Developer-friendly keyboard

May 20, 2012

Posted By:  ywwg

7 Votes

Status: Archived

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Developers use keyboards much more intensively than most users, so they have different needs than most consumers.  The Sputnik laptop should have a special keyboard which will differentiate it from regular XPS machines:

  • Eliminate the capslock key, replace it with the control key
  • Add dedicated home/end page-up/page-down keys (not fn+arrows)
  • Dedicated function keys (not dual-purpose multimedia keys)
  • Replacable caps
  • Remove windows right-click key
  • Rename windows key to "Super" or "Meta" (get rid of the windows logo!)
  • Make many different language layouts available for international hackers.

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  • Jul 16, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: bruinseve

    +1 on a good keyboard layout, I'm quite happy with the layout on my current Lattitude.
    Caps Lock is easily remapped but would be nice to not have to.
    I'd prefer the pointing stick without the touch pad but at least be sure to include a pointing stick.
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  • Jun 16, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: x414e54

    Fully agree. I currently use the the happy hacking keyboard lite (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard). So implenting something like this would be would be good.

    My essentials are:
    • Super/meta key (diamond) instead of windows logo (please do not use an ubuntu logo).
    • Capslock is where control should be, caps lock is not nessesary at all.
    • Alt should be to the LEFT of the super key not the RIGHT
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  • May 22, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: AlfromRoke

    Though I agree with most of  your points, why would you want the different language layout option? I mean, programmer never ever look at their keyboards, so it's enough if you can choose your language in the software right? Either way, I agree that it would be great if the windows keys would be rebranded ant the caps lock key should probably get a more generic icon on it as well (which could be manually mapped to any key or combination of keys). And btw, the menu key doesn't simulate a right click and (if you get used to it) it can be quite useful (though I am not one of the people who can use it :P ).