But … do I like it?
I am still trying to make up my mind about my Corne keyboard. It could be the switches. It could be the staggered layout. It could be that I have made my keymap just slightly too clever. Whatever the reason, I am not completely happy with what I have. I feel … a bit slow.
For a few weeks, I have assumed that this feeling was mainly because I actually was slow, but my speed in typing tests has actually started to improve again, so it is not all actual slowness. But I do not feel as … smooth, perhaps, or effortless. Typing correctly takes more mental energy than I would like. I still think more practise will improve things, but I am thinking about other possible factors.
One possible factor is the switches. The relatively quiet Bobas do have a nice feel to them, but they also feel a bit … rough? Pressing them feels some amount of non-smooth, and despite their measured resistance being much the same as other switches I like, I am left with the feeling that each keypress takes just a bit more work than it should.
The layout is another suspect, perhaps moving the shift keys was that one step too far in complexity? It is a bit insidious, since it has a great deal of effect in day-to-day typing, but does not come up at all in the typing tests I do.
The stagger, finally, is probably not to blame either, but I do still think regularly about it and wonder how it affects me. In truth, the real effect is most likely the aesthetical longing I feel when I glance over at the perfectly straight lines of the KBD4X, but I do feel as if my fingers play more than they should around the edges of the keys, as if I am cheating with my hand positions by feeling the edges instead.
I think what I will do next is update the KBD4X with my latest layout tweaks and see how it all feels there. Perhaps that darn thing is still too well-built compared to my other boards? Perhaps the clicky switches in it are the perfect ones for me? I did a bit of typing on it the other day and was amused to find that my layout has once again evolved enough that I feel lost going back to an older revision.
There is still much to find out.
And more typing training to do.