I do have to agree with how important it is to have a keyboard with programmable keys as a programmer it helps my workflow immensely. The Moonlander was a choice for me when deciding what keyboard to get but I personally went with the Dygma Raise and I do enjoy it. Good video, thanks for your input on this topic.
Wow our stories almost align besides the fact that I got my ergodox ez about 2 years ago, got it shipped to Africa, and I started off celebrating its arrival by learning colemak. And I have never looked back. I now fully use colemak and I enjoy both colemak and the new keyboard. Some of the best decisions I ever made in my life.
I came across your channel because I was looking for content about Neovim. I subscribes immediately because I like your authenticaty. I find it an odd coincidence that I just got a ZSA Moonlander this week and came across your video about it the same week while searching for something else, hehe. I bought the keyboard partly for better ergonomics but mostly because I want to become a better typist. I’m a developer. Have been working professionaly as a developer for 5 or 6 years now. And I’m always looking into things I can do to improve my workflow. This keyboard is quite a learning curve for me. My words per minute count dropped from 100+ to 40-50. But I’m getting better every day and I enjoy learning a new skill that improves my work, but maybe more importantly it brings me joy in my what I do. Anyway, just wanted to pitch in and tell my experience with this keyboard. Love it so far. I like your content. Good luck with the channel 😊
That's awesome! The learning curve for me was rough. There were moments where I thought I'd made a terrible decision, but that only lasted about a month. And I was definitely a *faster* typist on my old apple keyboard. I could consistently hit 135-140wmp on monkeytype.com or keybr.com. But I think I'm a *better* typist with the moonlander. I've been stuck around 115-120wpm, but it's still totally worth it even if I never get back to my previous speeds. It's pretty rare to hit those speeds while programming anyway!
I tried the moonlander awhile ago, I think my small hands couldn't handle it. I picked up a Corne DIY kit and have never looked back. I encourage anybody who likes the moonlander (or wants a split ortho and dislikes the moonlander) to check it out! 11/10
I program with vim, use tmux, use Vimium C with Firefox and I use FVWM3 as my window manager. FVWM is an incredibly programmable WM. Keyboard and mouse combos can be programmed to do almost anything imaginable and outside scripts add even more possibilities. It's a very old WM and is X only. The tenting (angles of the keyboard) is lousy, but I am fixing it myself. I suggest experimenting with the angles right away, the flat option ZSA suggests for learning is painful to me. I am trying to figure out a good layout. Great video, thanks
Enjoyed the video! I've had my moonlander with sculpted blank keycaps for over a year now, and completely happy with it. I decided to switch from QWERTY to Colemak-DH right when I got it, since I knew that learning to use the Moonlander would have been a learning curve anyways. Still haven't fully gotten back to speed with words per minute, but don't regret it. Also something I recommend looking into Miryoku and homerow mods for anyone who wants to take advantage of the thumb keys and not having to do uncomfortable finger stretches for the modifiers.
I considered switching to Colemak at first too, but chickened out 😆. I'm glad it worked out for you! I've practiced enough that I'm able to do touch typing with Colemak, but need to do more research on using Colemak with Vim before I'd feel completely ready to switch.
@@ifcodingwerenatural The surprising struggle is being able to type full sentences, but yet don't know where a letter is for a shortcut. Might buy new keycaps with letters on it this time so that I can look down to do shortcuts.
Worth noting that snippets (VS Code) can be quite helpful, regardless of Moonlander or not. I have snippets for a lot of the more common things to write becomes much easier. Ex: 'caf' gives me a named arrow function, even quicker than having = and > next to eachother!
Wow, how have I not thought of snippets. No matter how clever I think I'm being, there always seems to be a simpler, more obvious answer that I completely fail to notice.
@@ifcodingwerenatural You can even take it a step further! You can assign snippets to keybinds and then either have it on a specific key (you can use a own layer on the Moonlander and maybe bind snippet to something like F13) or a combo! So in your keybinds.json you'd have { "key": "ctrl+shift+a", "command": "editor.action.insertSnippet", "args": { "name": "createArrowFunc" } }
I got one because of a work injury. I noticed when I typed an injured shoulder would hurt but playing FPS games, one hand on keyboard and one on mouse it would never hurt. I thought it might be because my hands were shoulder length apart. I spend what I thought was a ton of money on a keyboard but it works, no more shoulder pain. I keep the halves shoulder length apart and no more pain. I actually use my mouse between them they're so far apart. Still have to move the right side to play games though.
This is a great video. Are you using a program to open apps? I have tried multiple methods and have not found a way for this to work. I write for a living and am also a full-time student. I have had a lot of success customizing my moonlander around the programs I use. It is interesting to see how different people's set ups are based on need.
Рік тому
Hahaha I totally subscribe to the "extra normal person" description. Nice video. I'll try this as soon as I got some money to spare
I got Moonlander and promptly requested a return. Too flimsy, some key combination with shift freezes the second key for half a second or so. Ordered Kinesis Advantage 360.
