What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
1. People want the last needed ISO key (R3 alpha) and icon-mod ISO enter 2. How could one get those keys? Through the kobe/gaijin and blocknet set 3. Blocknet kit was NEVER posted before the GB. I just went through the GH thread. 4. gaijin/kobe kit was NOT posted either. What was posted though was a poll, in form of a TKL render - in order to illustrate how gaijin vs kobe alpha would look.
So: gaijin/kobe and blocknet kits was never posted. People didnt had any chance to give input. People see them for first time when dropping on MD, people give feedback they want ISO.
How would any of us be able to give feedback if we couldnt see what the kits contained?
https://www.massdrop.com/talk/455/laser-gmk
Not to mention R/MK several times, the Geekhack keyboard forum and my website as well, and we had several thousands of views, messages and replies on all these platforms. We had a very large window of time for the community to voice feedback and make requests, the novelties themselves were conceived by my hands after community input. Even though some kits weren't shown, feedback for those wasn't exactly needed. We already knew what we wanted to make available and our limitations. Calls were made in the backstage and the more opinions we had, the more complicated things could get.
Regarding your entire post, I'll break it down the simplest way:
> People want the last needed ISO key (R3 alpha) and icon-mod ISO enter ?
A handful of guys keep spamming on discussion tab inquiring about these keycaps, as if I simply had forgotten to add them, or deliberately was being stubborn. Let me explain to you again - we didn't forgot keycaps anywhere, all kits were carefully put together and worked on within the manufacturer for almost an entire year. I already said several times that we are not making molds for these. ISO may stand for International Organization for Standardization but in the mechanical keyboard communities this layout is not even remotely close from being a standard. Just to give you an idea, Godspeed XDA sold close to 8,000 kits. ISO sold a whooping 95. International kits combined sold 87 unities. Nearly all possible colorscheme options were given and yet, less than 1.5% adoption took place. Overall, ISO/international customers account from 1% to 5% when it's all said and done. We had exactly 1% adoption on DSA Legacy. This pattern can be recognized on all profiles and keyset drops that took place here. It isn't cheap to develop an ISO enter mold, and I'm not making things over complicated in the kits by adding colors variations, icons, etc.
The Gaijin/Kobe kit is compatible with the ISO layout (short left SHIFT) and with international (if you don't care about mismatching legends) if the customers adds the Euro kit to their orders. We are not offering JIS layout because again, there's not enough demand for that. I can't simply invent kanjis to make you happy, there's no possible symbol that can be added to Kobe/Gaijin to make it crossover compatible with ISO/ITL, without repeating the symbols. I'm avoiding that. The cosmetic kits of Gaijin/Kobe were not designed to 100% work with international users, nor the Blocknet kit. Because of the previous data we collected, ITL/ISO users are restricted to the most classic look of this keyset, having a pink accent is already a bonus.
There is an extensive logic process behind making this keycap set even affordable, I'm not sure if you noticed but we have over 120 new molds being created for this group buy. Just imagine how expensive it is to develop special equipment, in Germany, to make this possible. Lot of choices and calls had to be made, and I made them. The results we achieved so far (and expect to see until the end) reflect that the calls I made were adequate. The only keycap set ever done by GMK which is more affordable than Laser is Nautilus, created by my brother Zambumon. We are only $10 bucks more expensive than Nautilus even though we have over 100 more new molds being created.
Making this design available wouldn't be possible without the unrelenting support from the community and overwhelming enthusiasm. We are very thankful for everyone's presence here and it's a joy to see that so many people are being 100% perfectly covered by the kits and keycaps offered. Sadly, a couple of guys will end up with mismatches here and there and a couple others won't have what they want. But the whole concept of a group buy is making things available for people, on average. Thank you very much for participating in the drop and for voicing your concerns, the opinions you shared are valid to some extent and I carefully listened to the feedback. We will keep working hard hoping to someday be in a position where we are able to cover everyone.
This response was mainly directed to zambumon and to Data and everyone else who basically kept saying "you had a year to input your voice into this" when responding to people asking for ISO, which annoyed me because it was simply not true, rather than as a criticism that ISO should be in the gaijin/blocket/kobe.
It really doesnt have much to do with ISO being included or not, since that is your prerogative and the reasoning behind it makes sense.
So my only interest is to explain to the people who keep shutting ISO requests down for the previously mentioned reason rather than to take a stance on if it should be included or not.
You also keep saying that iso is just 5% or less and that this is why you remove the support, but then at the same time add even more niche stuff like 2U shifts etc. countering your own argument. (Btw. for godspeed xda, iso was about 7% ! )
what getting at is if the key caps per the ISO STANDARD state.. the kit Mito is offering is ISO compliant.. then regardless if they fit any keyboard current manufactured.. or previously manufactured... they are in fact ISO. I don't think I can make that any clearer.
Its kinda silly this is still being argued. .. as told mito he should have the kits made with MOQ of 50 and charge full price for them.. so they end up being like 150 dollars each... cause thats most likely what it cost at 50 to make the molds for them... that way the 1% cause he proven it was like 1% that wanted the kits to start with could have there special kits.
Regardless if Mito's items meet the ISO standards as set forth in the documentation on them.. then regardless if they work with anything on the market.. there ISO..
Gaijin can be paired with one of the keys from Cyberdeck, and it will WORK. Kobe however is impossible to use on iso and maintain mono legend look. It’s at least 1key short. And there are no alternative monolegend 1u r3 keys.