Using custom keyboard firmware to enable copy/paste shortcuts on Linux that work in terminals too.

The mechanical design is absolutely a huge improvement. I have a Piantor Pro, and once you get used to thumb keys it's hard to use keyboards without it. However, sometimes, you have no option. I'm not carrying a keyboard around with me, and using my laptop I'm stuck with what it's built with.

Shit... it just occurred to me that Framework has an opportunity here: they may not be able to build in an ergonomic keyboard with Kailh keys, but they could split the space bar and make it into 2 or 6 keys.

Anyway, I use the home row under my left hand for layer switches. I wrote a blog entry about this, but TL;DR I found that I type too fast to have modifier keys mapped to any of the main keys. I tried layer switches under the thumbs but I have 9 layers (including the base) and my Piantor has only 42 keys, so only 6 thumb keys. I could make do with 8, because one is a toggle layer for QWERTY, for games (well, for Factorio; like hell I'm going to remap all those bindings!). I might be able to squeeze two layers together and get 7, but the second issue is that layer synergy means several layers having most keys under my right hand minimizes cognitive load.

For example, the number pad is under the right hand, as is sane. So having the F-keys in the same configuration helps, because 1 ~ F1, 2 ~ F2... I don't have to think about it. Same with motion keys: I want the up/down/left/right in a T under my right hand, because I'm not ambidextrous and it's more accurate and faster for me. So I want the mouse movements in the same configuration. That's 4 layers right-side dominant, and there are only 3 thumb keys on the left; and it's just awkward to hold a right thumb key whilst typing with the right hand.

So, yeah, I don't use the thumb keys for layer switching. They're modifier keys: lctl, enter, lalt; ralt, space, rctl. Since the ctrls and alts are already hold keys, they can't be used as layer switches, unless I do something like double tap, which I found inaccurate and awkward.

What all this means is that the switch to kanata and a, say, laptop keyboard isn't that bad. Yes, enter and modifier keys are is in the "wrong" places, but everything else is mostly unchanged. And because I'm have the 42, I have extra columns on either side which I duplicate the modifiers, and on the left it's the same on a standard keyboard.

9 comments

Is it really an whats old and is new again? I do this with QMK.
- Which is old and which is new?
  That sun keyboard is mid 2000s.
- First keyboard with copy and paste keys: 1987 First release of QMK: 2016.
  About 30 years later.
This is really cool, and clever, and it's neat they posted how they did this; but I think I would have just used kanata and done it in the host.
I almost used kanata instead of programming my QMK keyboard, because kanata can be used with any keyboard, which means if I need to use a different keyboard for some reason I don't have to change how I type. Plus, oddly, I seem to have fewer accidental layer/modifier triggers with kanata.
- What keys to you use to activate custom layers with Katana?
  A nice thing about custom keyboards is that they designed with easy to reach keys that can be used for layer switching.
  
  The mechanical design is absolutely a huge improvement. I have a Piantor Pro, and once you get used to thumb keys it's hard to use keyboards without it. However, sometimes, you have no option. I'm not carrying a keyboard around with me, and using my laptop I'm stuck with what it's built with.
  Shit... it just occurred to me that Framework has an opportunity here: they may not be able to build in an ergonomic keyboard with Kailh keys, but they could split the space bar and make it into 2 or 6 keys.
  Anyway, I use the home row under my left hand for layer switches. I wrote a blog entry about this, but TL;DR I found that I type too fast to have modifier keys mapped to any of the main keys. I tried layer switches under the thumbs but I have 9 layers (including the base) and my Piantor has only 42 keys, so only 6 thumb keys. I could make do with 8, because one is a toggle layer for QWERTY, for games (well, for Factorio; like hell I'm going to remap all those bindings!). I might be able to squeeze two layers together and get 7, but the second issue is that layer synergy means several layers having most keys under my right hand minimizes cognitive load.
  For example, the number pad is under the right hand, as is sane. So having the F-keys in the same configuration helps, because 1 ~ F1, 2 ~ F2... I don't have to think about it. Same with motion keys: I want the up/down/left/right in a T under my right hand, because I'm not ambidextrous and it's more accurate and faster for me. So I want the mouse movements in the same configuration. That's 4 layers right-side dominant, and there are only 3 thumb keys on the left; and it's just awkward to hold a right thumb key whilst typing with the right hand.
  So, yeah, I don't use the thumb keys for layer switching. They're modifier keys: lctl, enter, lalt; ralt, space, rctl. Since the ctrls and alts are already hold keys, they can't be used as layer switches, unless I do something like double tap, which I found inaccurate and awkward.
  What all this means is that the switch to kanata and a, say, laptop keyboard isn't that bad. Yes, enter and modifier keys are is in the "wrong" places, but everything else is mostly unchanged. And because I'm have the 42, I have extra columns on either side which I duplicate the modifiers, and on the left it's the same on a standard keyboard.
I used one of those sun keyboards a lot back in the day.