kanata VS qmk_firmware

Gotta give a shoutout to kanata[1] which I have used daily for years at this point after giving up on QMK-powered keyboards.

QMK itself is great, but I was never able to find a non-columnar split ISO keyboard to use it with. Eventually I reluctantly settled on the Logitech K860[2] and I'm now happily using my favourite features from QMK with kanata at the software level.

[1]: https://github.com/jtroo/kanata

[2]: If I'm behind the times and there is now a QMK-compatible keyboard that looks like this, please let me know!

This is not in Emacs, but if I can't modify my keyboard's firmware (e.g on a laptop), I use Kanata https://github.com/jtroo/kanata. It works by creating a virtual keyboard in Linux (and uses a filter driver or process hooks in Windows), so it can work in any program as they just see a normal keyboard.

Besides the better caps word (by the way, you can have it in software in Win/Linux apps like https://github.com/jtroo/kanata/blob/main/docs/config.adoc#c...) you can also toggle capslock with e.g. a double tap while having on-hold functionality to the more useful Control, so you still wouldn't need to hold any modifier key

jtroo/kanata: Improve keyboard comfort and usability with advanced customization (github.com)

One particular approach that one might find it interesting is how the configuration is laid out (using S-expression from Lisps).

[0] https://github.com/jtroo/kanata/blob/main/docs/config.adoc

Kanata[0] is amazing. It support both Linux and Windows. But I'm yet to try it on windows because my majority work is on linux.

[0] https://github.com/jtroo/kanata

I only use keyboards running QMK or ZMK, so:

My Caps Lock key is a Control/Escape key (when tapped it behave like a Escape, when hold it's Control), and my left Control is a one shot layer switch key [1], which means I tap LCtrl once, and then press Caps Lock + 5 to get Ctrl+F5. Doable with single hand and more ergonomic as I have an unusually small hand.

[1] https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/blob/master/docs/one_sho...

I agree that reduced finger movement is a crucial step in achieving typing efficiency. This is nicely solved by mod tap modifiers in QMK/ZMK[1] where key acts as a char when tapped and as a layer while pressed.

[1]: https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/blob/master/docs/mod_tap...

Separate wireless controller, see the glue code at [0]

[0]: https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/compare/master...nuphy-s...

If you have a keyboard that runs QMK firmware[0] with the VIA[1] feature enabled[2], then there is a convenient testing app available from the same place you customize your keys [3].

[0] https://qmk.fm/

I made a layout that I'm happy with. Spanish is my native language, so it has characters like the accents and 'ñ', but it's meant to be used for programming as well. Visual Studio uses a lot of Ctrl and Ctrl + Shift shortcuts, so I left them in the same place as the default Corne layout so I can press them both with my pinkie finger. Perhaps some of the ideas are useful to you.

Also, it would be possible to do this for the RP2040. However, it needs some work to get working. but for example: https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/pull/20999

Ok, it's an ST7735, not too different from the ST7789. You should be able to get running by looking at their files in the QMK repo and going from there. You should also check their resources page.