Support for Alternative Layouts
This is a summary of how alternative layouts have been supported by kits such as Colevrak and Homing. It is not a discussion of alt layout performance and development, but if that interests you I highly recommend starting with Pascal Getreuer’s A guide to alt keyboard layouts (why, how, which one?). It’s a concise and comprehensive overview with links to some great sites that go deeper. He also has a separate Links about keyboards page. The Keyboard layouts doc he recommends explains layout goals and metrics in detail, summarizing the alt layouts discussed here as well as more than one hundred others. Sculpted-profile The majority of custom keycap sets are sculpted-profile (Cherry, SA, MT3, KAT, etc. - more on profiles generally here) so let’s start there. Because each row has a unique keycap shape, alt layouts require a unique keycap for each legend that moves off its QWERTY row. At first there were two The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak & William L....
Apr 23, 2024
I've just been wondering this since I see plenty of keyboards with very strongly raised profiles. I've read that it makes it easier to reach keys (dependent on cap profile) but I just wanted to put it out there and see if anyone could provide some clarification.
I personally prefer flatter boards as well. If you want to try this, check out something like the Vortex Race 3 or Vortex Core. They use flat aluminum cases with a "floating key" design; as well as DSA profile keys (flat, short, all rows same height). I'm typing this on one of those right now, and it's FANTASTIC.
https://mechanicalkeyboardinfo.com/vortex-3ace-review/
I also prefer and use flat cases, since I don't have to read legends of keycaps (actually I use my main driver with blank keycaps) and feel more comfortable on flat, and even I like using uniform profile keycaps that means every keycaps have same height.
I think there is no dumb question, but actually questions which are evaluated as dumb have changed the world. So if someone says, "Do not ask dumb questions.", just kick his ass.
Best guess... that pic is probably from an engineering sample that was later sent to tech journalists for review.
The only way to replicate that would be to add LEDs yourself. I havent opened my Race 3 in quite a bit, so I dont remember if the PCB even supports LEDs.