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Comment by TwoNineA | Hacker News Reader

I am using the duckyPad, text file configuration on an SD card, no need for complex software. Works on any OS that supports USB HID devices.

https://www.tindie.com/products/dekuNukem/duckypad-do-it-all...

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I think the biggest difference here is the lack of LCD buttons on the duckyPad.

People are able to identify icons quicker and better than they are the right key to press to get a certain action, in the case of the duckyPad.

Plus, the Stream Deck allows you to create folders, so you can technically get very complicated workflows on the S/D versus the duckyPad.

Just a thought.

While the duckpad and other firmware alterable keyboards are great, they are still limited to being configured to perform keypresses of a keyboard or a few other functions (like MIDI support in QMK). The "complex software" of the Elgato lets it do more complex things.

Yeah, the Stream Deck's software is great because it doesn't require using up one of the limited keyboard keys (or creating a modifier-based combo that can interrupt your typing) for each function.

This tracks with my experiences. Classical macro shortcut keys are great if you can spare the effort of preparing an ultimate workstation setup for them. But the majority of the workflow you want to have concentrated on a vocabulary of a few keys that you reuse a lot like "copy" or "undo". And that only needs a few keys, and moreover, it's usually pretty contextual to a specific app and not strictly about keys but the whole range of inputs - some apps need you scrubbing through timelines and tracks, others need zoom and rotate. Lots of apps have modal toolbars, but they don't all use the same shortcuts to select the pencil tool or the crop tool, so you have layers of configuration to solve to get to the point where you can even test the setup.

So devices with screen displays for shortcuts like the Stream Deck, the Xencelabs Quick Keys, or the many DIY programmable solutions are pretty indispensable because they let you trial and error ideas, and give you a context hint while also keeping the keys located in the same place - they let you ramp up to a traditional macro experience as you start getting pages of stuff you want to trigger. And this goes even more so if they are able to respond to desktop generated events and present the right context automatically.

A nice cheap alternative to the dedicated hardware is the various tools that are smartphone-based: if you're going to look away from the screen to browse, and you want to trial ideas for shortcuts, then tactility isn't so important and the rest is a matter of getting a good software experience.

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