 so I can use the same amazingly sexy key caps on it.

      • cerement
        1·
        7 months ago

        availability changes by month, but if you’re willing to go custom and don’t need legends, Asymplex gets a lot of rave reviews – most especially for their ChicagoSteno profile for Choc, but their DES profile for Cherry might be closer to the Model 100 profile