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
And honestly, the value of the Vortex PBT Backlit keycaps is probably better than these. It would likely only be a matter of preference over the aesthetics and how willing you are to pay for it! For me, the texture of the keycap (a little less rough than either the Vortex or DSA), the thickness, and the front printed legends (quite legible as you can see in the picture) are what would make me think buying a set of these keys is worth it over any other comparable PBTs. But, alas, that is only my preference!
My keyboard is the Varmilo VB87M Cherry MX Black, with white case, keycaps, and LEDs; perhaps, the sheer amount of white lends to the visibility of the legends haha