No, I don't own the split Evolution keyboard (apparently a newer product from Kinesis) but the one piece "Ergo" Style.
[The keys on their Evolution keyboard are staggered if you look closely.]
The Ergo keyboards provide proper hand/forarm positioning for 99% of the population despite the fact that the keyboard is a fixed unit. There is no slope adjustment on the back either, and none is needed.
Recently, while perusing Jef Raskin's book "The Humane Interface", I noticed an interesting design for keyboard key repeat behavior on pages 184 and 185. Mr. Raskin attributes this idea to one John Bumgarner who worked with him at Information Appliance.
The problem is this- For a key to repeat, you have to press and *wait* for the key to start repeating. If your cat sits on the keyboard (and mine does) you will have a mess in whatever document you are using. I myself have the tendency to pause in the middle of writing as I think about changing a sentence I've already planned out. My finger is usually hovering over the next planned key while I think. As I think, my finger comes closer and closer to the key as I juggle in my head whether to change the sentence or not. Unfortunately, I generally find that I'm actually pressing the key, and have been doing for some time.
Older folks and those with neuronal problems also have difficulties in dealing with key repeat behavior so much so that recommendations are generally to *disable* the key repeat on the computer.
The solution is interesting and very simple.
Mr. Bumgarner noted that if you want to repeat something, you generally only want to use key repeat if it occurs five or more times. He also noted that in most phonetic languages, a character is almost never used three or more times in a row.
So, instead of pressing and holding a key (don't forget the 500 millisecond wait for auto repeat to kick in). You press the key *three* (or more) times and hold it down at the end of the third. You then only need a 100 millisecond wait before the repeat action starts.
In addition, pressing the same key multiple times and then holding is actually faster than pressing and holding the key as you don't have to wait for the auto repeat delay.
A very small change which very nicely sorts out all the problems.
As Mr. Raskin did not give a name to this feature, I modestly propose "Smart Repeat" so that folks can have a handle to discuss, web search for, and look for in product brochures.
Now, my question is, are there any keyboards which implement this? (As an option I assume).
Are there any software add-on's for Windows, Mac, and Unix based machines which will effect this behavior with a normal keyboard?
I've already checked for BeOS, and due to the architecture of the system in allowing input stream filters to be installed in a organized manner, I'm going to break into C++ enough to attempt to write this myself.
As I understand PC keyboard behavior when you press a key, you get a KEYDOWN, followed by a KEYPRESS, followed (after a delay) by more keyboard KEYPRESS signals as you continue to hold down a key, finally followed by a KEYUP signal when you release the key.
[Any pointers as to how a Mac works with the keyboard would be appreciated.]
It should be very simple to create a state machine which will *eat* the a keyboards self generated KEYPRESS signals, and assuming you set the auto repeat delay as short as possible you can have a software equivalent behavior of a hardware implementation of smart repeat.
This shouldn't even impact game use on your PC as I'm assuming that a game actually looks for the KEYDOWN and KEYUP signals while ignoring the KEYPRESS entirely.
Now obviously, this would be much better handled by the keyboard itself.
This is getting too long already but I would like to end this by saying that I'm a Kinesis Ergo keyboard user, and just last week I visited the Kinesis offices near me in to pick up a foot pedal and to ask for a feature request on their products firmware. I was very warmly received, and they asked if they could photocopy the cover of "The Humane Interface" book I brought with me to back me up. After hearing the advantages of this idea, I was given a whole host of reasons of why this would possibly be expensive to implement, going all the way down to OEM chip set fabrication by suppliers, which, for all I know are quite valid.
It was then suggested that I contact Intel and Microsoft and request that these changes be made part of the PC platform specification..
Ouch!
Anyway the reason I'm relating that last part to you, is so those Kinesis keyboard owners can contact Kinesis and put pressure on such a development. As an option. We know we have the best [ermmmmm..] keyboard in the world.
Anyway, thanks for reading my post. Hopefully this will cause an awareness of this idea to spread.
In that case you really should take a close look at the Kinesis Ergo family of keyboards. The keys are mounted vertically on top of each other and the keyboard layout is actually completely standard despite the slightly shocking appearance of the design.
Additionally if you get any Ergo keyboard above their "basic" unit, you automatically get the ability to re-map and macro your keys at will. And you don't need any software to do so, this keyboard will work under any OS and is even multi platform (Sun Workstations and Apple Macintosh).
The keyboard also flips between Dvorak and Qwerty and when you press the "keypad" button, which allows you to use a standard keypad arrangement hidden under your right hand; you actually now have access to a *second* keyboard, itself completely re-mappable and macroable.
just last week, I purchased an optional foot pedal which by default does shifting and keypad access, and I've found it useful to do things in an editor like hold down the shift key with my foot while I control-arrow the cursor so I can highlight text a word at a time. And the foot pedals are just an extension of the keyboard keys so I can map or macro anything to them also.
Whew.
With this keyboard it seems that the text comes out of my head directly, without the use of my hands.
I purchased this Ergo Classic when I was recovering from a broken wrist. I was getting sharp pains in my forearms when working on the computer. I purchased the Kinesis and immediately the pain ceased. Actually, I had been having problems since working for two years as a technical editor. Ever since that time, I've been noticing an increasing discomfort in using a keyboard after using one for 30 minutes or more as an increasing tension in my hands. Again, no symptoms since using the Kinesis Ergo.
I would rather relinquish my computer than give up this keyboard.
