Ask HN: What can I do about my declining typing ability as I age?

This page summarizes the projects mentioned and recommended in the original post on news.ycombinator.com

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  • Pinky4

    A split 4 x 7 vertically staggered keys and 4 thumb keys keyboard.

  • In my experience it does become harder to type on staggered keyboards unless you're continuing to do it regularly. You may need to relearn to do that. Same deal with continuing QWERTY usage.

    VIA is proprietary and not really an official QMK thing (QMK is free software). There is also Vial[0] which is free software if you want a GUI, and the QMK configurator[1] web app (but this lacks some features like enabling mouse keys or NKRO).

    Lastly I want to add that Workman[2] may be preferable to Colemak Mod-DH. Rather than an attempt to fix major issues in Colemak like Mod-DH, it's a whole new layout that avoided the issues from the start. I have also heard from some that it had ortholinear and columnar stagger boards in mind with its design.

    I type on a Pinky4[3] keyboard that I assembled from a kit. More keys than your keyboard, but a similar idea. I was coming from a 60% and wanted a similar amount of keys. I've been quite happy with it.

    [0] https://get.vial.today/

    [1] https://config.qmk.fm/#/

    [2] https://workmanlayout.org/

    [3] https://github.com/tamanishi/Pinky4

  • Workman

    Workman keyboard layout

  • In my experience it does become harder to type on staggered keyboards unless you're continuing to do it regularly. You may need to relearn to do that. Same deal with continuing QWERTY usage.

    VIA is proprietary and not really an official QMK thing (QMK is free software). There is also Vial[0] which is free software if you want a GUI, and the QMK configurator[1] web app (but this lacks some features like enabling mouse keys or NKRO).

    Lastly I want to add that Workman[2] may be preferable to Colemak Mod-DH. Rather than an attempt to fix major issues in Colemak like Mod-DH, it's a whole new layout that avoided the issues from the start. I have also heard from some that it had ortholinear and columnar stagger boards in mind with its design.

    I type on a Pinky4[3] keyboard that I assembled from a kit. More keys than your keyboard, but a similar idea. I was coming from a 60% and wanted a similar amount of keys. I've been quite happy with it.

    [0] https://get.vial.today/

    [1] https://config.qmk.fm/#/

    [2] https://workmanlayout.org/

    [3] https://github.com/tamanishi/Pinky4

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  • vial-gui

    Vial is an open-source cross-platform (Windows, Linux and Mac) GUI and a QMK fork for configuring your keyboard in real time.

  • In my experience it does become harder to type on staggered keyboards unless you're continuing to do it regularly. You may need to relearn to do that. Same deal with continuing QWERTY usage.

    VIA is proprietary and not really an official QMK thing (QMK is free software). There is also Vial[0] which is free software if you want a GUI, and the QMK configurator[1] web app (but this lacks some features like enabling mouse keys or NKRO).

    Lastly I want to add that Workman[2] may be preferable to Colemak Mod-DH. Rather than an attempt to fix major issues in Colemak like Mod-DH, it's a whole new layout that avoided the issues from the start. I have also heard from some that it had ortholinear and columnar stagger boards in mind with its design.

    I type on a Pinky4[3] keyboard that I assembled from a kit. More keys than your keyboard, but a similar idea. I was coming from a 60% and wanted a similar amount of keys. I've been quite happy with it.

    [0] https://get.vial.today/

    [1] https://config.qmk.fm/#/

    [2] https://workmanlayout.org/

    [3] https://github.com/tamanishi/Pinky4

  • qmk_configurator

    The QMK Configurator

  • In my experience it does become harder to type on staggered keyboards unless you're continuing to do it regularly. You may need to relearn to do that. Same deal with continuing QWERTY usage.

    VIA is proprietary and not really an official QMK thing (QMK is free software). There is also Vial[0] which is free software if you want a GUI, and the QMK configurator[1] web app (but this lacks some features like enabling mouse keys or NKRO).

    Lastly I want to add that Workman[2] may be preferable to Colemak Mod-DH. Rather than an attempt to fix major issues in Colemak like Mod-DH, it's a whole new layout that avoided the issues from the start. I have also heard from some that it had ortholinear and columnar stagger boards in mind with its design.

    I type on a Pinky4[3] keyboard that I assembled from a kit. More keys than your keyboard, but a similar idea. I was coming from a 60% and wanted a similar amount of keys. I've been quite happy with it.

    [0] https://get.vial.today/

    [1] https://config.qmk.fm/#/

    [2] https://workmanlayout.org/

    [3] https://github.com/tamanishi/Pinky4

  • QwickSteps

    An easy to learn keyboard layout that's fast and comfortable to type.

  • I'm also 50+ and had issues with shooting pains along the back of my hands. My solution was to use a keyboard layout that reduces awkward finger movements. I tried some alternative keyboard layouts but wasn't happy with how hard they were to learn and ended up making my own[0] that ends on the Qwickly layout[1] that was easier to transition to compared to Colemak/Tarmak.

    My error rate is probably still higher than using Qwerty but my hands are more comfortable so worth the tradeoff. I also learned that I don't type all that much while coding, spending much more time thinking than typing and had to use a practice site[2] to get enough practice to learn a new layout.

    [0] https://github.com/qwickly-org/QwickSteps

    [1] https://github.com/qwickly-org/Qwickly

    [2] https://www.keyhero.com/free-typing-test

  • Qwickly

    An easy to learn keyboard layout that's fast and comfortable to type.

  • I'm also 50+ and had issues with shooting pains along the back of my hands. My solution was to use a keyboard layout that reduces awkward finger movements. I tried some alternative keyboard layouts but wasn't happy with how hard they were to learn and ended up making my own[0] that ends on the Qwickly layout[1] that was easier to transition to compared to Colemak/Tarmak.

    My error rate is probably still higher than using Qwerty but my hands are more comfortable so worth the tradeoff. I also learned that I don't type all that much while coding, spending much more time thinking than typing and had to use a practice site[2] to get enough practice to learn a new layout.

    [0] https://github.com/qwickly-org/QwickSteps

    [1] https://github.com/qwickly-org/Qwickly

    [2] https://www.keyhero.com/free-typing-test

NOTE: The number of mentions on this list indicates mentions on common posts plus user suggested alternatives. Hence, a higher number means a more popular project.

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