[rgoulter]

It's understandable if some people would prefer a larger layout. I wouldn't argue people should be using smaller keyboards.

It's "I don't mind moving my hand to hit the key" vs "I don't mind holding down some Fn key to hit the key". (Or with F1-F12 on Macbooks, you need to both hold down a Fn key and move your hand).

For an example of "36 keys ... how", I think the popular miryoku layout is fascinating. https://github.com/manna-harbour/miryoku/tree/master/docs/re... -- Often, mnemonics for particular keys aren't all that complicated.

[lbussell]

I picked up the Miryoku layout a year or two ago and the home row mods (Ctrl, alt, shift...) make all the difference. Adding a thumb key into the shortcut to hit a key on a layer doesn't take much extra mental energy and it becomes muscle memory for certain shortcuts. It's a little like playing different chords on the piano. I added some customization for Vim arrow keys and now I don't think I'll ever go back.