User: ctjones

The good, the bad and the ugly

On: How Effective are Ergonomic Keyboards?

I am a software engineer who types every day. Years
ago I noticed that I had an ever increasing pain in
my forearms and in my wrists. An orthopedic surgeon
told me to find a way to relieve my pain or change
jobs. I use wrists braces when I sleep if the pain
flares up but I also changed my keyboards. First I
sampled the Micro$oft (un)natural keyboard which
seems to be the keyboard or the pattern for the
knockoff brands that most poor slobs choose. Take my
advice: Don't use it. The first thing I noticed as
a touch typest was that the '6' key was on the
wrong hand! This keyboard design is not enough to
help people with real problems. I highly suggest
looking at a Kinesis keyboard. I prefer what is
now called the "classic" model. I have two of
them and they really help my wrist and forearm
problems. This keyboard is different enough to
solve many problems but it can be learned in a few
days, unlike those ugly chording keyboards which
may work but require a brand new start in typing.