this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
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I've used a US-QWERTY keyboard layout my entire life. I've seen other layouts that do things like reduce the size of the enter/backspace keys, move the pipe operator (|) and can't wrap my head around how I would code on those.

What are your experiences? Are there any layouts that you prefer for coding over US English? Are there any symbols that you have a hard time reaching ($ for example)?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I use Coleman DH and symbols have never been an issue because I just put them on another layer 😅

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I used to use the Brazilian ABNT-2 layout, it's pretty much just a US layout with accent keys that activate like a second layer for some specific keys to display specific Portuguese language characters such as ç á à â ã é è etc. It's surprisingly ok for programming as it doesn't get in the way because you have special keys to activate the 2nd layer and most of them you need to spread shift + something in order to activate them. I'd say it's a good layout.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I'm Czech and also speak fluent German, but I rarely use my native languages on my personal PC, so I got used to the US layout. Nowadays I use US layouts that have my native letters on the AltGr key, my Linux pc has an "American - Czech, Slovak, German" layout like that and at work on windows I use the Czech Programmer layout. However, most of my coworkers use the regular Czech keyboard, even for programing, which freaks me out.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

It depends on what you're used to and the programming languages you use. I learned typing on a German QWERTZ keyboard and while that works for languages like Python and Haskell, which are indentation-based, but for languages which use braces like Java, C, Rust, or similar, it can be annoying to have to use altgr+7 or altgr+0 for { and }. Thus I switched to a US ANSI layout, which was nicer for those specific characters, but caused problems when typing local characters like öäüß. After switching to Linux I set up a compose key, letting me press compose + a + " for ä for example, and while that's a decent patch, that still breaks the typing flow. So now I'm in my ergo keyboard phase and trying to get my own personal layout going, which meets my own needs for needed characters, based on a colemak-dh design.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

I used to use ANSI, but then moved to England and bought a laptop and returned it because of the “weird” ISO keyboard, then forever bought dell because I could customise it.

Moved back to ANSIland, but will still probably just buy dell.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I use Spanish QWERTY layout and it's... weird for coding.

I'm used to it from my whole life so that's what I use but sometimes brackets or special symbols are weird.

I've always wanted to change to use US-International layout. So I can keep ñ and áéíóú, and also have easy access to coding symbols. But I have never got around it.

Anyhow I still think that whoever designed ISO layouts messed up. We should use US international layout. That's my two cents.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

On UK keyboards the £ replaces the $ and $ replaces '

Double quotation marks " are in the same place though so a lot of british programmers don't use single quotation marks because they are hard to press. If your touch typing you have to reach all the way to the bottom right with your right hand little finger and it's just not worth it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

I’m British and use the ISO-UK layout.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

I use Colemak where most punctuation is at the same place as in the US English layout, which programming languages seem to be optimized toward. For the layout I prefer ISO for the larger Enter key.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago

I am German and I use the German keyboard layout...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I use US-QWERTY but with the pipe/backslash key as backspace, and the key where backspace usually is gets turned into two keys, pipe/backslash and grave (yes, there is a keycode for grave (`) by itself).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I use a country-specific ISO layout, and while I'm very aware that certain things are insanely awkward compared to a US keyboard, like { }, [ ], $ and /, you get used to it. You get used to everything over time. I even use the default vim bindings and have gotten used to them as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Yeah I have a hard enough time remembering the default vim bindings, I can't be assed to go around making my own up and trying to remember those too

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I just press tab and the IDE sprinkles all that sugar for me.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

DVORAK all the way, baby. Hardware-based via Unicomp 104.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Dvorak gang here. Never going back to QWERTY.

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