From Typewriter to Split Keyboard: How I Fell in Love with Typing

I have always been fascinated by keyboards. The first one I discovered was an old typewriter in the drawer of my mother’s desk. She had worked as an office clerk in my grandfather’s company before I was born and had learned to write quickly on a typewriter.

From Typewriters to Computers: Discovering the Magic of Typing

The oldest proven document of me using a typewriter was at the age of 15 when I wrote a request to my parents to move the Lego from a cold room in the first floor to my own room. The request had 3 paragraphs and 10 errors, where I had fixed letters by deleting them with typing over the letter (I had no Tipp-Ex). The request was denied.

I remember that I used the typewriter quite a lot already before that age; I may have started using it at 10 years old, but I never learned how to type and used maybe one or two fingers.

The next memory is of my grandfather, who insisted on buying my grandmother, who handled the accounting in my grandfather’s company, a brand-new digital typewriter. It had a small display where you could see what you typed, and when you pressed a button, it printed the row on the paper. She didn’t like the typewriter, and it was always standing in their house on the first floor, and when I visited, I used it.

Earning My First Computer

When I was 9 or 10 years old, my father bought an Amiga 500. I was fascinated by the device. It was placed in an unheated cold room on the first floor and was the first computer keyboard I ever typed on. The keyboard was built into the computer.

For years, I played games on the computer, and in some of those old games, you needed to type where the hero should go. But I still used at most 2 or 3 fingers. I remember sitting next to my father and typing the source code for a banana gorilla game from a computer magazine into the computer. It took us hours and many failed attempts, but finally, we had created a game where two gorillas stood on skyscrapers, and you had to use bananas to destroy the other gorilla.

When I was a teenager, I worked to get my computer. I sat in a dark room in my grandfather’s company for hours and created preconfigured sets of dowels, nails, and washers with a hand-operated machine. It was boring, and there was no music or cassette player around at that time. I also worked during my summer vacation on a construction site for my grandfather’s company, carrying plasterboards to the third level of a shell building. I was so happy when I got my first PC, an Intel 486SX with 8 KiB cache.

The Four-Finger Years

At some point, my mother gave me a course paper to learn typing with ten fingers, but I could never motivate myself enough to really learn it. In the following years, other computers followed, first a few PCs and later Apple Macs, but I never learned to type properly. I was able to type really fast (or so I thought) with four to five fingers.

At my first job, I sat next to a British freelancer who did all the cool things: he was important, probably paid very well, used a Mac, animated things in Cinema 4D, and was able to type with ten fingers really, really fast. I was so impressed that I started learning how to type with ten fingers on a German QWERTZ keyboard. In retrospect, the keyboard layout is a nightmare. Because the umlauts (ä, ö, ü, ß) have their own dedicated keys, many essential keys are in weird places.

At my second job, I started to learn for the first time how to use Vim. But when I joined a team of cool developers who all used Vim at my third company, I started using Vim as my regular editor. However, for years I used it with a German keyboard, which made some of Vim’s keys impossible to use without remapping them.

Over the years, while using different Mac computers, I never gave a thought to my keyboard. I remember using either cable-connected default Apple keyboards or later Bluetooth-connected Apple keyboards or the built-in keyboards of the notebooks.

Falling in Love with Mechanical Keyboards

In November 2022, I came across the minimal workspace of the product designer Carl Barenbrug on the Workspaces blog. I had followed this blog that features cool workspaces for a while. He used a mechanical keyboard with low keys. I had never seen a cool keyboard like his Keychron K3 mechanical keyboard. I fell in love with this keyboard, but it was not in stock.

At the same time, after reading Matthias Endler’s blog post Switching from a German to a US Keyboard Layout—Is It Worth It?, I decided to learn how to type on a US layout because, for a developer, this is the most efficient keyboard, with all the brackets and special programming characters easily reachable.

I ordered the Keychron K1 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Version 5) with a white backlight aluminum body and low-profile Gateron mechanical brown switches.

When my keyboard arrived, I signed up for Tipp 10, a free website to learn 10-finger typing and the US layout. I practiced every day for 5 minutes until May 2023, when I felt good enough to stop practicing.

In February 2023, I discovered Monkeytype, one of the coolest websites to practice typing on the internet. Monkeytype is not for learning typing but for practicing to get faster. You can type in so many modes: time, words, quotes, with or without punctuation or numbers, and in all kinds of lengths. I practiced at first every few days and later every day, usually quotes. Today, I practice every day 3 quotes of short, medium, and long lengths. The website gives you a fantastic insight into your performance over time in charts. I reach around 75 WPM on my Keychron keyboard. As an interesting side note, the Monkeytype practice is built into Raycast when you type Start Typing Practice.

