Hi David, I'm a big fan of keyboards and I've tested heaps and heaps of them and I always go back to the ergonomic ones from Microsoft. I know you don't like them but I think they are very very good and once you get used you'll never want to go back.
I'm currently using the Microsoft Natural 400 http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/natural-ergonomic-keyboard-4000 I have one at home and one at work and they rock. The split angle is small enough to allow easy use with one hand in the rare moments that I need to use a single hand and keep a hand on the mouse. The older ergonomic ones were having a higher angle making them impossible to use with one hand. I also looked at that new Manta Ray and I think I'll buy one. I like that the keypad is separate and I love the long delete key (my previous keyboard had that long delete and I enjoyed it. To make my life easier I always remap most of VS commands that I frequently use to use only the left hand with no need to use the right hand. - Alt+1 - Build Selected Project - Alt+2 - Find References (Resharper) - Alt+W - Highlight References - Alt+Q - Goto Definition and few more so you can keep a hand on the mouse and one on the keyboard :) I think no keyboard shortcut should ever need two hands. Whoever came up with the Ctrl+Shift+F12 shortcut and Ctrl+Shift+B? Have you tried to press Ctrl+Shift+B with one hand? My hand hurts just looking a the keyboard to try to figure out how to press that. On Thu, Aug 15, 2013 at 1:08 PM, mike smith <meski...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Thu, Aug 15, 2013 at 12:04 PM, David Richards < > ausdot...@davidsuniverse.com> wrote: > >> A bit off topic and a bit on topic. I've been in the market for a good >> developer keyboard for a while but never seem to find anything I like. I >> was just wondering if others on this list had found a decent keyboard. >> >> A few qualifying points: >> >> I don't want a number pad or at least I don't want one on the right of >> the keyboard. Not that I have anything against them, I just want my mouse >> to be closer. I've tested this using a cheap (and crappy) laptop like >> keyboard and there is a noticeable difference in comfort. I can just as >> easily by a separate number pad keyboard to position elsewhere. >> >> > Or not at all. If you touchtype, they are almost unused. Funny I didn't > realise this, I just picked up my somewhat used KB and held it to reflect > light. Right. The numeric KB is still matte, the main KB numbers are > shiny with wear. > > >> I would prefer the cursor keys and the other navigation keys to be in a >> reasonable location. My "crappy" keyboard as some of these along the >> bottom. It also sacrificed the right Control key in favour of a Scroll >> Lock key. Who uses scroll lock any more? >> >> > What does it even do? > > >> I don't like those "ergonomic" keyboards that split the keyboard to be >> comfortable for two hands. I don't know about the rest of you but I spend >> at least as much time with one hand on the mouse and the other on the >> keyboard as I do with both hands on the keyboard. So the ergonomic aspects >> are actually a hindrance when typing with one hand. >> >> > Disagree. Going back to flat KB's is a major pain now for me. > > >> I don't care about media buttons or any other specific use button. I >> never user them. They just make the keyboard bigger. 20% of the keys on >> my current keyboard will never be used. >> >> > Agree, and get rid of the effing flock key and all the media shifts on the > f keys. > > >> Obviously I want the keys to be comfortable to use 8 hours a day. >> >> > Dude, at least 8. You likely use a KB another 4-8 when you get home. > > >> The recently announce keyboard from microsoft is fairly close to what I'm >> looking for: >> >> >> http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/microsofts-new-ergonomic-keyboard-is-just-plain-weird-looking/ >> >> But it's ergonomic style is a bit of a negative. >> >> > Yes, and I'm going to call in at officeworks to buy one on the way home. > Thank you! > > Re ergonomic. Try it for a while, you'll learn to love leaning your > wrists on something. And likely hate the normal ones. I use one at home > on the iMac - for such an ergonomic company Apple has awful keyboards and > mice. > > > > -- > Meski > > http://courteous.ly/aAOZcv > > "Going to Starbucks for coffee is like going to prison for sex. Sure, > you'll get it, but it's going to be rough" - Adam Hills >
