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Jul - Computers and Technology - Do you have a preferred keyboard layout? New poll - New thread - New reply
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MilesH
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Posted on 04-25-10 03:22:11 AM Link | Quote
You folks may have wondered why I created such a thread in the first place.
Though this may sound stupid I'm sure, I was so fustrated with the physical key arrangement of the usa keyboard that I'd keep hitting the '\' everytime I went to go hit enter and since there wasn't an alternate physical key layout to choose from, I couldn't do anything about it, until I found a layout that fitted to my needs that had the keys exactly where I wanted them. And yes, a layout that I find fitting for my hands. So I import a UK keyboard and when I got it I felt right at home, I wasn't making any unwanted key presses no more and I could type much more easily and so I stuck with my UK keyboard ever since, which was a few years ago.

Now I'm sure this question probably doesn't make any sense anymore, now that I have mentioned the actual physical key arrangement on keyboards, but hopefully you get the idea of what I'm trying to talk about in this thread.

So.. is there a layout that you folks prefer over the other?

(I'm pretty sure not many of you folks here have not imported a keyboard of another region before, but I have done so in the past, simply because I cannot stand the physical key arrangement of the usa keyboards, I find it much easier to type with a UK keyboard, no offence to some of you folks here.)
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Posted on 04-25-10 03:24:57 AM Link | Quote
I prefer a big Backspace, a big Enter, and \ somewhere well out of the way. I think they stopped making those in the mid-1990s.

Also, there may not be a key right of the left Shift and left of Z (or Y, etc.). I'd constantly hit that key instead of the left Shift on German keyboards.

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Posted on 04-25-10 04:18:40 AM Link | Quote
I can't stand keyboard layouts besides the US layout, simply because it's the only one I've ever used.

The worst, for me, are the keyboards with a half-sized backspace key and the backslash next to it. I always end up hitting backslash instead of backspace when I have to use one of those.

Big enter keys kind of bug me too, but only because I have to go hunting for the backslash.

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Posted on 04-25-10 05:50:19 AM Link | Quote
There are a few different layouts that a keyboard might have, but the only part I care about is enter and backspace. This narrows it down to four arrangements.

Right now I'm using a keyboard with this:
Enter key variations

I'd prefer to be using one like this:
Enter key variations

I'd probably be okay using this:
Enter key variations

Japan has to be different, for some reason:
Enter key variations

Beyond that, every keyboard that has enough keys can be easily remapped to whatever I feel like.

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Posted on 04-25-10 06:24:49 AM Link | Quote
It's an enigma
----------------------------------------------------




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Posted on 04-25-10 11:45:56 AM Link | Quote
The upside-down-L confuses me on international keyboards... I had a third-party Mac wireless keyboard that had that upside-down-L return key, and I'd always end up hitting \ instead of return, since I'm more used to the bar return. =/

I use a modified American layout with additional dead keys (so I can type stuff like Drāno or Rykä, or even Azərbaycan. =P), and also a custom Russian layout with additional Cyrillic characters, such as those used in Serbian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, and other languages that use Cyrillic.

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Posted on 04-25-10 12:26:35 PM Link | Quote
Paulguy's Post configuration
Originally posted by Sine


<!-- With the correct windows based keys in the right place -->


This thing, except I keep super and meta where they are. I hate the tiny backspace because I use backspace so often. They must think people never make typos when designing those layouts with the small backspace.

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Posted on 04-25-10 12:37:23 PM Link | Quote

Infact I liked it so much that I bought it.

What I hate is when keyboards mess with the Insert/Home/Etc and Print Screen/etc rows
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Posted on 04-25-10 12:38:28 PM Link | Quote
   Technically, I don't really like a key between backspace and enter.

As for layouts themselves, I use a Czech QWERTZ layout (differences include Z/Y, numbers, punctuation), when I'm programming, though, I switch to QWERTY and I usually have no problem writing in it, just can't be bothered to switch it every time. I type about 70 WPM.

I've tried DVORAK before and found it pretty good, but I don't have a keyboard with that layout. I'm going to get some stickers one day and learn it, there's just the problem that it's missing Czech characters. I write English more often then Czech, though, so I can just switch.

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Posted on 04-25-10 04:05:04 PM (last edited by Bagel at 04-25-10 02:11 PM) Link | Quote
I have one of the above-linked Apple aluminum keyboards, and it is probably my favorite keyboard ever. Nothing is really in an unexpected place and the feel of the thing is good, once you get used to it. It's great for touch-typing.