Why Fast Typing Still Matters in a Digital World

But why should one learn to type faster at all? A co-worker told me with a bored undertone, Why bother learning with ten fingers? I barely write at all at work, but I’m sure this is just a cope to avoid dealing with learning to type faster. If you have any job in front of a computer, it is quite certain you write, and probably more than you think. You write emails, documentation, reports, presentations, and work tickets; communicate with co-workers in instant and team messaging tools; and if you’re a programmer, you write code; you might also jump around in spreadsheets. Especially with distributed teams and remote work, writing is as important as ever and will not be replaced by voice anytime soon, for the simple reason that you can’t just talk loudly in most places. Another co-worker said, Soon, we won’t need to write anymore; AI will write all text for us. I’m not so sure that this will happen anytime soon. Even if people integrate AI into their regular work, they’ll still have to write a lot, starting with the AI prompt and ending with working on the suggested text by AI to finalize it.

Being a professional means not only excelling at your core job but also being efficient and quick in all other tasks. There is nothing more embarrassing than watching a co-worker struggle to use their computer in a meeting, moving windows around and resizing them with a mouse, typing slowly and updating a ticket with numerous spelling mistakes. If you work with a computer, you should know how to use it effectively, including keyboard shortcuts, window management, and clear written communication.

The company 37signals, which produces the productivity software Basecamp, the email service HEY, and a number of one-time paid software products, has a philosophy regarding writing when they hire new people. If two people of the same qualification apply for a job, the one with the better writing skills will be hired.

The Split Keyboard Revelation

For two years, I continued using my mechanical keyboard, and I loved writing on it every day. I cannot think of going back to a keyboard that isn’t mechanical. I love the clicking sound of the keys, which has a relaxing and meditative effect.

Two months ago, my company brought together everyone from my work unit for a three-day onsite meeting. I reconnected with a co-worker I hadn’t seen in a while. While we were packing our things, I noticed his split keyboard. I had seen split keyboards before but never considered them seriously, as I had no health issues in my hands, arms, shoulders, or back from working at a desk. However, several co-workers do have health problems, and I had heard about the benefits of split keyboards. The usual split keyboards I had seen in images or videos appeared large and clunky, which is why I never thought much about them. But his keyboard looked well-designed and slim and had low-profile switches. He used the ZSA Voyager keyboard, but he told me that he had multiple, including the ZSA Moonlander, and had used only split keyboards for years.

At home, I researched split keyboards for a while by watching all kinds of videos on YouTube and by asking my co-worker many questions about his keyboards via chat. He told me the delivery might take a few weeks, as it is sent from Taiwan. The price of the ZSA Voyager is quite hefty.

I decided to just go for it and ordered the ZSA Voyager in Cosmic Nomad black, with Kailh Choc Pro Red switches that have a linear, lighter touch of 35±5gf and printed US keycaps. The keyboard comes with RGB LED backlights, a carrying case, additional magnetic legs to tilt the keyboard, cables in all kinds of sizes, a key puller, and 2 extra thumb keys. It also includes 34 extra keycaps with tactile bumps for QWERTY, Colemak, and Dvorak layouts.

To my surprise, the keyboard was delivered in less than a week; also, to my surprise, the EU put another €70 of tax on top. 😡 I had at least checked up front that no customs are due on keyboards, just a customs handling fee of €7.

In the following month, I practiced every day for 10-15 minutes typing on the keyboard while continuing to use my Keychron K1.

After a short time, I noticed the advantages of a split keyboard. You can position the halves at a comfortable distance for your shoulders, eliminating the need to cramp your fingers on a small keyboard with stacked keys. Your shoulders remain straight because you don’t hunch to reach the keys. The ZSA Voyager provides ample space to access the large keys, which are aligned in columns. Whenever I return to a regular keyboard, it feels as if my fingers are confined in a straitjacket.

At the beginning, I was really awful with the new keyboard; my speed fell from 75 WPM to 20 WPM. To motivate myself to get faster again, I set a goal. When I reach 75 WPM again on the ZSA Voyager, I will treat myself to beautiful custom coiled cables like the ones I saw in the ZSA video section featuring ZSA keyboard users.

Every day, I used various websites to enhance my writing and speed. I completed three exercises in short, medium, and long formats on Monkeytype. I practiced prose from Alice in Wonderland and an excerpt from a book each day using the Live Training feature on the Oryx website, which is designed to configure ZSA keyboards. ZSA also offers another platform for improving typing, Typ.ing, where you can participate in daily challenges and practice in various modes. Additionally, I utilized the website Entertrained to type and read one of their many books: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. I was already familiar with the Netflix TV show and decided to type the entire book.

Cables, Colors, and Customization

After one and a half months, I achieved my speed goal and ordered a set of two beautiful custom-designed coiled cables from King Cables. I spent several hours researching options since I knew very little about cables. I chose the “Galaxy” theme for both cables from a wide range of color options. One coiled keyboard cable features a 16 cm coil, a detachable YC8 connector in black, black heat shrink, and is USB-C to USB-C with a total length of 1 m. The second cable is a custom TRRS cable that connects the two halves of the split keyboard. I ordered a 25 cm long coil with angled 90° connectors in gold and a black heat sink. I didn’t order a cute animal for the cable, but King Cables send me a cute Panda bear nevertheless.

