Notes/IT/Split Boards, and Why They Are Cool!

A couple of months into starting at Bouvet, I built my first split keyboard. Yes, one of those super nerdy keyboards split into two pieces. Why, you ask? Well, I wondered the same thing for a long time before trying it myself.

Ergonomics

When typing on a traditional keyboard, we often roll our shoulders inward. A posture that isn’t great to maintain for long periods. A split keyboard allows for a more natural shoulder and arm position. And let’s be honest, as developers, we spend a lot of time on the keyboard, making it quite important for our future healt.

Most split keyboards are also ortholinear or columnar. This means that letters are either stacked in straight columns or staggered in a way that feels more natural. Traditional row-staggered layouts are actually a holdover from typewriters, designed to prevent mechanical hammers from colliding. The row-staggered layout has some horrible movement patterns, such as the move from D to C, where the responsible finger has to curl behind the index finger to reach. Such problems does not exist on orholinear-like layouts!

Another key advantage: thumbs. They are seriously underutilized when touch typing. Typically, both thumbs are responsible for a single shared key; the spacebar. Many split boards have a thumb cluster, giving you extra keys for your thumbs, which can greatly improve typing efficiency, allowing you to map useful keys for the thumbs. As an example on my keyboard the thumbs has 4 switches each, where i have mapped useful features like backspace, delete, space, enter, dashes symbols such as: , . ’ (and much more with some layers).

Getting Creative

What’s the goal of any piece of software a developer creates? To simplify a problem. For me, getting a split keyboard opened up a new way to optimize typing. I started experimenting with different layers to bring commonly used keys closer to my home row. This iterative process helped me create a layout where my most-used symbols are always within easy reach.

Tools

Some invaluable tools i used before and during my transition to a split keyboard:

Keybr

Keybr is a fantastic site for learning touch typing. I wholeheartedly recommend it for improving typing efficiency. It was especially helpful when I transitioned to a split keyboard with a columnar layout.

Splitkb

Splitkb is a website that lets you print layouts for various split keyboards at scale. Split keyboards can be expensive, and the best layout is subjective. This site is perfect for “soft testing” your options before committing to a purchase.