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Author Topic: Developer workflow with Ergodox  (Read 7233 times)

Graeme

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Developer workflow with Ergodox
« on: May 11, 2017, 12:42:44 pm »
It's been a few months now since I got my Ergodox keyboard. Since then I
was gifted a Massdrop kit, and built my second Ergodox myself. An
amazing experience and very fun.

For anybody thinking of using a Ergodox keyboard for programming, I can
highly recommend it. It took me a couple of weeks to settle on a
keyboard layout that works well for me - especially considering how
often we Object Pascal developers use F-keys, keyboard navigation of
source code and such.

Here is my layout I've been using for a couple of months now.

 
https://github.com/graemeg/qmk_firmware/tree/gg_dvorak/keyboards/ergodox/keymaps/gg_dvorak


A few days ago I stumbled across the following YouTube video. That guy
talks about using the Ergodox for programming purposes, and also mouse
functionality via the keyboard (something I haven't mastered yet). He
also uses layers of course (so do I), and shows very well how fast one
can code even with layers - some non-Ergodox people think you can't be
fast with layers. I disagree, and this guy proves it well.

I also like his idea of a Shortcuts layer, using the "Hyper" or "Meh"
key plus one other key.

   Hyper = Alt + Ctrl + Shift + Cmd/Win
   Meh = Alt + Ctrl + Shift

all that via a single keypress.

   * A Hyper key, as described by Brett Terpstra.
     http://brettterpstra.com/2012/12/08/a-useful-caps-lock-key/
   * A Meh key, which is a less-hyper version of the Hyper key (sends
     Alt+Ctrl+Shift, without Cmd/Win).

Here is the video. They keyboard layout is discussed at 3m 40s into the
video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78RtO38wOwI&feature=youtu.be

Here is his actual layout.

   http://configure.ergodox-ez.com/keyboard_layouts/qgmgej/edit



There is another guy that also has some very cool ideas. I really
like the Shift, Ctrl and Alt keys on the home row. I quickly tried
it last night, and it works surprising well and very comfortable to
type.

   https://implementsblog.com/2016/10/16/my-ergodox-ezs-custom-layout/


Possibilities are endless. Needless to say, I've been tweaking my
keyboard layout again, with even less finger movement or stretching than
before. I'll give it a couple more days, and then post a link to the new
layout.

Regards,
   Graeme
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fpGUI Toolkit - a cross-platform GUI toolkit using Free Pascal
http://fpgui.sourceforge.net/

kupferstecher

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Re: Developer workflow with Ergodox
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2017, 09:20:27 am »
Hello Graeme,

very interesting!

When I was a student and did some mechanical CAD-design I thought about making a 'funcion key' keyboard myself, because the shift, control, enter, escape and blank are heavily used by the left hand while the right hand is controlling the mouse. Well, I didn't start that project...

After seeing your post I searched around a bit and found that keyboard modding seems to be quite a thing, its easy to find the buttons and the caps on internet.

I don't see the full capabilities of the Ergodox, but for me a small 'function key' key pad besides the standard keyboard would be enough, I think. Advantage is that when one works at different computers there is no trouble of adaption between different layouts.

I even found a set of keyboard switches which comes shipped with a 15 key frame plate, that could be a good basis for the casing of a 'function key' key pad.

So I'll see if I start the project this time~

Regards

Graeme

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Re: Developer workflow with Ergodox
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2017, 11:24:30 am »
When I was a student and did some mechanical CAD-design I thought about making a 'funcion key' keyboard myself,
I've actually seen such mini keyboards for sale on the internet.

Quote
I don't see the full capabilities of the Ergodox,
It will probably be the last keyboard you every need to purchase. Just some of the advantages:

  • It's a mechanical keyboard. If a switch breaks, you can easily replace just that switch
  • Many people prefer the feeling of typing on a mechanical keyboard
  • Hardware customisation:  Choose your own keyboard case, choose your own switches (there are probably 20+ different types), choose your own keycaps
  • Software customisation: Internally, the Ergodox uses a Teensy 2.0 micro-controller. The keyboard firmware is open source, and you can customise your layout any way you want. It is then coded into the keyboard, not the operating system
  • You can have up to 32 layers - switchable layout. eg: the default (Layer 0) layout can be your usual keys. Layer 1 could be F-key, Layer 2 can be symbols, Layer 3 could be mouse control, Layer 4 could be media keys etc. There are different ways you can toggle or switch between layers.
  • Even the 3 LED lights are programmable. Brightness, which lights or combination of lights indicate what layer etc
  • You can position each keyboard half where you want. eg: shoulder width, instead of right next to each other - is is actually way more comfortable.
  • The new Ergodox EZ has fully programmable LED strips underneath each keyboard half. They can change to any color, to light effects and animations.
  • The Ergodox EZ also has optional legs, allowing you to tilt the keyboard for more comfortable typing
  • The Ergodox EZ also comes with very nice wrist rests.

These are just a few things I quickly noted. You can search the net for more ideas. YouTube is also full of Ergodox information.
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fpGUI Toolkit - a cross-platform GUI toolkit using Free Pascal
http://fpgui.sourceforge.net/

kupferstecher

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Re: Developer workflow with Ergodox
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2017, 12:40:37 pm »
Wow, you're really enthusiastic about the keyboard  :)

Having some configuration possibilities is really good. That should be more common~

When I was a student and did some mechanical CAD-design I thought about making a 'funcion key' keyboard myself,
I've actually seen such mini keyboards for sale on the internet.
At that time I didn't find any. And even now it seems quite difficult. I found two, one for gaming, one for CAD. But both quite pricey.

Graeme

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Re: Developer workflow with Ergodox
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2017, 10:29:40 am »
Wow, you're really enthusiastic about the keyboard  :)
As a programmer (and so are many here I guess), I spend an huge amount of time on the keyboard every day. Because of that, it should be a very comfortable experience. 10 years ago I switched to the Dvorak layout (using OS settings), and that was already a huge improvement. After that, I wanted to improve (or reduce) finger travel even more. I tried many "different" keyboards, and eventually stumbled across the Ergodox - the best keyboard I have ever used. To my surprise, and even with the popularity of the Internet, not many people have heard of the Ergodox keyboard/project.

Quote
Having some configuration possibilities is really good. That should be more common~
I couldn't agree more!

Regards,
  Graeme
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fpGUI Toolkit - a cross-platform GUI toolkit using Free Pascal
http://fpgui.sourceforge.net/

 

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