Wrist rests are one of the most debated accessories in the world of mechanical and ergonomic keyboards. Some people swear by them, claiming they reduce strain and improve comfort. Others argue they create bad habits, pressing your wrists into hard surfaces and potentially leading to injuries. So, what’s the truth? Do you actually need wrist rests for your keyboard setup? The answer, as with many things in ergonomics, is: it depends. ...
In this post, I want to focus on the process of switching from the classic QWERTY layout to Colemak. I’ll describe the attempts and experiences that finally let me move to Colemak while still being able to use a standard QWERTY keyboard when needed. Context I’m a developer who enjoys the craft so much that I also code for fun after work. In short: programming is both my job and my hobby. Unsurprisingly, I spend a lot of time typing — often around 10 hours a day. ...
This post continues my ongoing blog series on ergonomic keyboards. Today’s topic is the split keyboard. We’ll answer the question: what is a split keyboard, what types exist, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of split keyboards. But first, let me clarify the sequence of my posts. The previous article was about Column Staggered Keyboards. While column-staggered layouts are often split keyboards, split keyboards themselves are not tied to any other specific feature. They can come in many different shapes, layouts, and configurations. So, forgive me for slightly mixing up the order. ...
What if we equipped ortholinear keyboards with a mysterious column stagger? To clarify, the previous post about ortholinear keyboards titled Ortholinear Keyboards described keyboards without row stagger. This layout is a step towards ergonomics, as it is more natural and aligned with the anatomy of our hands and fingers. In this post, however, I want to go a step further than ortholinear keyboards and consider how such a keyboard layout can become even friendlier to our hands. We will use an ergonomic keyboard equipped with column stagger. ...
In the post 06. What Are Ergonomic Keyboards?, I explained five ways to improve your typing ergonomics. Today, we’ll dive deeper into one specific type of ergonomic keyboard—the ortholinear keyboard. We’ll explore how it’s built, how it compares to the traditional QWERTY layout, and whether it might be a better option for healthier typing. What Is an Ortholinear Keyboard? An ortholinear keyboard is a type of mechanical keyboard where all the keys are arranged in a straight grid—rows and columns perfectly aligned. Unlike the traditional QWERTY keyboard layout, which uses staggered rows, ortholinear layouts follow a matrix pattern. ...