I just got a ZSA Moonlander and I’ve been… on an adventure with it. Turns out my typing technique was total garbage so I’ve had to essentially start re-learning how to touch type. That, plus the ortho layout, plus the other ways my layout is now changed (special chars) has made the learning curve feel steep.
Going through all this has made me wonder some things about the long-term, and so I was hoping to lean on folks with more experience for some answers.
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Does learning to touch type on ortho (or a new layout w/ thumb clusters and such) mess with your ability to touch type on normal staggered boards? I still use my laptop when I travel and there is no shot I’ll be lugging around an ergo board.
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Is it worth going crazy with it and trying to learn workman or colemak at the same time? On some level I feel like it might not be that much harder, since it feels like I’m re-learning to touch type anyway.
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Would it be better to start with a keyboard that’s just split, but otherwise the same (Instead of ortho and alternative layout etc)? And maybe later move on to a crazier layout?
From my experience:
- I typed around 60 WPM before on a standard keyboard, now it’s barely 25. It may be because I don’t use standard keyboards at all anymore though.
- I learnt colemak with my first split keyboard since it seemed like if I was going to learn a new layout, then I should commit to it entirely. I think keeping AZERTY (since I’m french baguette haha) would have just made me even slower on standard keyboards because there wouldn’t be much difference with my normal workflow. Separating the two layouts entirely seems better to me, but you might also say keping the same layout to some extent is better.
- I went from a full-size keyboard to my monkeyboard, gradually removed keys (left row, top row, inner thumb keys) and now I’m at 34 keys with my triboard. But making the jump could also have worked seems it’s a complete change anyway.
Before: ~110-120wpm, but shit accuracy
Right after switching: <30wpm
A month after switching: ~60wpm
Now (5 years layer): ~90-100wpmI also couldn’t type for crap on a regular keyboard after acclimating to my compact and ergo boards, but that came back. Now I’m able to switch between all of my boards (and my laptop’s built-in) more or less interchangeably. I don’t really care about the lost speed, it’s still plenty fast enough for what I do - I’m a programmer, I spend more time thinking about code than writing it.
FYI I switch between a regular 60%, my laptop, an Iris (so thumb clusters) and a Planck.
