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Ask Slashdot: Single-Handed Keyboard Options For Coding?
First time accepted submitter dubbreak writes "I was recently injured in a car accident which will limit the use of hand for six weeks or so. I'll be taking a little time off, but deadlines march on, and I'll need to be (semi) productive after my initial recuperation. What is you experience with single handed keyboards or other input option that require one hand at most? The current project is mainly C#, so I've need to be able to type brackets, semicolons and parentheses quick and painlessly."
... you would think you're well adapted to typing with one hand!
Nice cover story... what are you really looking to do with that other hand while coding?
On a serious note, maybe this would do the trick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FrogPad
I've used one. There's a learning curve, but after a week I was pretty fast with it. I've never actually coded with it though just typed notes, but all the keys are there for just one hand.
One of my coworkers can use only one hand. He has no special equipment, uses a regular keyboard and mouse, etc. The guy's wicked-effective, and his work output appears to be -- at minimum -- at reasonable volume. Frankly, he's one of the most productive engineers I know. And that's with both Java and Perl, which is a pain in the ass given its special characters.
Consider using this as an opportunity to focus on design and thinking before you bang your keyboard. You may be surprised by the results.
I have the original serial-based Twiddler keyboard (there is now a USB one), and it isn't all that amazing. However, if I really had to use one hand to type, I could get used to it.
The biggest problem is with hand cramping. It is not ergonomic in any way.
http://www.handykey.com/
surely they'd know after all that morph target/flexing coding hackery.
Take a look at turning on sticky keys for the duration of your recovery. I'm assuming that you're on Windows, but Linux for sure and Mac probably has the same feature (just maybe called something different). Also, take the opportunity to think more and type less. Maybe you'll achieve code enlightenment, which is nice. Good luck on the recovery and do whatever your orthopedist says.
I'de go with Nostromo because I know it.
Fully programmable single hand key pad for gaming.
You can easily create your own layout and do chords like a court reporter would.
EG key combinations to type a letter.
I believe it even comes with a template for single handed full ascII map typing.
There is also a website for templates others have created.
After a day or two of practice most people can type via chord input at 80 to 90 % of two handed typing rate QWERTY style.
Comes in both the left and right varieties.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard#One-handed_versions
It'll take you longer than six weeks to get used to a chording keyboard or one of the alternative keyboards out there; typing one-handed may be annoying, but still more efficient. As to brackets and other special characters, I'd recommend getting a gaming keyboard with extra macro keys, and program those chars into them.
I broke my hand a year ago and I too had the fun of doing one-handed coding (in Fortran, baby!) for a couple months. In truth, it wasn't that bad, though my productivity was slowed a bit. I managed by remapping keystrokes in vim to be more friendly, like remapping '' to 'jj' and ':wq' to just 'wq'. If you are clever, you could easily remap shift-combos (like braces) to un-used areas. Say, remap '{' to '[['...unless C# has those. (I am not a C# programmer). It's a bit harder for '(' as you can't just remap that to '99'.
Fortran programmer...oh yeah. Array math for life!
Someone used to have a one-handed keyboard that was one half of a standard QWERTY keyboard. (You could choose which half.) They also had a software version that worked with standard keyboards. You could access the other side by holding the spacebar and typing the corresponding position for the desired key. For example, if you had the right-hand keyboard, while holding the spacebar, you would type 'L' to get 'S'. I was amazed how easy it was to use. I guess if you are a touch typist, you know which finger to use on the missing hand and use the corresponding finger on the hand that was present. Brainz are kool.
Another thing to consider is a foot pedal or two. Set them up to do SHIFT and CTRL and away you go!
A long time ago, Matias was selling a "half keyboard" for use with PDAs and other mobile devices at a more or less reasonable price of $99. The following is patented: "Hold the space bar to flip the keyboard horizontally." When that market failed, Matias jacked up the price by hundreds of dollars to take advantage of companies that were buying the "half keyboard" as a legally required accommodation for employees with disabilities.
use a speech recognition software
I have been in your place, damaged left hand/wrist/forearm. I do a lot of typing, but a lot of it is repetitive, programming is like that. I used/use a programmable keyboard. in my case i use a MS Ergo keyboard, but i have supplemented it with a Genovation ControlPad 682 USB This is a 32 row column keyboard that has 31 programmable buttons each with 2 levels for a total of 62 key functions. you can program it to do many things. Of course there are many other Brands and types of Programmable keyboards and what you use would be what fits your situation best.