I use a Kyria and homerow mods in Neovim with Workman as my layout. Having everything under the homerow is amazing. Index fingers are ctrl/cmd, middle fingers are alt, ring fingers are shift and pinkies are movement(L) and Hyper(R). I don't use hjkl for vim either, but left pinky makes neoi (where my right hand sits) the arrow keys. I'd like to get down to 37 keys for my next keyboard (probably a skeletyl.) Glad I didn't learn Vim bindings on QWERTY otherwise this would have been a lot harder!
I've tried switching to colemak at least three times now, but my vim bindings get me every time. I don't want to remap my bindings and do things like turn hjkl into hnei, but it hurts to keep the normal keys but retrain years of muscle memory to do the same things, just with different fingers. One day though... one day...
Just ordered a Moonlander MK1 due to arrive later this week and I'm also a developer, I'll certainly look into your keyboard layout as a starting point, thanks for sharing! As for arrow functions like -> (hi Java) and => (hi Javascript), can you make one key emit more than one keypress using something like a macro? And I'll have to adapt for linux, but that also gives me the powerrrrr of integrating with every tool under the sun. This is going to be too much fun :)
I created a bunch of "Quick Actions" in the Automator app on macos, then assigned the actions to keyboard shortcuts in system preferences. I recorded a tutorial on how to do it, but still need to edit and upload the video. Maybe it's time to tick that off my todo list!
You're welcome to take a look, but be warned, I'm constantly changing/tweaking my layout (configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/vJZNK). Even since uploading this video I've made some noticeable changes 😅. For example, I created a new "macros" layer that I just started to experiment with. I plan on making a video soon to go into further detail on my layout and explain some of my decisions!
@@ifcodingwerenatural great! Thanks! I’m all about experimenting and since I don’t have my Moonlander yet I’m just trying to unbiasedly accumulate ideas at the moment.
all ergo keyboards are generally expensive, and this is a small company (no economy of scale) that also treats their employees well (more expenses) Not ideal, but it's also one of the best ergo keyboards out there
I do have to agree with how important it is to have a keyboard with programmable keys as a programmer it helps my workflow immensely. The Moonlander was a choice for me when deciding what keyboard to get but I personally went with the Dygma Raise and I do enjoy it. Good video, thanks for your input on this topic.
Wow our stories almost align besides the fact that I got my ergodox ez about 2 years ago, got it shipped to Africa, and I started off celebrating its arrival by learning colemak. And I have never looked back. I now fully use colemak and I enjoy both colemak and the new keyboard. Some of the best decisions I ever made in my life.
Came for the keyboards stayed because you have a beautifully balanced mic! 🫡
I came across your channel because I was looking for content about Neovim. I subscribes immediately because I like your authenticaty.
I find it an odd coincidence that I just got a ZSA Moonlander this week and came across your video about it the same week while searching for something else, hehe.
I bought the keyboard partly for better ergonomics but mostly because I want to become a better typist. I’m a developer. Have been working professionaly as a developer for 5 or 6 years now. And I’m always looking into things I can do to improve my workflow. This keyboard is quite a learning curve for me. My words per minute count dropped from 100+ to 40-50. But I’m getting better every day and I enjoy learning a new skill that improves my work, but maybe more importantly it brings me joy in my what I do.
Anyway, just wanted to pitch in and tell my experience with this keyboard. Love it so far.
I like your content. Good luck with the channel 😊
That's awesome! The learning curve for me was rough. There were moments where I thought I'd made a terrible decision, but that only lasted about a month.
And I was definitely a *faster* typist on my old apple keyboard. I could consistently hit 135-140wmp on monkeytype.com or keybr.com. But I think I'm a *better* typist with the moonlander. I've been stuck around 115-120wpm, but it's still totally worth it even if I never get back to my previous speeds. It's pretty rare to hit those speeds while programming anyway!
I tried the moonlander awhile ago, I think my small hands couldn't handle it. I picked up a Corne DIY kit and have never looked back. I encourage anybody who likes the moonlander (or wants a split ortho and dislikes the moonlander) to check it out! 11/10
I program with vim, use tmux, use Vimium C with Firefox and I use FVWM3 as my window manager. FVWM is an incredibly programmable WM. Keyboard and mouse combos can be programmed to do almost anything imaginable and outside scripts add even more possibilities. It's a very old WM and is X only.
The tenting (angles of the keyboard) is lousy, but I am fixing it myself. I suggest experimenting with the angles right away, the flat option ZSA suggests for learning is painful to me.
I am trying to figure out a good layout.
Great video, thanks
Enjoyed the video! I've had my moonlander with sculpted blank keycaps for over a year now, and completely happy with it. I decided to switch from QWERTY to Colemak-DH right when I got it, since I knew that learning to use the Moonlander would have been a learning curve anyways. Still haven't fully gotten back to speed with words per minute, but don't regret it.
Also something I recommend looking into Miryoku and homerow mods for anyone who wants to take advantage of the thumb keys and not having to do uncomfortable finger stretches for the modifiers.
I considered switching to Colemak at first too, but chickened out 😆. I'm glad it worked out for you! I've practiced enough that I'm able to do touch typing with Colemak, but need to do more research on using Colemak with Vim before I'd feel completely ready to switch.
