My wife isn't going to be happy about this...
I have an ErgoDox EZ at home, and a Moonlander for work. I absolutely love these keyboards. They have played a significant role in reducing pain I experience from arthritis.
I have an ErgoDox EZ at home, and a Moonlander for work. I absolutely love these keyboards. They have played a significant role in reducing pain I experience from arthritis.
I changed the switches for some lubed linears, and added some foam and now it even sounds better. It also reduced my wrist pain.
I'm debating with myself whether to get the Moonlander or not. I don't actually need it, but it looks so cool (and the USB port of the ErgoDox is quite outdated haha).
Before this I used a thinkpad as my keyboard
I've used an "ergonomic" "split layout" keyboard for years. Specifically, I used the MSFT Natural 4000 since about 2010 due to RSI and typing-related pain. Even with that keyboard, I still had pinky/ring-finger related RSI from modifier keys (shift/ctrl/esc), but it was rather minimal if I was careful and kept my "off-hours" related typing minimal.
I picked up the Moonlander after looking at multiple truly-split keyboards including the Ergodox, Nyquist, Kinesis Advantage 2 (and later 360). I've used a Via/QMK keyboard as well and I will say that Oryx and the Configurator seem much more user-friendly and featureful.
The auto-shift feature is great, as I rarely need to use the shift key for normal typing. Having a toggle key to quickly disable it for things like gaming or the odd application that doesn't detect keydown/up for shifted keys as expected (or perhaps it's on the kbd firmware side and isn't sending a held-down shifted key, who knows) is rather useful.
Layers are your friend and don't be worried about printing out a layer map while you're learning. And don't be afraid to change your layout to try something.
I changed my layout multiple times a day for the first two or so weeks, maybe once a day for another two weeks, then perhaps once a week to once a month over the next few months. I think I last changed my layout 6 months ago to add a new shortcut for a feature added to my IDE.
If you're already accustomed to a split keyboard, expect minimal growing pains beyond learning your layer keys and such. But if it's your first time using a split KB, then you'll have that adjustment too. MSFT used to have a sculpted kb that wasn't a full split and that was a good "training wheels" kb for a split, but I don't think they make that board anymore. Basically, if you don't alrady use a split, expect to reach for keys on the other side a bit until your brain adjusts.
I also suggest using background colors in your layers to indicate hotkeys and such. It started as a crutch for me, but I've come to really like it as it serves as a bit of a reminder for those less-used shortcuts.
The ability to hot-swap your key switches and caps is great. I ended up with a highly tactile switch that isn't much louder than the usual "cherry MX browns", but that is entirely optional. The out of the box keys are perfectly fine for those not interested in that feature.
Ortholinear split takes a while to get used to but you really never want to go back to a regular keyboard after you get used to it - it makes you feel like you've been breaking your wrists.
W: "Another one?! You already have one for the house and one for the office... Where is this one going to go?"
Doesn't have to be budget micromanagement.
You might be confusing “wife is interested in my hobbies” with “wife is not happy”. The former is what you described and the latter is literally what GGGP said.
I do have a partner and she has autonomy over the money we earn together as do I, because we trust each other to make reasonable decisions.
It sounds like you and your partner have a mutual understanding of the other's spending, and your expenses are low enough and/or your income is high enough that it doesn't create problems when you spend below the implicit limits.
That's great for you, but it comes across as narrow-minded to talk as though a $400 expense is unworthy of discussion to every couple.
“Unworthy of discussion” vs. “isn’t going to be happy” is a good way to move the goalposts.
I suppose I’m just tired of the juvenile meme of “my wallet is going to hurt” or “my wife [almost always wife, and never husband; what does that say?] is going to be upset” at <insert hobby>.
If that’s the level of trust one has in their life partner, one ought to take a closer look at what’s really important to oneself.