You posted four minutes before I did. I remember what product that was, but now it costs $595.
When I broke by hand I used right-handed Dvorak, but semicolons where a pain. If it proves too much of a problem you can look into customizing the keymap yourself.
Honestly unless your self employed or a major shareholder in a small company the best option is to:
a) take the whole period off on the doctors advice, submit this to your company (Though this does depend on the employment laws where you live and your paid sick leave)
b) just work slower, the company will need to take up the slack somehow (they should have contingencies for this, after all what if you had been more badly hurt or incapacitated)
i was injured and had to have surgery i simply took the opportunity for some well deserved time off. Admittedly working would have caused me additional pain and incurred significant additional expense (i was forbidden to drive) but equally I sure as hell wasn't going to waste the opportunity for 3 months paid leave, very few will fault you for taking this option.
...and did this
http://daughtrey.com/?cat=13
That in order to be a super productive coder you need to be able to type at 150 words per minute.
I almost never code with both hands anymore. My carpel tunnel has gotten worse over the past few years, so I am constantly switching arms. So far I have still been able to hold down my senior developer job.
Great mods of slashdot , forgive my AC ways and mod this to +1
You can mirror the keyboard with say , the caps lock key. I tried it and you get used to it really quick because the motion is already familiar to you since you use the keyboard in a "mirrored" fashion anyway. One hand for each side.
http://blog.xkcd.com/2007/08/14/mirrorboard-a-one-handed-keyboard-layout-for-the-lazy/
I have several Kinesis keyboards. They, too, have a jacked up price, but not that bad!
I am assuming that you are concerned about shift-keying with one hand:
http://www.fentek-ind.com/FootPedal.htm
http://www.handykey.com/
Works great and you can actually type REALLY fast with it once you get used to it.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Get in touch with these guys: http://gauntletkeyboard.com/
They are working on a VERY EARLY prototype of a keyboard glove that looks very promising if you can look past the ugliness of the prototype.
Trying to get funding... http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1099959-help-me-get-10000-from-best-buy-for-my-invention/page__fromsearch__1
Why they don't just stick it on Kickstarter, I have no idea, but it is something I can across which could be of some use, I'm sure they would need a good test use case to show off it's benefits if this thing works.
They still have it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Matias-HK101-Halfkeyboard-USB/dp/B00006IZIL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345732036&sr=8-1&keywords=FrogPad
and this one *may* be small enough to be used with just one hand:
http://www.amazon.com/PERIPHERAL-LOGIX-PERIBOARD-510-KEYBOARD-TOUCHPAD-ONLY/dp/B002TUO6NQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345732055&sr=8-1&keywords=one+handed+keyboard
I have a Logitech M13 game keyboard - you could program in macros to do common things in your language of choice...
Lodragan Draoidh
The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
i lost the use of my right (dominant) hand for 6 weeks and tried the twiddler. I didnt find the chorded text entry easy and struggled to get to much over 30-40 characters per min (!), but the mouse pad button works well for navigating a gui desktop (think ibm thinkpad 'trackpoint' center button). Oh and it works perfectly with linux.
When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea
Have you accepted Agile Programming into your heart?
FTFY.
If you have problem with using the modifier keys, you can turn the "Sticky Keys" on in your Windows Control Panel.
What about the DataHand?
Anyone with experience with these? How about using only one of them (one handed)?
Resharper will take a LOT of the grunt work out of c#, great code completion, refactoring, generation and more.
Textastic is a nice source editor for iOS devices that adds an additional row of buttons above the onscreen keyboard. You can type all the common symbols with a single touch gesture. I normally use a Bluetooth keyboard when I have to edit source files on the iPad, so I don't know how fast typing in general would be on the touchscreen device.
