[dschil138]

I don't really think it's fair to call it a chorded keyboard. It does have chords, but they are mostly optional and there for convenience.

Every alpha letter has it's own key. Some are on a second layer, but that layer is also "one-shot" so you don't even need to chord to use it, like you do with typing capital letters with shift, for instance.

[fsckboy]

> if I were going to learn a chorded keyboard

I'd want it to be one handed so I could do something else (turn pages, move mouse) with the other hand.

also, it would have to promise longevity and ubiquity, if I'm going to learn it, I want it to pay off in extended usage

[dcow]

How do you access the alpha2 layer?

Edit: looks like you toggle it with your right thumb? That seems like a lot of thumb presses or more key strokes per word. How do you know which layer is active when you return between sessions?

[dschil138]

yeah the right thumb is a "one-shot" key to go to the second layer. So you press it, and then only whatever key you press next is on the second layer. So you're always on the fist layer unless you just pressed that key.

It does end up being (slightly) more keypresses, but it's built on the idea that 1.) two comfortable keypresses are easier than one uncomfortable keypress and 2.) our thumbs are already absurdly under-utilized on current keyboards.