My shoulder

One day I’m looking for a split keyboard try to make my shoulder feel better at work.

I need to keep the round shoulder posture almost all day. Make my body curl and back pain sometimes.

What I found is ErgoDox EZ, and received my new keyboard after 10 days.

ErgoDox

ErgoDox is a split, ortholinear, fully programmable keyboard with thumb key matrix. So you can put any keys on any position to facilitate the thumb usage. And it’s need somtime to get used it.

Since my colleague is a diligent advocator of non-QWERTY layout (He use Dvorak)

I think why not changing my layout on this keyboard. So I did some survey on layouts.

Why choose Norman

Instead of Dvorak or Colemak.

Dvorak basically change everything. Change to it may does cost alot. Also abandoned the QWERTY short keys like C-a, C-c, C-v.

Colemak does keep the shortcuts, but I don’t like the home row design (QWERTY GH position).

Norman layout website does explain a lot, pursuade me.

And found someone already use it for years. So finally I choose Norman.

https://aloysius.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/learning-the-norman-layout-week-1/

https://people.ergodox-ez.com/aaron-patterson/

Typing speed?

After 2 weeks practice. Basically use TypingClub and Klavaro.

I can type Norman in 30~40 words per minute. My QWERTY speed is 50 WPM.

I think will take more time to concrete the muscle memory. During the practice. Muscle memory is everywhere.

Single char, bigram, popular words, although I already memorize the Norman position, and the fingers auto put on the QWERTY position ready to trigger.

It’s worth it to change the layout. I type QWERTY for many years (like everybody).

Make some practice I think everybody can chage their layout in 1 month.

I feel comfortable on typing, my hands move less than typing in QWERTY, and some word become vey easy to type like test or international.

And I start the another typing lesson today typing.io.

Fight against with another muscle memory. apply it on coding.

Apparently it needs more skill, speed down to about 25 words.

Let me try how long I can turn coding more fluently.