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 think I remember $129.99... That corresponds with around 700 Massdrop users saving $50 each for a group savings of "$36,100.00". But you can see the manufacturer's actual retail price of $99.99 here:
iKBC New Poker II Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Brown Switch, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRC1O44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MC1Xyb1BVXT6A
Again, please tell me I'm wrong, and that the MSRP wasn't inflated by $30. That would mean our group savings are closer to $14,000, and we've been collectively misled to the tune of over $20,000.
If I'm wrong, totally happy to delete this message.
UPDATE: eBay Listing and Timeline
I was trying to figure out the timeline of iKBC's announcement of the $99.99 pricing and sale to general public, and discovered you can, right now, get the keyboards from iKBC on eBay for $99.99 in the US, and they promise free delivery in just 3 days. http://www.ebay.com/itm/iKBC-New-Poker-II-Mechanical-Keyboard-with-with-Cherry-MX-Switch-/272585122186?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=wReKyg
It looks to me like the eBay listing went live on March 10th (two days before the end of this drop). Again, I think this drop claimed a significantly higher MSRP than $99.99.
Again, guys and gals, if I'm getting it wrong here, please tell me.
I know Massdrop has a policy of not letting people back out of a drop because they've already committed an order to the vendor... But if the vendor did manipulate retail prices to prey on the enthusiasm of the Massdrop community, maybe this is a special case where a slap on the wrist is in order. I'm really glad iKBC is going to be offering the new Poker II to the general public at such a great retail price, but not feeling great about this Massdrop.