'Optimized Layout for Kinesis Advantage
One of the most powerful features of the Kinesis dvantage keyboards is the ability to remap keys. I've been using one for about 6 months with the Colemak layout and am loving it. Below is my layout. I primarily use Matlab. What is your optimal layout?
The 2 things I found most useful were to put the shift key under the left thumb and putting all the arrows under the right hand. This allows me to comfortably hit ctrl+shift with my thumb and move with the arrows on the other hand to select text and navigate around excel.
Solution 1:[1]
My version of Kinesis Advantage layout:
For mac you can create custom layout (see TN2056), swap "Caps lock" to "Num pad" (and create layout for "Caps lock") and use Keyboard Maestro (for copy/paste/redo/undo and text navigation). I can put it all to public if needed.
For windows you can use AutoHotKey.
Solution 2:[2]
I ordered my first Kinesis Advantage, I'm very confident I will use it - or a similar keyboard like Ergodox or Axios - for a long time after. I ordered it after a few year of tendinitis-related wrist problems. To relieve these problems I did quite some investigation into different keyboards and keyboard layouts. I tried Colemak until ~50 WPM before finding that it wasn't for me. Though I loved the rhythm of typing with Colemak, the increased lateral movements of my index fingers (due to the location of the D and H keys) were causing physical discomfort. So I went back to QWERTY.
Maybe because of the nature of the Kinesis keyboard (columns rather than orthogonal) I may give Colemak another try, or try another one like Norman or Colemak-DH. Or I just stick with good-old QWERTY, for 30 years hard-wired in my brain...
As I appreciate the thoughts behind any good keyboard layout (any product for that matter), us programmers are often forgotten. It also applies for the default Kinesis Advantage layout, so I too am looking for a better layout.
In my search for keyboard layouts I came across the Maltron layout (Kinesis Advantage is based on - some rather talk of stolen from - Maltron). Loosely based on the Maltron layout I came up with the layout below for a Mac:
I tried to move the less keys as possible, so I ended up moving the cursor keys to a different layer, making room for the brackets and minus/plus signs. I decided to keep the slashes on their QWERTY-location and only moved the backtic/tilde to make room for Escape.
The function row on the blue layer is based on some Ergodox layout I came across (cannot find the source any more sorry), the cursor keys and home/end/pgup/pgdown layout is based on several 60% keyboard layouts. Of course the Cmd + cursor keys still work to.
As you see, I stuck with QWERTY for now. Also note, it's not possible to program this layout in the keyboard itself without the use of a foot pedal (the keyboard only support layer togging instead of holding a modifier key). I use Karabiner to accomplish this (on a Mac).
Please note: I've not put this layout to a test yet, so I'm not sure how easy the brackets, minus and plus are too reach. Or if the Command-keys are located correctly (for Windows I would put CTRL here). The Hyper keys are mapped to CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+COMMAND in Karabiner, which I use for starting applications quickly. Copy and paste are mappen tol Cmd+C / V.
References:
Solution 3:[3]
I generally program in C++, and use qwerty but swap +/= and Home. Having to lift my left hand off the keyboard for every assignment or addition would drive me nuts.
Solution 4:[4]
My settings file — which can be copy / pasted for Advantage 2. I've settled on this for the last couple of years after a prior few years of iterations.
I use a Dvorak layout on a Mac, though the command-keys are generally applicable to QWERTY.
It's also in a GitHub repo of these
* Cmd keys as easiest to access from thumb
[lctrl]>[lwin]
[rctrl]>[rwin]
[kp-lctrl]>[kp-lwin]
[kp-rctrl]>[kp-rwin]
* Alt keys symmetrical as top inner thumb keys
[rwin]>[ralt]
[kp-rwin]>[kp-ralt]
* Unused key also as Alt. I don't use this much, could put something else here
[intl-\]>[lalt]
* Ctrl keys in tab key position and its symmetric
[tab]>[lctrl]
[/]>[rctrl]
* Tab as easy to access thumb key
[delete]>[tab]
[\]>[hyphen]
* `=` moves to the more traditional position of top right key on keyboard, and hyphen to the traditional dvorak position right of the home row
[=]>[delete]
[hyphen]>[=]
[kp=]>[kp=mac]
* Slashes move to thumb keys together. I don't use home or end so easy to give up
[home]>[/]
[end]>[\]
* Footpedal
[lp-tab]>[rctrl]
* These change pup and pdown into next-tab and prev-tab respectively
{pup}>{speed9}{-rwin}{-lshift}{obrack}{+lshift}{+rwin}
{pdown}>{speed9}{-rwin}{-lshift}{cbrack}{+lshift}{+rwin}
* Escape hatch if you actually need pup or pdown
{lctrl}{pup}>{pup}
{lctrl}{pdown}>{pdown}
Sources
This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Overflow and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Source: Stack Overflow
| Solution | Source |
|---|---|
| Solution 1 | Mihail H. |
| Solution 2 | jezrael |
| Solution 3 | Joe Valenzuela |
| Solution 4 |