HHKB Studio: The New Happy Hacking Keyboard with TrackPoint (opens in new tab)

Those boards are absolutely gorgeus. I'm not looking for a trackpoint or a standard layout, but I'm still tempted to buy one.

I used the Tex keycaps for a keyboard I built about three years ago. After three years of daily usage I have noticed a lot of wear on the keycaps. Some letters are barely visible, and some of the caps have gotten really shiny, i.e. they have lost their surface structure.

Have you noticed something similar? Other than that they feel really nice and I like them a lot.

If you're in Japan, you can get,

https://archisite.co.jp/products/archiss/quattro/tkl-jp/

, for ~ 15000 円 ＝ $100.

I've found that overwhelmingly it's brand perception, fashion and trends that build these situations more than anything else. Add to that the situation where people have spent hundreds of dollars on something and generally feel like they will have to justify it. It must be great, right? They spent hundreds of dollars, of course it's great!

I bought a mechanical keyboard (ErgoDox EZ) for more than $300 after import taxes and it wasn't remarkably better than anything else. I don't use it nowadays, I just use "classic" models from either Logitech or Microsoft (or even a lower-status brand) for the equivalent of ~$13-$17 a pop. I bought several at once but they've never broken so far so I just have a few in storage.

P.S. I had problems with wrist pain and stuff before I bought the ErgoDox which was one of the reasons I bought it. It only got worse after I started using it and the only thing that helped was voice coding and not using a keyboard for some time. After that I started using these bland, uninteresting keyboards and I've never really had the same issues again.

I think part of it is the switches. They use Topre capacitive switches which have a very distinct key feeling than your average mechanical switches made by Cherry (and its clones) or Alps.

RealForce (the keyboard brand from Topre) now have their own line of capacitive keyboards, but a while back HHKB was _the_ capacitive keyboard, or at least around the people I know.

Which makes it very interesting that this new model is using Cherry-type linear switches instead of Topre.

It's mainly due to using topre switches but they also swap CAPSLOCK for CTRL by default (which used to be normal back in the day). For me, having gone through heaps of MX-based boards, I always return to topre. The typing experience is just superior IMHO. Unfortunately this new board uses MX type switches which to me is weird because it's their biggest differentiator and selling point.

HHKB fan here. When using macOS or Linux, I basically never use the function keys, and I find the arrow key shortcuts pleasant to use because they do not require me to move my hands from the home row. Another factor is that I use vim (and VScode with vim bindings) so I use the arrow keys less than usual. Add to that the high build quality, light weight, high quality switches which are not too loud for an office environment, and they are one of my favourite keyboard designs.

I will say that under Windows, or when playing games, the layout becomes problematic... but I use another keyboard for gaming anyway. As always, YMMV.

I got the original HHKB when it came out in 1996. The layout makes sense on Unix where function keys are not used much and you can use hjkl in Vim and in readline vi mode. The compact layout saves desk space and allows you to easily take the keyboard with you everywhere.

The HHKB was inspired by the original Macintosh keyboard which doesn't have arrow keys at all (not even via a Fn key): https://deskthority.net/wiki/Apple_M0110

But I agree with your point about shortcuts, and I later switched to full-size ergonomic keyboards due to RSI and for Windows use, and now despise keys being relegated to Fn combinations.

I find it really funny how people refer to pressing two keys at the same time as "shortcuts". I never understood that. "Ctrl-C" isn't a "shortcut for copy" any more than pressing "C" is a "shortcut for typing the letter C".

I guess what you don't like is (excessive) key combos or "chords".

I've been using a 65% keyboard for a few years now and I don't miss the function keys one bit, but I do occasionally miss the arrow keys. A lot of UIs are built with the assumption that the arrow keys actually exist and aren't just "arrow commands" that might be bound to other key combos. It's just awkward then if they want you to press "Shift-Left", for example, which is I guess what you call "shortcuts in shortcuts".

They used to use topre switches which many people swear by and combined it with a modern design. Compared to the gaming keyboards with MX blues and the ultra-cheap rubberdome boards of the time, it was a great package so they gained popularity.

Not sure how they got traction at the start because the main selling point was the weird layout and they didn't have topre switches yet.

This one doesn't have topre either. It still sounds great, but if I wanted MX switches and a trackpoint, I'd go for a Tex shinobi. Shortcut hell is a problem indeed, I want to Alt+F4 with one hand and on a 60% that's impossible to implement without something like spaceFN, which again has to be turned off for gaming.

It doesn't make sense to lose the function keys, the more keys the better (though i'd argue that it's better for less frequently used functions where it's easier to remember spatial position while not wasting much by moving your hands), though for arrows it's definitely more comfortable to have home row arrow keys with some thumb prefix, you can even have up/downs by various distance (e.g., "jk" for arrow down/up, "m," for pageDown/Up, and maybe "ui" for some "up to home/down to end") so that your same down/up muscle memory in your same two fingers

> I think functions keys and arrows are used way too frequently to spend your time using shortcuts

65% keyboards tend to put those shortcuts where you have to use a pinky finger to access those keys.

