keyboard_layout_optimizer VS layout

Regarding evaluating, comparing and potentially even optimizing layouts, I would recommend my keyboard layout optimizer.

I recently got a new ergonomic keyboard, after just typing on my laptop for years. I've used an ErgoDox before, so I went with the Moonlander. While configuring the keyboard and playing with the location of the spacebar, I realized that putting it on the right hand side resulted in a really bad balance between the two hands – it seemed like dvorak was way more right-hand dominant, and that was confirmed when I started looking into it. Went down the rabbit hole of alternate keyboard layouts, and found this repo: https://github.com/dariogoetz/keyboard_layout_optimizer . You can specify the physical configuration of your keyboard and provide a sample text, and it will generate layouts for you, using simulated annealing or a genetic algorithm. Here's a screenshot of the generated layout, along with Dvorak on the bottom:

That's very interesting. I tried a genetic algorithm myself for my optimizer. In the end, I removed the crossover part, but mainly because I did not understand, how exactly it worked :)

You can find the code for the evaluator here. Apart from my own set of metrics, it includes the ones used in KLAnext and also the ones from Oxey's layout playground (with some caveats).

Regarding an evaluator with support for multiple layers that can be user-configured, supports "classical" hold layers as well as one-shot layers, and modifiers on "any key" (think home-row mods), I can advertise my own evaluator/optimizer https://github.com/dariogoetz/keyboard_layout_optimizer Saves you some time on a new project ;)

Identified (amongst others), by tweaked version of https://github.com/dariogoetz/keyboard_layout_optimizer

I want to introduce a pet project of mine that I have been working on in the last year - a keyboard layout evaluator/optimizer: https://github.com/dariogoetz/keyboard_layout_optimizer

The layout is a simulate annealing optimized layout which I've added to stevep99's Keyboard Layout Analysis Tool it's available on the sa-tidy branch for now. I liked NotGate’s SFB minimized layout but wanted to expand and add more finger roll and make sure it's optimized for English as well as C/C++/Rust and Python.

It is commonly used on a thumb key (Right-alt on tradtional keyboards) to repeat an alphanumeric key to avoid double tapping with the same finger, making it a smooth motion instead and helping in the same vain as reducing same finger bigrams. For example typing "hello" you would instead do hel{rAlt}o. See also the bottom of https://notgate.github.io/layout/

IRST

Looks okay. Right ring is a little questionable (try typing "you" on it), and there's also a layout with 0.473% SFBs.

Thanks for the reply! Interesting how you skipped colemak, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on plain colemak if you decide to give it a go. I might do the same with colemak-dh or IRST for that matter.

Looks like NotGate's SFB Minimized Layout (https://notgate.github.io/layout/)

I am using the .json file from https://github.com/NotGate/layout