@@ifcodingwerenatural The surprising struggle is being able to type full sentences, but yet don't know where a letter is for a shortcut.
Might buy new keycaps with letters on it this time so that I can look down to do shortcuts.
Nice video! It was very interesting to see your layers. I’ve been eyballing the Moonlander for a while now :)
Thanks! It was an investment and the learning curve was rough, but it's been totally worth it.
Worth noting that snippets (VS Code) can be quite helpful, regardless of Moonlander or not. I have snippets for a lot of the more common things to write becomes much easier. Ex: 'caf' gives me a named arrow function, even quicker than having = and > next to eachother!
Wow, how have I not thought of snippets. No matter how clever I think I'm being, there always seems to be a simpler, more obvious answer that I completely fail to notice.
@@ifcodingwerenatural You can even take it a step further! You can assign snippets to keybinds and then either have it on a specific key (you can use a own layer on the Moonlander and maybe bind snippet to something like F13) or a combo! So in your keybinds.json you'd have {
"key": "ctrl+shift+a",
"command": "editor.action.insertSnippet",
"args": { "name": "createArrowFunc" }
}
moonlander is great. I got mine last year and I love it.
I got one because of a work injury. I noticed when I typed an injured shoulder would hurt but playing FPS games, one hand on keyboard and one on mouse it would never hurt. I thought it might be because my hands were shoulder length apart. I spend what I thought was a ton of money on a keyboard but it works, no more shoulder pain. I keep the halves shoulder length apart and no more pain. I actually use my mouse between them they're so far apart. Still have to move the right side to play games though.
This is a great video. Are you using a program to open apps? I have tried multiple methods and have not found a way for this to work.
I write for a living and am also a full-time student. I have had a lot of success customizing my moonlander around the programs I use. It is interesting to see how different people's set ups are based on need.
Hahaha I totally subscribe to the "extra normal person" description. Nice video. I'll try this as soon as I got some money to spare
I got Moonlander and promptly requested a return. Too flimsy, some key combination with shift freezes the second key for half a second or so. Ordered Kinesis Advantage 360.
waiting on mine now, thinking on Colmak DH layout, maybe change the () keys to somewhere easy to reach . Coding in C# atm
I use a Kyria and homerow mods in Neovim with Workman as my layout. Having everything under the homerow is amazing. Index fingers are ctrl/cmd, middle fingers are alt, ring fingers are shift and pinkies are movement(L) and Hyper(R). I don't use hjkl for vim either, but left pinky makes neoi (where my right hand sits) the arrow keys. I'd like to get down to 37 keys for my next keyboard (probably a skeletyl.) Glad I didn't learn Vim bindings on QWERTY otherwise this would have been a lot harder!
I've tried switching to colemak at least three times now, but my vim bindings get me every time. I don't want to remap my bindings and do things like turn hjkl into hnei, but it hurts to keep the normal keys but retrain years of muscle memory to do the same things, just with different fingers. One day though... one day...
Just ordered a Moonlander MK1 due to arrive later this week and I'm also a developer, I'll certainly look into your keyboard layout as a starting point, thanks for sharing!
As for arrow functions like -> (hi Java) and => (hi Javascript), can you make one key emit more than one keypress using something like a macro?
And I'll have to adapt for linux, but that also gives me the powerrrrr of integrating with every tool under the sun. This is going to be too much fun :)
For things like arrow functions, yes, but macros have a pretty noticeable delay, so I just prefer separate key presses.
Very excited for my dygma defy to ship in august, the moonlander's thumbcluster was too weird for me
I'm not gonna lie, it was really hard to get used to.
What are you using to translate key combinations into opening apps? e.g. "O+C+C+S+C" opens Chrome
I created a bunch of "Quick Actions" in the Automator app on macos, then assigned the actions to keyboard shortcuts in system preferences.
I recorded a tutorial on how to do it, but still need to edit and upload the video. Maybe it's time to tick that off my todo list!
no layers on linux sadge
Just purchased a moonlander. Have you uploaded your layout?
You're welcome to take a look, but be warned, I'm constantly changing/tweaking my layout (configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/vJZNK). Even since uploading this video I've made some noticeable changes 😅. For example, I created a new "macros" layer that I just started to experiment with. I plan on making a video soon to go into further detail on my layout and explain some of my decisions!
@@ifcodingwerenatural great! Thanks! I’m all about experimenting and since I don’t have my Moonlander yet I’m just trying to unbiasedly accumulate ideas at the moment.
360 dollars for a keyboard
365 $ for a keyboard? fuck that.
550aud odd, for someone like more that codes a lot and would use the layers for hotkeys for 3d apps I use. Its An investment .
@@sqwert654 except you can invest some time and solder something yourself and end up with ~150-200 usd
@@ecomasterster yea I have a 3d printer, And very good at soldering. Its an option.
all ergo keyboards are generally expensive, and this is a small company (no economy of scale) that also treats their employees well (more expenses)
Not ideal, but it's also one of the best ergo keyboards out there
Looking like Bane's little brother who doesn't work out.