Slashdot Mirror
No, I don't own the split Evolution keyboard (apparently a newer product from Kinesis) but the one piece "Ergo" Style.
[The keys on their Evolution keyboard are staggered if you look closely.]
The Ergo keyboards provide proper hand/forarm positioning for 99% of the population despite the fact that the keyboard is a fixed unit. There is no slope adjustment on the back either, and none is needed.
Slightly off topic but hopefully germinal.
Recently, while perusing Jef Raskin's book "The Humane Interface", I noticed an interesting design for keyboard key repeat behavior on pages 184 and 185. Mr. Raskin attributes this idea to one John Bumgarner who worked with him at Information Appliance.
The problem is this- For a key to repeat, you have to press and *wait* for the key to start repeating. If your cat sits on the keyboard (and mine does) you will have a mess in whatever document you are using. I myself have the tendency to pause in the middle of writing as I think about changing a sentence I've already planned out. My finger is usually hovering over the next planned key while I think. As I think, my finger comes closer and closer to the key as I juggle in my head whether to change the sentence or not. Unfortunately, I generally find that I'm actually pressing the key, and have been doing for some time.
Older folks and those with neuronal problems also have difficulties in dealing with key repeat behavior so much so that recommendations are generally to *disable* the key repeat on the computer.
The solution is interesting and very simple.
Mr. Bumgarner noted that if you want to repeat something, you generally only want to use key repeat if it occurs five or more times. He also noted that in most phonetic languages, a character is almost never used three or more times in a row.
So, instead of pressing and holding a key (don't forget the 500 millisecond wait for auto repeat to kick in). You press the key *three* (or more) times and hold it down at the end of the third. You then only need a 100 millisecond wait before the repeat action starts.
In addition, pressing the same key multiple times and then holding is actually faster than pressing and holding the key as you don't have to wait for the auto repeat delay.
A very small change which very nicely sorts out all the problems.
As Mr. Raskin did not give a name to this feature, I modestly propose "Smart Repeat" so that folks can have a handle to discuss, web search for, and look for in product brochures.
Now, my question is, are there any keyboards which implement this? (As an option I assume).
Are there any software add-on's for Windows, Mac, and Unix based machines which will effect this behavior with a normal keyboard?
I've already checked for BeOS, and due to the architecture of the system in allowing input stream filters to be installed in a organized manner, I'm going to break into C++ enough to attempt to write this myself.
As I understand PC keyboard behavior when you press a key, you get a KEYDOWN, followed by a KEYPRESS, followed (after a delay) by more keyboard KEYPRESS signals as you continue to hold down a key, finally followed by a KEYUP signal when you release the key.
[Any pointers as to how a Mac works with the keyboard would be appreciated.]
It should be very simple to create a state machine which will *eat* the a keyboards self generated KEYPRESS signals, and assuming you set the auto repeat delay as short as possible you can have a software equivalent behavior of a hardware implementation of smart repeat.
This shouldn't even impact game use on your PC as I'm assuming that a game actually looks for the KEYDOWN and KEYUP signals while ignoring the KEYPRESS entirely.
Now obviously, this would be much better handled by the keyboard itself.
This is getting too long already but I would like to end this by saying that I'm a Kinesis Ergo keyboard user, and just last week I visited the Kinesis offices near me in to pick up a foot pedal and to ask for a feature request on their products firmware. I was very warmly received, and they asked if they could photocopy the cover of "The Humane Interface" book I brought with me to back me up. After hearing the advantages of this idea, I was given a whole host of reasons of why this would possibly be expensive to implement, going all the way down to OEM chip set fabrication by suppliers, which, for all I know are quite valid.
It was then suggested that I contact Intel and Microsoft and request that these changes be made part of the PC platform specification..
Ouch!
Anyway the reason I'm relating that last part to you, is so those Kinesis keyboard owners can contact Kinesis and put pressure on such a development. As an option. We know we have the best [ermmmmm..] keyboard in the world.
Anyway, thanks for reading my post. Hopefully this will cause an awareness of this idea to spread.
In that case you really should take a close look at the Kinesis Ergo family of keyboards. The keys are mounted vertically on top of each other and the keyboard layout is actually completely standard despite the slightly shocking appearance of the design.
Additionally if you get any Ergo keyboard above their "basic" unit, you automatically get the ability to re-map and macro your keys at will. And you don't need any software to do so, this keyboard will work under any OS and is even multi platform (Sun Workstations and Apple Macintosh).
The keyboard also flips between Dvorak and Qwerty and when you press the "keypad" button, which allows you to use a standard keypad arrangement hidden under your right hand; you actually now have access to a *second* keyboard, itself completely re-mappable and macroable.
just last week, I purchased an optional foot pedal which by default does shifting and keypad access, and I've found it useful to do things in an editor like hold down the shift key with my foot while I control-arrow the cursor so I can highlight text a word at a time. And the foot pedals are just an extension of the keyboard keys so I can map or macro anything to them also.
Whew.
With this keyboard it seems that the text comes out of my head directly, without the use of my hands.
I purchased this Ergo Classic when I was recovering from a broken wrist. I was getting sharp pains in my forearms when working on the computer. I purchased the Kinesis and immediately the pain ceased. Actually, I had been having problems since working for two years as a technical editor. Ever since that time, I've been noticing an increasing discomfort in using a keyboard after using one for 30 minutes or more as an increasing tension in my hands. Again, no symptoms since using the Kinesis Ergo.
I would rather relinquish my computer than give up this keyboard.