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
It sure made the flimsy plastic/wire filco one it replaced look like a toy and pretty much makes those cheapo rigid all plastic keycap pullers look like it came out of a happy meal.
Not once has it flinched pulling a cherry keycap (which I expect these will mostly see) or topre. It just laughs at the legendarily tight and stubburn ALPS switch keycaps and makes pulling model m buckling spring keys a walk in the park.
I got my first and shortly following, second one, from geekhack groupbuys and I might just get a third here. EDIT: haha a 3rd one never hurt! I'm in!
If you're concerned about the longevity of them, I've had mine for about over a year around my rotation of keyboards and going through 4 separate model m bolt mods and it's remained working as well and physically appearing as I got it on day one.
Here's a pic of my trusty workhorse with some spacesaver love for you guys: