[fsck--off]

"Emacs pinkie" is a non-issue if you use a keyboard with thumb clusters, e.g a Maltron or a Kinesis model. Investing in a good keyboard is just as crucial as investing in a good chair, especially if you make a living by coding. The time that you spend compensating for a bad input device by hacking your own workarounds can be more costly then spending money on a proper solution.

Once you are an adequate touch typist typing speed is only beneficial if you use a language that requires you to type a lot of boilerplate. Even then, you can use an IDE for auto-completion. I can type at very high speeds — as fast as others can input text by using their voice — but I can't remember the last time I needed to type for more than a minute at a time. If you use a language that requires you to spend more time thinking about code than it does to actually type it, typing speed really doesn't matter. Code is like speech in that it is judged by the eloquence, not the speed, of its delivery.

[jamesaguilar]

Yep. I only wish my brain had the bandwidth to produce code at the rate my fingers consume it.

[ajross]

It's similarly much less an issue when you map your keys correctly. Control goes to the left of "A", meta below "/". Much less pinky travel. Sun got this right way back in the 80's with the Type 3 keyboard (vi users prefer its placement of ESC too).

[rwg]

FWIW, you can get an unused Unix layout (Control left of A, Esc left of 1, Backspace directly above Return) Sun Type 6 USB keyboard for around $40.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/memx_2267_226185665

If you're using X11, you can go nuts with xmodmap and get it functioning at least as well as it did on Solaris.

I think getting a genuine Sun keyboard beats just remapping keys on a 101/104-key PC keyboard. There are 12 additional keys at the left and top-left of the keyboard just begging to be remapped for your own nefarious purposes. You also get meta keys that are separate from the Alt key, as well as Compose and AltGr keys for your åçcéñtêd character needs.

Plus when you look down and see the Sun logo, you can reminisce about the old days and have a good cry at your desk.

[wtallis]

Apple also does well in their modifier key placement by having a narrower space bar that extends from "C" to "M" on most keyboards, meaning the modifier keys next to the space bar are easily reachable with thumbs.

[pachydermic]

Do those keyboards really make a difference? I'd be happy to try them and give it a fair chance, but I'm not okay with a 455 pounds gamble.

The pedals look like a good idea (I'm an emacs user)... but they do seem pretty goofy.

[klancaster1957]

I had VERY bad RSI and had tried everything under the sun. Moving the the Kinesis stopped it dead. No more typing pain. Warning: it does take a bit to get used to.

[kps]

Maltron offer rentals for £10/week (assuming from your use of ‘pounds’ that you're in the UK), discounted if you buy it. http://www.maltron.com/keyboard-info/keyboard-hire-uk-only

Kinesis' UK distributor has a 30 day 'sale or return' option (you pay shipping). http://www.ergonomics.co.uk/faq.html

[tavisrudd]

I used a Kinesis for many years and had a great chair and ergonomic setup before developing the RSI that I describe in the video.