Best input device mod, device or software 2014

User avatar
webwit
Wild Duck

21 Nov 2014, 21:57

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Please suggest nominees for the Best input device mod, device or software in 2014. You have to give a short motivation for each suggestion. The entry must have been made or released since November 2013.

By voting in the third round of this category, you can win Hyper prototypes from 7bit!

In this round you can earn multiple entries in the draws for voter prizes: if you are the first to suggest a particular nominee and the suggestion gets at least 5 votes in round 2, you get an extra entry in the draw for the prize by the sponsor of the related category. If your suggestion is voted as an official nominee and makes it to round 3, you get another extra entry.

The first round ends on Thursday 27 November, 00:00hrs UTC.

Current suggestions (this list is frequently updated):
  • xwhatsit's Model F controller
  • MC HCK controller
  • hweller’s trackball-modded DataHand
  • Hasu's last version of the HHKB BT module
  • Tarmak layouts

User avatar
Halvar

21 Nov 2014, 23:23

I'll nominate xwhatsit again, this year for his Model F controller. I'm not really sure about the date when it was available first, but it wasn't nominated last year, so I'll assume that it came out after the deadline.

The controller has helped people revive keyboards like the 4704 banking keyboards ("kishsaver" etc.) and other older terminal keyboards that were dead metal and are now amongst the most desirable keyboards for actual use on modern PCs.

With the nomination I'd also like to honour the continued work that xwhatsit has put into his open sourced software for his controllers during this year, both the firmware and the PC utility. The firmware got a whole new interrupt-driven architecture, and the usb utility now supports macro definitions.

Last but not least the fact that he open sourced everything and built several whole batches of readily assembled controllers for people.
Last edited by Halvar on 21 Nov 2014, 23:29, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Muirium
µ

21 Nov 2014, 23:26

Yes, his controllers are quite magnificent. And improving even more at a fair old clip.

mtl

22 Nov 2014, 03:52

I'd like to nominate Keyboard Layout Editor, a great tool for designing custom keyboards!

I don't think it's new this year but I believe it's under active development and may not have been nominated before.

User avatar
matt3o
-[°_°]-

22 Nov 2014, 09:41

The MC HCK controller, the super slim, inexpensive, open source controller https://mchck.org/

User avatar
Cherry1990

22 Nov 2014, 12:34

Would be nice to have a direct link to nominated, for us, young, inexperienced enthusiasts...
I cannot nominate in this category but I would like to learn and get info.

User avatar
Nuum

22 Nov 2014, 13:42

Since lowpoly has a working prototype of his Miniguru, I would like to nominate him for this award. I really like the idea of a integrated trackpoint in a keyboard, also I like the idea of the mouse switches in front of the spacebar and a capacitive switch under the spacebar as a FN key.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=7545
Also I'd like to nominate the Katy keyboard from vvp for his new approach to a ergonomic keyboard. While I'm not into ergonomic keyboards myself I think it didn't get the attention it deserved and I really like the progress he made with it.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=8524
Last edited by Nuum on 24 Nov 2014, 10:13, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Daniel Beardsmore

22 Nov 2014, 15:19

mtl wrote: I'd like to nominate Keyboard Layout Editor, a great tool for designing custom keyboards!

I don't think it's new this year but I believe it's under active development and may not have been nominated before.
Sorry, this one is out — the current version is 0.10, released Nov 12, 2013. Too bad, as it should have got a nomination last year. ijprest's last post was 17 Dec 2013.

User avatar
ne0phyte
Toast.

22 Nov 2014, 15:27

Daniel Beardsmore wrote:
mtl wrote: I'd like to nominate Keyboard Layout Editor, a great tool for designing custom keyboards!

I don't think it's new this year but I believe it's under active development and may not have been nominated before.
Sorry, this one is out — the current version is 0.10, released Nov 12, 2013. Too bad, as it should have got a nomination last year. ijprest's last post was 17 Dec 2013.
Was about to post something regarding that. The last commit on the Github repo is from May 21 and the License says "Copyright 2013 Ian Prest" so nobody can even modify or extend the project.

Findecanor

22 Nov 2014, 22:39

ne0phyte wrote: The last commit on the Github repo is from May 21 and the License says "Copyright 2013 Ian Prest" so nobody can even modify or extend the project.
Technically, the line in the LICENSE that prevents modification is "All rights reserved.".
You can publish Open Source software that still carries your copyright.

User avatar
bazh

22 Nov 2014, 23:18

I nominated hasu's controller for HHKB, which is in test for Bluetooth function, which makes a wireless HHKB came real.

jacobolus

23 Nov 2014, 07:14

Would hweller’s trackball-modded DataHand count for this category?
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41 ... msg1509793
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xwhatsit

23 Nov 2014, 07:58

Thanks for the mention but I won last year! The Model F controller was just a rehash of the Beamspring. I nominate the XTant.

User avatar
Muirium
µ

23 Nov 2014, 10:12

Yup. The XTant deserves a prize or two. And is yet another thing powered by your work!
bazh wrote: I nominated hasu's controller for HHKB, which is in test for Bluetooth function, which makes a wireless HHKB came real.
But was that this year? I'm sure I saw Hasu's HHKB BT longer ago than that. But if this is a new version, I guess…
jacobolus wrote: Would hweller’s trackball-modded DataHand count for this category?
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41 ... msg1509793
Nice! I'm pretty sure it does: as the thread is from 2014. Quite a daring thing to do, since those are now so valuable!

User avatar
webwit
Wild Duck

23 Nov 2014, 14:14

Nuum wrote: Since lowpoly has a working prototype of his Mini Guru, I would like to nominate him for this award. I really like the idea of a integrated trackpoint in a keyboard, also I like the idea of the mouse switches in front of the spacebar and a capacitive switch under the spacebar as a FN key.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=7545
Also I'd like to nominate the Katy keyboard from vvp for his new approach to a ergonomic keyboard. While I'm not into ergonomic keyboards myself I think it didn't get the attention it deserved and I really like the progress he made with it.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=8524
Use Best self-build keyboard for these. The Mini Guru is from 2009 though.

User avatar
webwit
Wild Duck

23 Nov 2014, 14:16

Muirium wrote: But was that this year? I'm sure I saw Hasu's HHKB BT longer ago than that. But if this is a new version, I guess…
A quick search says it's from 2011, in which case I have to disqualify it.

User avatar
matt3o
-[°_°]-

23 Nov 2014, 15:21

Hasu is working on a new version of the BT module for the HHKB.

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he released this prototype this year (last month I believe). It definitely deserves a nomination.

User avatar
bazh

23 Nov 2014, 16:32

The one I got in his current distribution is only rev.D (I registered for one when it was rev.B in developing) so this seems to be a new one apart from the 2011's, the difference is it now support HHKB JP I guess

davkol

24 Nov 2014, 09:57

I nominate Tarmak (also here), a transitional family of layouts designed for converting from QWERTY to Colemak. The steps were slightly changed for the better and lalop&DreymaR made a nice presentation for it earlier this year.

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