Xah Lee, ,
There is a computer keyboard, called the Happy Hacking keyboard (HHK). It is a keyboard often loved by “hackers”, and is one of the most idiotic keyboard. Let me count the ways.
It lacks 12 function keys. TWELVE of them! One, two, three, …, four, five, six, and more. Continue counting: seven, and eight and nine. Then, we add another digit to hit 10 in a decimal system. Then, eleven as in Seven-Eleven, and twelve, as in: twelve days of xmas. Twelve programable keys down the drain! What to do if you need them? You have to press 2 keys: 【Fn+‹key›】. What happened to the concept of efficiency?
Bygone are the extremely convenient dedicated page navigation keys: Home, End, Page Up, Page Down.
Of course, PrtScn, ScrLk, Pause keys, and the entire set of 17 keys on number-keypad are gone too. Sure, you can do without them, but for programers, that's another 17 programable function keys gone. The HHK is supposed to be used by programers, right?
Ok, now you lost 33 keys to automate your work. To make up the lost keys, the Control+Alt+Meta must be going strong on the HHK. But on HHK, it has fewer modifier keys than cheap generic PC keyboard! WTF⁈
There's Alt and Ctrl, ok, and there's ◇ Meta and Fn. Where's my Super and Hyper keys? On a standard $15 PC keyboard, i have 1 or 2 more modifier keys than the $80 Happy Hacking. Let's do comparison here.
$80 Happy Hacking, you have:
1 Control, 2 Alt, 2 ◇ Meta, 2 Fn. (am not sure the Fn count here because usualy it is hard-wired in the keyboard circuitry thus the OS doesn't see it.) That's a total of 7 modifiers. If not counting Fn, then it's 5.
On $15 nameless USB keyboard, you have:
2 Control, 2 Alt, 2 Meta (Win key), 1 Menu key, 1 Caps Lock. That's a total of 8 modifiers, all of them can be individually remapped by software on Windows Linux Mac.
If you look at the distance from F to the left ◇ Meta versus J to the right ◇ Meta, you see that they are not symmetric. The right side modifer requires you to curl in thumb deeper.
Many cheap PC keyboards have the modifier keys symmetrically positioned. (e.g. “Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 2000” ($21), Microsoft Comfort Curve ($17), “Microsoft Natural Elite” (≈$30) amazon, and lots others from other brands.)
I presume those who like HHK are unix users and the reason they like it is due to some key's layout.
Each of these key positions are actually inferior to optimal. For example, if you are vi user, the optimal position for Esc is where the PC keyboard's Caps Lock is at, or, one of the big Alt right under thumb (a design point popularized by Kinesis and Maltron.). (See also the original keyboard vi is designed on at How Emacs and vi keys came to be.)
If you are a emacs user, the optimal position for Control is the 2 big Alt key on Microsoft ergonomic keyboards right under your thumbs, 2 of them, symmetrically placed, pressed by a strong finger thumb. Or, alternatively, as Caps Lock on left side AND the Enter on right side. (a design point advanced by Truly Ergonomic keyboard.)
For the ⌦ Delete key, am not sure what advantage it serves on the HHK. The forward delete is seldom used. The backward delete is more frequently needed. It would be better if that key is ⌫ Backspace.
Note: the “Professional” models of the HHK has mechanical key switch. It uses tactile capacitive switch (Topre). The “model lite 2” model's spec says its switch is “membrane”, which means rubber dome.
Mechanical key switch are excellent for typing, because they provide a crisp tactile feedback. However, gamers may not like it, because if you need to press a key repeatedly (such as gun fire), the rubber dome switch used in most PC keyboards is better than most types of mechanical key switch.
See: Guide to Computer Keyboard Key Switch Mechanisms.
For why the function keys are important, see: Increase Productivity Using Function Keys.