Whereas, keyboards much smaller than ~60% tend to use thumbs instead to access those keys, and put a big emphasis on reducing movement from home row & bringing the full functionality of the keyboard to within reach of the hands there.

The keyboards which make more use of layers put the layer keys in a nicer spot than those 60% keyboards.

> I saw my roomate already having it 10 years ago

and could use it to this day I guess. Like carpenter may use proven tools then you can be accustomed to the feeling and layout of the tool you use everyday. I still have my first hhkb which I bought almost 10 years ago, works like on day one, even I am usually using newer hhkb wireless model these days. If I am not mistaken before buying first model I read article about someone who had similar experience like I now.

The location of the Control key.

https://hhkeyboard.us/blog/the-mystery-behind-the-ctrl-key-a...

Looked at the UHK Trackpoint module just now and I can't imagine buying this. It can't be used with index finger+thumb (without moving your hand) and does not have a third mouse button which is crucial for jumping between scrolling and moving the mouse.

They also can't easily fix the first issue, because they expect their modules to be attached at certain places and the trackpoint should be way up there.

Maybe I'm just prejudiced from my thinkpad keyboards. Haven't used an ergonomic or split keyboard yet, no clue if this would make a difference on how to use a trackpoint.

On paper; it checks all the important marks: split, mechanical, has a trackpoint. I wish Keychron added similar (they have great mac/windows switching support; as well as some minor adjustments for some keys)

Yeah, I would love a keyboard like this except that I've now moved entirely to corne-ish zen. I wish I could have a corne-ish zen with a trackpoint, but I expect the people who would like that must be a tiny niche-within-a-niche.

Yep. I think QMK's mouse support[1] is sufficient for those who need it.

But personally I use mouse _really_ rarely because of my keyboard centric workflow (DWM, Neovim & Vimium).

[1]: https://docs.qmk.fm/#/feature_mouse_keys

It's weird. That seemed to have been their selling point. Plus black? I don't know about others, but my all my black keyboards acquired some gray parts pretty quick (tiny ones, I like my keyboard clean, but that's precisely why it hurts the aesthetics).

The HHKB layout is a copy of the layout from old Sun UNIX keyboards: https://i.stack.imgur.com/D8RsW.jpg

I like it more than the conventional PC keyboard layout, it makes Esc and Ctrl more easy to access, and means you can press Backspace without having to stretch your pinky as far.

For a split version, there's https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-q11-qmk-custom-me...

Now, if only there was a track-pad or -ball

Why would anyone need a capslock?

    But even after a year and a half it 
    still feels tall and I mistype a lot.

I had a Keychron K3 and I found the default keycaps to have a weird shape ("profile" in keyboard lingo)

This was resolved by getting a new set of keycaps: https://www.keychron.com/collections/keychron-low-profile-ke...

...at which point I found it to be an excellent typing experience! However...

    feels tall

There are low profile models from Logitech and others but I don't know that their height would be different enough to matter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6WZNKzHzXc

Maybe the Corsair A100? That looks like it uses unique laptop-style switches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kC_tnXGj4

Logitech makes excellent, "mac style" keyboards for Windows. Checkout Logitech MX Keys. It should fit your needs if you liked Apple Magic Keyboard

I can recommend NIZ keyboards if you are looking for something totally different. The switches are electro capacitive dome not mechanical. Very light and effortless to type and very quiet as well with a hint of tactileness. They are expensive and need to be imported, but the feel is amazing. Good luck on your journey.

https://www.nizkeyboard.com/collections/all

Not sure which keycron keyboard you got, and how low pro low profile it actually is. The NuPhy Air v2 gives me the low profile feel that I like. Tented split keyboards for me also help avoid the issue of a keyboard raising from front to back although certainly the feel is still not low profile.

You need custom switches to go around trackpoint.

I had the same problem building my own custom keyboard. In the end, I opted to redesign the layout to have one key worth of space dedicated to the trackpoint. I was able to do this because I can learn a completely new layout on a whim, but if you want to produce a keyboard for mass market then I see how this could be a deal breaker.

Actually this model is designed by PFU with Japanese DIY keyboard otakus.

- ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II Bluetooth ?

It's pretty close to full size, but very slim and light weight.

Isn’t this keyboard exactly that? It has Bluetooth and isn’t any wider than your laptop already is. If it’s too thick due to the mechanical switches, the ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II might be an option.

You can make any USB keyboard a BT keyboard with a USB2BT (from Japan) and a battery. If it has LEDs you might have to disable or dim those (I had to enable tachyon mode on my keyboard).

Column staggered and even more so ortholinear are easier for my brain to work with: the layout can be made almost symmetrical and fingers always go up.

One thing to watch for is that many have same size modifier keys as letter keys, which I find not ideal.