I am writing this on my brand new Unicomp Customizer. Since first reading Have Keyboard, Will Program, I wondered whether buckling spring hype was really worth it, especially since I have long loved the near-perfect1 Microsoft Natural 4000 layout.
Within an hour or two of receiving my keyboard and excitedly testing it on online typing tests and games like Qwerty Warriors, I realize this is the first keyboard that actually speeds up my typing. In that short time, my beloved Microsoft Natural has started to feel spongy and uncomfortable. [Update, March 2020: Flash is dead and Qwerty Warriors with it; my JavaScript version is at https://www.qwertywar.com/]
Finger exhaustion makes the difference. Five minutes full bore on another keyboard and my fingers feel tired. Tired fingers make more mistakes; I backspace more; I slow down. On the Unicomp, however, my fingers feel just as sprightly after the test as before. At test completion my fingers feel as if they have been jumping on a trampoline and their parents just spoiled their fun by telling them to come in for dinner.
Beside tantalizing finger pleasure, the Customizer adds visceral clattering spring charm. By practicing a soft touch, you can dull the sound a little, but passersby will always think a mini war zone surrounds your computer. And I thought even the Microsoft Natural’s space bar was a little loud in an office.
Regardless, those who regularly type long blocks of text might justifiably tell coworkers to suck it up. Even without an ergonomic layout, the reduced finger fatigue over just a five minute test makes up for every clicky keyboard comment. Sadly, the Customizer will probably not increase my overall work efficiency. My typing usually involves the typical programmer’s short bursts and frequent contortions for symbols.
So I probably will not use it in an office and I am unlikely to gain significant typing comfort or speed, but was it worth it? $80 to make typing fun again? I think so.
- I have only two gripes with the Natural’s layout. First, six should be on the right, but the peculiar left-handed six position may not have been Microsoft’s decision; it infects most split layouts, including the original Natural’s contemporary IBM M15. The second mistake, F Lock does belong exclusively to Microsoft.
Should Be Simple 