The new setup looks fantastic, and I sometimes feel sad when my workday ends because I have no excuse to stay at the computer. 😅 The galaxy-themed cables look much better than any photo can capture. They are greyish-black with sparkling dots of blue, green, orange, red, turquoise, and more, shimmering like stars and changing with the light or angle of view. And of course, the Diderot effect hit me, and I needed to buy a bigger and prettier leather mat for my desk.

I configured the LED lighting to match the galaxy theme on the first layer. I use red for the number keys, followed by orange, yellow, green, and blue for the thumb keys. Additionally, I set multiple keys on other layers to have mode-dependent lighting, making it easier to find the keys. I applied colors to all the brackets, the numpad numbers and calculation keys, the arrow keys, the page directional keys, and the next/previous tab and page keys.

Regarding the layout and keys, I started with the recommended preconfigured layout of the ZSA Voyager. I added two hyperkeys and an additional ESC key for Neovim, along with a backtick and tilde key and keys for navigating browser history. You can view my current layout for the ZSA Voyager here. At first, it feels strange to use layers to access keys that are typically available on a regular keyboard with a Shift or Alt key combination. However, after some time, you realize how efficient layers can be. I still use the default three layers, but some of my co-workers utilize five or more layers with their split keyboards. It’s even possible to automatically switch to a specific layer when a particular software is active. All the configuration is stored on the keyboard, so you can plug it into any computer, and it will work as expected immediately.

When my custom coiled cables arrived, I decided to switch permanently to the split keyboard. My typing speed has reached levels similar to those with the Keychron K1 mechanical keyboard. However, I underestimated how many of my daily keyboard shortcuts are stored in my muscle memory. The first two to three days after switching keyboards were very challenging, as I couldn’t remember any of my shortcuts and had to relearn them slowly. Even after two weeks, I sometimes need to try multiple key combinations before finding the right one. However, I’m confident that over time, I’ll retrain my brain so I won’t have to think about keyboard shortcuts anymore.

Beyond QWERTY: Exploring Alternative Layouts

When I watched the videos about the ZSA Voyager on YouTube, a common theme occurred: many people recommended stopping the use of QWERTY and using other layouts instead, especially Colemak-DH, which was recommended again and again. I had heard of the history of the QWERTY layout and that the keys are most likely arranged inefficiently to prevent a physical typewriter from blocking the keys. I had watched documentaries about how QWERTY keyboards suck, but I had never considered learning one of the exotic options. When I casually asked my co-worker what layout he used he told me he had used Colemak-DH for years and couldn’t go back to QWERTY. I was surprised to hear that and asked him some critical questions. For example, if you unlearned QWERTY if you use Colemak-DH, because occasionally you have to go back to a built-in Notebook keyboard or a virtual keyboard on a mobile device. He told me that he can write in both layouts.

But how do you start learning an entirely different keyboard layout? I read some articles recommending a cold turkey switch, but that wasn’t an option for me since I need to deliver work and can’t suddenly write at a beginner’s speed. Additionally, it was quite challenging to find a website to practice Colemak-DH because I didn’t want to physically reconfigure my keys and keycaps until I was proficient with it. I discovered the website Colemak Club and completed one exercise per day, but my progress was slow. Then I found the Keybr website, which is fantastic for learning any layout, even QWERTY, if you cannot type with all ten fingers. The site has an excellent approach to learning; it starts with six keys and only adds new ones once you reach a sufficient speed with all six. You can view various charts for each letter, track your typing speed, monitor errors, and much more. You can create an account to save your progress and have a public profile.

I started practicing for 10 minutes each day, and after just one week, I reached a top speed of 37 WPM and unlocked a seventh letter. Even in this short time, I can already say that with Colemak-DH, my fingers move less, and my hands feel more relaxed.

Accuracy First: The Dao of Typing

The most important aspect of learning to type is accuracy first; speed will follow. I found that the best approach is to avoid looking at the keyboard—neither the physical keys nor the digital layout helper—and to not think at all. As Bruce Lee summarized Daoist philosophy in his Lost Interview:

Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.

I’ll continue to learn Colemak-DH while trying to improve my speed with QWERTY on my ZSA Voyager split keyboard. Likewise, I will also learn all my keyboard shortcuts to navigate my computer and work with my tools. Do I know if I’ll ever switch to Colemak-DH? No, but it’s a fun challenge that demonstrates the brain’s neuroplasticity. I might get fast enough after practicing enough to switch. And if that day arrives, I now that ZSA has covered me with extra tactile bump keys for Colemak.

Conclusion

I highly recommend trying a split keyboard, not just for those experiencing shoulder or wrist pain. They also look fantastic. Exploring regular mechanical layouts is worthwhile as well. Keyboards come in various sizes, colors, and styles. You don’t need to be a nerd to enjoy them. However, if you are a nerd, the possibilities are endless. You can find everything from Lord of the Rings keycaps featuring a Balrog or Gandalf inside the ESC key and Elvish letters on the keycaps to Sushi keycaps, Copper keycaps, Metal keycaps, Astronaut keycaps, Doom keycaps, Attack on Titan keycaps, Tiny Aquarium keycaps, Inflated Air Type keycaps, Knitted keycaps, or even Duck keycaps that quack when you type. The choices are limitless.