This may not be an option for you at all if you're using an IDE on a Windows machine. Textastic is basically a fancy text editor like Notepad++.
Better known as 318230.
I'm physically handicaped and I type with only one hand as fast as anybody I know with both hands, although speed isn't a must when you type code.
the most complicated thing is to open your fingers wide enough to type ctrl+alt+del, or at+f7 and know when which shift key you should press to make a single uppersized character.
I only use both hands when I have to type a special character, but it's really rare.
My thought it take the most used/painful to type symbols and remap them onto keys you don't use.
"Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
You are looking at adverbs here, so repeat after me:
"Typing how?"
Quickly. Painlessly.
oh no six weeks!!!! My dad programmed cobol for 35 years with one sausage finger. You'll get by.
If you do buy a ridiculous keyboard intended for people with disabilities, just be sure to give it to someone who actually needs it when you're done.
this scripting program I picked up and have been using since 2003 is great. one guy wrote a One Handed Keyboard script that is rather sweet to use.. even have cool scripts for using the NumPad to move the mouse pointer and click... lots of great tools that would so help someone one handed. www.autohotkey.com
autohotkey might also come in 'handy'...
One of these...
I'm sure someone suitably skilled could implement a USB keyboard version with a cheap off-the-shelf microcontroller board, a bit of 3D printing for the button bracket, and a certain amount of programming.
I'm 80-90 words per minute with 2 hands. I had really bad carpel tunnel problems in the 90s and got to where I could type about 60 words per minute with either hand on a one-handed dvorak keyboard. It took about 2 months of coding every day to get to my max.
I went about 5 years changing hands every 3-4 months. There are left and right handed dvorak layouts.
You'd be better off just finding or making a virtual keyboard that maps keys to one side of the keyboard, and assigning a few control keys.
There are quite a few one-handed keyboard scripts and programs out there. There is a few really nice ones on the Autohotkey site from what I remember.
If you wish to go ahead and roll one on your own, use the simple Shift QWERT layout. (incredibly easy to do in Autohotkey, can be done in a few minutes if you know it, or 30~ if you read up on the basics of the help file)
Shift everything to the left side of the keyboard from everything after 5, T, G, V.
Main 2nd characters become Win+shift+letter to access the 2nd layer, or better yet capslock+letter to limit the presses. (Q->Y, 1->6)
The extra symbols won't fit in to this, of course. But they get overlaid directly on to the left-to-right from the 1QAZ size. (so, 1-, 2=, Q[, W])
Access the 1st layer symbols from Win+control+letter or tab+letter. (the tabs being a logical "shift" between contexts, and limits presses again)
Access the 2nd layer symbols from Win+alt+letter, or simply Win+letter if you wish to still have wrists by 50.
This shouldn't interfere with any hotkeys, which allows the full keyboard to still be used for this at only a slightly lesser speed, but that is fine considering the situation.
This applies more so if you use the triple hotkeys, but even the doubles should be safe besides Win+letter, but most of those are likely not going to be used for anything anyway, so screw those hotkeys.
If you do wish to use them, in Autohotkey only detect the LWIN+key combos, this way you can override the LWIN combination only and the RWIN ones remain free for use.
We are missing some keys: backspace, enter, insert, delete, etc. Might as well make that silly backtick useful, turn that in to a control key.
`+q = backspace, `+A = enter, `+W = insert, `+S = Delete, E Home I think you get the idea now, just shift them over logically. print, scroll and pause on 123.
Sounds complicated, but it is easy enough when you just think about it while looking at the keyboard.
This is the route I would go, personally. Free, neat and easy to get used to since it is just a simple shift and just getting in to the habit of hitting a control key to get the other key sets. Plus it is one keyboard instead of 2 and a possible awkward talk with the boss to get a one-hander.
If you are more of a looking at keys occasionally person, you could easily just make a simple paper overlay with colors and tape them to each key, or have it on screen in some corner. (hell, even set a hotkey to bring the UI up, say tab+`)
For the paper overlay, best try to match the key color and paper too, so it doesn't look ugly.
