[gassiss]

For me it was never about speed, it’s about comfort. I always unconsciously hated having to reach for the arrow keys all the way to the right of the keyboard to select words and move around.

[marginalia_nu]

A generation of Swedish programmers grew up on a cruel and unusual keyboard layout that's like

  ; is shift + , (1 step right of m)
  : is shift + . (2 steps right of m)
  - is where US layout has /
  _ is where US layout has ?
  shift + 6 = &
  shift + 7 = /
  shift + 8 = (
  shift + 9 = )
  right alt + 7 = {
  right alt + 8 = [
  right alt + 9 = ]
  right alt + 0 = }
  right alt + - = \

I invite anyone to try and press right alt + 7 and right alt + 9 on their keyboard. To make things more awkward, it must be the right alt key, it doesn't work with the left. This torture is every time you make a curly brace with this layout.

[rho4]

Same for German and Swiss layouts *sigh. After many years, I am now capable of typing curly and angular brackets by holding left shift with my small finger, left alt with my left thumb, and the corresponding symbol key with my right little finger, without loosing the ten-finger-stance on the keyboard.

(on our keyboards, left shift+alt is an alternative for the right "Alt Gr" key)

[awelxtr]

Spaniard here.

I've done it all my life. Maybe my pain tolerance is way higher?

Edit: I don't know what's wrong with pressing several keys at once to do something. It is like complaining that piano has no individual keys for all the possible chords. What's the alternative? Pressing a single key? What would you be doing with the rest of your fingers anyway?

[fellerts]

The worst is tilde (~): right alt + ¨ (where US layout has ]), release both keys then press spacebar. If you hit any other key you apply the tilde modifier to it and end up with e.g. ñ.

` is a bit more ergonomic at shift + \, release, then spacebar. To get ``` you press shift + \ 6 times because ` luckily doesn't modify `.

[johnchristopher]

I switched to qwerty US International years ago and I won't go back. Makes coding much easier. Even diacratics are easier with that layout than with my first language layout (for when I type literature and poetry).

[nntwozz]

I use a southpaw keyboard with arrow keys on the left side. I think it's a great design, it frees up space for the mouse bringing your arms closer together for a more ergonomic position.

I'm not necessarily saying it's better but it makes you think about how input design shapes the use of software.