How long to adj to HHKB layout?

YetAnotherDeveloper · 06 Mar 2011, 00:40

I have been trying to break years and years of muscle memory. I was wondering how long it took you to get proficient at using the hhkb layout? I have been using it about 50% of the time for a few days. i have picked up a few things but i'm still really fighting with home, end and sometime the arrow keys.

webwit · 06 Mar 2011, 01:14

It's difficult to say because you get at progressive degrees of proficiency. But I'd say it takes a couple of months before you rewired your muscle memory in such a way you never have to think about second layer keys anymore and it always goes naturally.

YetAnotherDeveloper · 06 Mar 2011, 02:10

its seems that most people think that its worth the effort, i'm not 100% convinced... but i'm really on the wrong side of it to make that judgement.

webwit · 06 Mar 2011, 02:17

For me it was absolutely worth the investment. Once it is in your muscle memory, doing stuff like cursor keys without hand travel is much better than with an ordinary keyboard. For touch typists it is a great keyboard.

YetAnotherDeveloper · 06 Mar 2011, 02:39

Good to hear; I was starting to question the time investment. Nice to be reminded that it will payoff.

woody · 06 Mar 2011, 11:48

BackSpace and arrow keys were easy. PgUp/PgDn came after them, along with function keys - here's where a left Fn comes very handy for chords like Ctrl+Alt+Fxx, and you choose between left or right Fn based on Fxx hand.
Home/End/Del ... not so much - Home/End are too far away to be comfortable and I still fight with Del.

DIP switch configuration: 1, 3, 4, 5 = ON.

The best thing is that HHKB gave me pretty good ideas for my optimal layout.

tamasrepus · 24 May 2011, 23:49

Coming from a Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2, the most difficult thing to adjust to was the lone function key. It really needs another.

The Lite has two, one on each side. The Pro, only one on the right.

webwit · 25 May 2011, 00:01

Mine doesn't. I love to use my left thumb for function.

sixty · 25 May 2011, 17:09

I also disliked the left function key. Other than that I had a really hard time with the arrow keys. Overall I think it took me a little over a month to get comfortable with the layout. After you go back to a normal board, that normal board actually starts feeling odd. By now I have so many keyboards in different layouts, that I can type quite okay on most of them even when changing frequently.

webwit · 25 May 2011, 17:12

Once the HHKB cursor and other keys get in your muscle memory and it goes naturaly, normal cursor keys start to irritate because of the distance. Left thumb down, right pinky for cursor is what I use most. My other fingers remain on the home row this way.

daedalus · 25 May 2011, 17:38

Editing keys take a bit of getting used to. However, from extended periods of salivating over pictures of the HHKB, I found that I was able to use it almost perfectly straight away. Seems my muscle memory prepped in anticipation.

Gilgam · 25 May 2011, 21:11

i use it only while travelling and i'm typing with it quite easily, i have still some errors but it's a really fantastic keyboard for rapide editing. I'm currentky typing on it.

Just give you time.

By the way where is the left fn key? i only have alt and command key on my left ...

webwit · 25 May 2011, 21:13

You can assign alt or command key to left fn with the dipswitches.

Gilgam · 25 May 2011, 21:26

Ok
i haven"t played with the dip switches yet, thanks

itlnstln · 25 May 2011, 22:15

I'll add to the list of people that took to it straight away. The hard part isn't adapting to the HHKB, it's going back to regular 'boards after the HHKB. The only thing about it I didn't really like was the switches. The Realforce is a better Topre 'board than the HHKB. They're not horrible, but they're not as nice as the Realforce.