The problem with the paper method is you could damage the key ink glyphs when you remove the tape. Either use a weak tape or the UI.
If you are a poor left-handed user, you'll have to suffer the numlock or a new one-handed keyboard.
I made an implementation of Thumbscript on Autohotkey. But using that for long periods at the hand-scale would likely erase your wrists from existence.
This sort of system can also be expanded for the whole keyboard to add more useful functionality to it.
If you use a lot of special characters, dedicate a control key to doing that instead of memorizing 1500 codes. (this would work better with the aforementioned UI / paper on keys method.)
The closest I done was make extra key combos to add the most used dashes, -, –, — (just alt and ctrl with -)
I had SHY at one point, but its use is pretty much not needed on digital content these days since word-wrap is pretty much everywhere now.
Just clost the damn porn and get back to work.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Resaerched these guys a while ago. The look like pros though their kbds look like office supplys.
Haven't seen their products IRL.
GL mate
http://www.maltron.com/shop.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=12
I broke my non-dominant hand and had it casted while on a job than involved writing on deadline. I worked with paper for a while, but mostly just got good at one handed fly-over-the-left-side typing. If you know where the keys are "hunt and peck" turns into "peck" and that's actually reasonably fast.
I think, on balance, in 6 weeks you're still going to be faster on your normal keyboard than a new layout or speech to text.
You could set up your own using the Optimus Tactus.
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/tactus/
It can be programmed to have any shape and/or functionality.
Back when I was developing in C#, I used (and loved) CodeRush. (http://devexpress.com/Products/Visual_Studio_Add-in/Coding_Assistance/) This assumes you're using VisualStudio.
I wasn't doing one-hand development but found it extremely helpful and I think it could apply in you situation. It supports macros/templates and things like smart brackets where you don't even need to type brackets. You could just b+TAB or whatever you want. It would give you a bracket body with your cursor placed in the middle. It has been a few years since I've used it so you'd want to checkout how it currently works.
Sticky keys are a joke. Check into chording keyboards. They code all letters to combinations of 5 keys (one per finger) and when you get used to it they are as fast as regular qwerty.
Try to look on Coffee++ keyboardlayout (ENTI-key++)
Using C# is a way worse accident than the car one...
I've never heard it called "coding", but sometimes I "code" a couple times per day.
An option I heard about years ago
http://www.handykey.com/
Though I am blessed with two operable hands, I've often been intrigued with the idea of using an input device like this to free up one hand (eg, for a portable keyboard on the go with a cell phone as a computer).
There are one handed devorak layouts. Probably not worth the trouble to learn to use it, memorize layout, or buy a overlay. There are also chording keyboards, but again not worth the time to learn. It sounds like a cool idea, but I'd rather use the qwerty layout even though it is inefficient. I'd rather my typing be good 100% of the time, rather than split my typing across two different techniques depending on whether the computer I'm on has all the things needed to use my lternate keyboard choice. I don't want to start a new job and be like "hey I need admin access so I can install these drivers, and BTW I'll be lugging his $1,000 Data Hand keyboard around with me."
http://joy2chord.sourceforge.net/ I wrote the software, you modify the hardware. Have a friend of yours with basic electronics skill cut up a $5 usb gamepad for you. configure a mapping you like, and it run it as a userspace program under linux. If you have to work on a windows box use synergy to share the mouse and keyboard between the linux and windows box.
even have cool scripts for using the NumPad to move the mouse pointer and click...
This is a joke right? Windows has had that on its own since Win95. Just press Alt+Num Lock. Not sure about the combo, not on Windows atm.
I can confirm (similar situation: 2 months cast after some stupid indoor injury), combination of:
- left handed typing on a regular keyboard
- typing with both thumbs on a small keyboard
is a good way to type and not get exhausted too much.
