I'm a mathematician on sabbatical, after many years glued to a screen. I spent the first few months outside doing woodworking; I've been struggling with an overwhelming urge to center my consciousness in my hands. This is of course the history of our species, a biological urge as profound as our sex drive. We figured out how to make very sharp hunting tools from unruly rocks, or we died.
I've managed to fix myself back at my computer only by increasing the dexterity workload, making the process more interesting. Any increase in efficiency is a bonus. The reward is that I'm actually sitting here at all.
It is an astonishing sensation, accomplishing everything with slight movements, using both hands at once. As one progresses, the fire burns and other movements that were once acceptable feel ridiculous. Imagine sleeping under a half dozen haphazard blankets, always waking up feeling like you're tangled up in Saran wrap, then switching to the European system of a single Duvet as top sheet. There is no going back.
Some people have a better eye than others for cultural inertia. The classic keyboard design carries the "DOS-compatible" weight of resembling a mechanical typewriter. Is it even faintly conceivable that this is anywhere near optimal? Also recognize that most products are aimed at ease of use for beginners. In stark contrast is stenography equipment, which requires years of commitment. What is an optimal investment of energy?
I've succeeded miserably so far at what I consider an obvious goal: One should spend half one's career as a programmer developing the skills so that one can then do the work of ten people. I am forced to tolerate my failure here, but I can't accept that most people don't even see this as a goal.
A related debate is vim or emacs editing. It's trying to scratch the same itch. The question isn't comfort, but maximizing bandwidth between us and machines. These editing systems are crippled by the keyboard interface itself, and then one uses them through a periscope: One works in a terminal session where even multiple windows are drawn with dashes like a second-grader wielding a crayon. If one instead programs many QMK layers, the fingerings spread out and are much easier: One finger from each hand near home row is much easier than emacs control-xylophone for anything, again I feel tangled up in my sheets. And the target becomes one's entire operating system, not just an editor window.
I've managed to fix myself back at my computer only by increasing the dexterity workload, making the process more interesting. Any increase in efficiency is a bonus. The reward is that I'm actually sitting here at all.
It is an astonishing sensation, accomplishing everything with slight movements, using both hands at once. As one progresses, the fire burns and other movements that were once acceptable feel ridiculous. Imagine sleeping under a half dozen haphazard blankets, always waking up feeling like you're tangled up in Saran wrap, then switching to the European system of a single Duvet as top sheet. There is no going back.
Some people have a better eye than others for cultural inertia. The classic keyboard design carries the "DOS-compatible" weight of resembling a mechanical typewriter. Is it even faintly conceivable that this is anywhere near optimal? Also recognize that most products are aimed at ease of use for beginners. In stark contrast is stenography equipment, which requires years of commitment. What is an optimal investment of energy?
I've succeeded miserably so far at what I consider an obvious goal: One should spend half one's career as a programmer developing the skills so that one can then do the work of ten people. I am forced to tolerate my failure here, but I can't accept that most people don't even see this as a goal.
A related debate is vim or emacs editing. It's trying to scratch the same itch. The question isn't comfort, but maximizing bandwidth between us and machines. These editing systems are crippled by the keyboard interface itself, and then one uses them through a periscope: One works in a terminal session where even multiple windows are drawn with dashes like a second-grader wielding a crayon. If one instead programs many QMK layers, the fingerings spread out and are much easier: One finger from each hand near home row is much easier than emacs control-xylophone for anything, again I feel tangled up in my sheets. And the target becomes one's entire operating system, not just an editor window.