Keymap wizardry: Typing out the Harry Potter saga
Typing out all the Harry Potter books would be crazy, right? What would be the point? Seems like a weird flex even by keyboard enthusiast standards. Yep, that's right. Typing it out once makes no sense. That's why I'm going to type out the books a few million times! For the benefit of humanity and especially of you, fellow keymap wizards. This is a demonstration of the power of alternative/custom layouts. Given the huge extent of this topic, we can barely scratch the surface here so consider this write-up a mere teaser. Imagine you are an aspiring writer with a brilliant idea, just about to start typing out your magnum opus, staring at a yet empty document on your screen. Cursor blinking, annoying orphan relatives locked up in the cupboard under the stairs. Your story, about a young boy who ends up saving the world, is quite complete. You "just" have to type out heaps of your manuscripts and notes: about 6.5 million keystrokes. Everything is prepared for the...
Jun 4, 2024
Believe it or not, that simple introduction summarizes how the vast majority of clicky style mechanical keyboard switches out there right now operate. As you dig further into the depths about clicky switches though, you’ll likely encounter other niche styles such as snap springs, Alps-style click plates, Aristotle-style mechanisms, or any other number of niche designs which aren’t the most supported in the modern day. Regardless of whether or not you stick to the high-level stuff or get down into the nitty gritty details, if you’re interested in using clicky switches you absolutely must experiment. No two clicky switches sound exactly the same, and finding the sound your heart desires will take a few rounds of iteration. In that quest for the perfect clicky switch, though, it may help you do some more reading up to know what to look for, like my articles here on Drop on ‘Switch Marketing Terms’ and ‘The Who’s Who of Switch Manufacturers’.