Logitech is producing a few wireless thumb keyboards for media Pcs. (Logitech diNovo mini, for example).
just be sure to get a 4 row thumb pad with separate numbers (like a regular keyboard). not something with only letters (quite a few such are popular for phones and tablets)
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
A while back I wrote a software solution to emulate the Matias one-handed keyboard: http://blog.monstuff.com/archives/000021.html
Because of IP issues, I had to edit out some portions of the code. But it would take about a minute for a coder to make it functional again and compile it.
Additional chords could be added to make specific characters even more accessible (quotes, braces, etc.) and adapted for coding.
These comments are mine; I do not speak for my employer.
A while back I wrote a software solution to emulate the Matias half keyboard: http://blog.monstuff.com/archives/000021.html
Because of IP issues, I had to edit out some portions of the code. But it would take about a minute for a coder to make it functional again and compile it.
Additional chords could be added to make specific characters even more accessible (quotes, braces, etc.) and adapted for coding.
These comments are mine; I do not speak for my employer.
Unfortunately, that's patented, as I pointed out in another comment.
I lost all use of my right arm temporarily due to neural damage from a treatment I was receiving-- it was painful to move it, and I did not even have enough strength to lift a full coffee cup with it.
Lifting my left arm to a normal keyboard caused pain in my right arm and back (no matter how positioned, on desk or on lap).
The twiddler strapped to my left hand allowed me to find the most comfortable position for the moment (typing with hand above head, etc.).
I never became a master, but it allowed me to remain in-touch with others through email and such (I did not try to do much work with it; I was too slow, and I made lots of errors-- and it still hurt. But, there are those who learn to type faster with a chorded keyboard like twiddler than with a std. keyboard).
There're a couple Dvorak based layouts for typing with your left and right hands respectively. Probably worth checking/trying out.
http://www.tandemmaster.org/home.html I don't know how well you know Morse Code, but you can use it as a total keyboard replacement. One handed typing all day long. Quadriplegics use it with a bite sensor for typing.
AM I right in thinking that Dvorak actually created a the keyboard (or one of them) for a one armed man? IIRC he did pretty well out of it.
The natural Scotsman in me, is always on the lookout for a free alternative and about a year ago I stumbled across
This list
http://www.onehandkeyboard.org/one-hand-typing-software/
and downloaded a few of the one handed miror keyboards floating about on the Autohotkey forum (God I wish they'd come up with an alternative to their forums, finding what you want is such a random affair - They could with a catalogue or "marketplace")
http://www.autohotkey.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=30173 [seems to be a fairly recent thread on the subject], whilst at first look some of the scripts seemed a bit basic.. but y'know what, they all worked a treat, just in a slightly ldifferent way (and all came with the autohotkey scripts so I could play and adapt to my needs)
It sort of run in Linux with Wine.. but I seem to recall a Linux version kicking about somewhere or other, or in the works.
Rather than stump up for new keyboard (in whatever layout you choose) being a geek don't we all hav a plethora of spare, disguarded keyboards lying around waiting to one day find a use?
I can comfortably touch type with it, I'm gutted that it is no longer made, I killed two of them by spilling wine on them, so there was issues of build quality.
Basically the thing just works and without it I'm lost, I can use a normal keyboard but love my FrogPad. So please Linda Marroquin, start producing your wonderful keyboard again, but this time, make it water proof.
Peter.
It's called an elephant's trunk whereas it is in fact, an elephant's nose, a nose by any other name would smell as sweet
I had this problem when I broke my wrist. It turns out that it is pretty easy for your brain to learn to type one-handed if you simply use a special shift key to make each half of your keyboard be a mirror image of the other half. This can be accomplished in software, using the space key as the special shift, but there is a patent on the technique, and software drivers that used to be available are gone. You'll learn this way faster than any of the chorded keyboards. I have found the Matias Keyboard, which implements this technique in a hardware keyboard, to be a great solution. It's not cheap, but it works. http://www.matias.ca/halfkeyboard/index.php?refID=7
I had something similar happen to me a while back, where a workplace accident made my right arm useless for about a year. I ended up just learning how to type on a regular keyboard. Having control, alt, and shift on both sides greatly help, because with use of pinky or thumb, you can hit pretty much everything. Even normal two handed actions like Control Alt Delete aren't impossible.