Now my PC has a more generic black keyboard. One of the iBuyPower keyboards. It's black and instead of the Windows logo on the winkeys there's the iBuyPower logo that looks like the Thundercats logo. There's also a large backward-L-shaped enter key. But the big problem is that the right Shift key is made smaller because on the right of it is a "TURBO" key that does absolutely nothing. It's a completely dead key (I don't have a supported motherboard; if I did I could swap between an overclocked setup and normal settings with it) and I can't map it to anything. Also because of the large enter key, the Backspace key is also made into the same size as a regular key, with \ to the left of it, so I am hitting \ instead of backspace all the time. It's otherwise a very good media keyboard, all of the media buttons work properly and are actually useful for adjusting volume and things.

An image of the keyboard in question.

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Posted on 04-25-10 04:56:35 PM Link | Quote
This isn't exactly what the Packard Bell had, but it's the closest I could find (it's a newer Packard Bell keyboard):



I wonder why that position of \ never really caught on. I think it's vastly superior to the 3 usual positions for it by not interfering with the other keys' normal positions. (Unless you usually hit the rightmost part of the right Shift key, that is.)

The old keyboard we had predated the seemingly mandatory Windows/Menu keys and had \ between Alt Graph and Right Ctrl. There was also a Macro key in the lower left, which wasn't really preferable because I'm used to Ctrl being right in the corner (similarly, I struggle with keyboards that have Fn there instead).

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MilesH
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Posted on 04-25-10 05:05:27 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Terra
This isn't exactly what the Packard Bell had, but it's the closest I could find (it's a newer Packard Bell keyboard):



I wonder why that position of \ never really caught on. I think it's vastly superior to the 3 usual positions for it by not interfering with the other keys' normal positions. (Unless you usually hit the rightmost part of the right Shift key, that is.)

The old keyboard we had predated the seemingly mandatory Windows/Menu keys and had \ between Alt Graph and Right Ctrl. There was also a Macro key in the lower left, which wasn't really preferable because I'm used to Ctrl being right in the corner (similarly, I struggle with keyboards that have Fn there instead).


This is my first time seeing a layout that has the '\' key right below the fat enter key.

Interestingly, my boss has a few old keyboard that instead of having the windows logo and menu key symbol, they were marked as 'S1' (where left windows logo key would be), 'S2' (where right windows logo key would be), and 'S3' (where menu key would be) and I know there was a turbo button on that keyboard as well and it was sitting at the right of the right shift key like with Bagel's keyboard.

I also had a british keyboard that had a normal fat enter key instead of the vertical L shaped key and still had the '\' in between left shift and z keys, but the # key was to the right of the right shift key instead.
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Posted on 04-25-10 05:14:08 PM Link | Quote
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Posted on 04-25-10 07:51:52 PM Link | Quote
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Metal_Man88's Post
I use the same keyboard layout as Shadic, only my keyboard is an elderly eMachines 366i2 keyboard off of one of the infamous 'free' eMachines from the early days.

It's much sturdier than it looks, but horribly loud and clicky.

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Posted on 04-26-10 02:15:00 AM Link | Quote
I'm fine with most keyboard layouts but I hate ones with a small backspace button.

Laptop layouts confuse me when I'm looking for Home/End. And the squishy keys... I make quite a few typos when using a laptop.

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Posted on 04-26-10 02:17:57 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Colin
Laptop layouts confuse me when I'm looking for Home/End. And the squishy keys... I make quite a few typos when using a laptop.


This.

I really hate when Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down are in a vertical line rather than a square formation. Also, the F-keys being right next to the number keys makes them easy to hit accidentally.

And when switching from 1 laptop to another, you have to re-learn where stuff like Insert and Delete are.

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MilesH
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Posted on 04-26-10 02:33:55 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Terra
Originally posted by Colin
Laptop layouts confuse me when I'm looking for Home/End. And the squishy keys... I make quite a few typos when using a laptop.


This.

I really hate when Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down are in a vertical line rather than a square formation. Also, the F-keys being right next to the number keys makes them easy to hit accidentally.

And when switching from 1 laptop to another, you have to re-learn where stuff like Insert and Delete are.


I'm usually fine with notebook keyboards, as long as the notebook has a full keyboard with its separate numpad area and as long as the keys are comfy to my finger's every touch.

I don't really have a problem with the F-keys on my notebook keyboard, maybe that's because the keys on my keyboard are arranged differently? some manufacturers like to rearrange the key positions, depending on the brand too of course.
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Posted on 04-26-10 05:59:48 AM Link | Quote
Paulguy's Post configuration
My old computer has an abysmal gateway keyboard, though the layout is alright.

It was really dirty when I got it from a broken Gateway computer I had been given (and never really washed it, heh.. most of it's just stained on anyway.). I also had it when I was a bit younger and I've spilled all kinds of juice and food crumbs in to it, and I don't use it enough to really care about cleaning or replacing it.

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