Do you type any different with/without homing bumps on keycaps?

[motoko]

I was wondering when homing bumps were introduced on computer keyboards and am interested to know whether folks type differently with/without them.

I noticed that the caps on my old 6011 don't have any, and I can't say for sure, but after noticing it, I think I started to make more typos!

[ntv242ver2]

Man i have a weird quirk like this: i dont look at my keyboard when i type. But when i get annoyed by the homing dots on my apple keyboard (they are on d and k, thanks whoever the hell thought that was hip), i swapped d for f, k for j. And i start to make lots of typos and look at my keyboard more when i type.

[Thorogrimm]

I never really felt that it made much of a difference because I still partially keep my eyes on the keyboard when typing.

[Muirium]

Looking at your keys?! Filthy habit. Blank caps for a month, till you purge those wicked thoughts from your system!

As for homing bumps, DT's header as I write this is one of my very best keyboards: the Kishsaver compact Model F. Note the wee man's home row:



No homing. I don't find it a problem at all on the Kishy, because its layout is so familiar to me—I made it like my HHKB very much on purpose—my hands know where they are just by the frame alone. The only keys I regularly look down to check are the number row. I'm usually right, but I've still not quite mastered where 7 and 8 are and their close neighbours; because I mostly write in words!

No homing on my XT and AT Model Fs either. They're harder, because they're just not as familiar. I used to have no problem on my XT many years back when it was my only good keyboard. So I reckon it's just a matter of sheer practice. The Kish and my HHKB absolutely dominate my desktop keyboard time together.

[depletedvespene]

I find that I need to look at the keyboard ONLY when my fingers can't locate the F and J homing bumps (or recesses or whatever).

I type differently on homing-less keyboards only in the sense that whenever I lose track of my position, I can't "reset" my hands' placement automatically and, instead, I need to stop for a moment and do it with the help of my eyes.

Yeah, homing keys make quite a difference. Heck, if it were for me, I'd add a homing on the key 6 in the number row, to provide further assistance whenever typing numbers on a numpad-less keyboard.

[Findecanor]

I don't know. I suspect that I could be using the gap between A and Caps Lock for homing the left hand, and proprioception or thumbs touching to align the right hand the right distance from the left.

[Muirium]

A video of my typing would make all of you scream. And yet… it works!?!

[Palatino]

Now I think this would be really interesting: everyone make a short video of their hands typing, because it seems everyone does it slightly differently - even touch-typists, perhaps? I don't touch type, and I'm not even sure myself which fingers I use and don't use, so I'm going to film myself even if no-one else does. I do know that I only ever press the space bar with my right thumb (when I tried using my left thumb because of a broken stabilizer on a spacebar, it halved my speed at least. It was like throwing a ball left-handed). I also never use the right shift, which is why it works so well remapping it to space bar on my Model F XT, which I hit with my right little finger when my thumb needs a break from that monster space bar.

[Muirium]

Your typing sounds similar to mine!

I fly around a lot. Home row? Hah! But I’m pretty good with modifier keys. Have to be: 60%s train you well.

I suggest no introductions, no theme music, just getting straight to a REAL TYPING sample as seen from above. Maybe cut between a few different keyboards, as I find layout does alter my movements. I’m more disciplined on smaller layouts.

The idea is to put the camera somewhere with a similar perspective to your own view of your hands. We’re humans. We respond to that!

Submissions should probably best go in a new thread in the video sub forum with an appropriate title. A million monkeys, if you like.

[Bjerrk]

We’re humans.

That's exactly what a robot would say.

[Muirium]

Apostrophes are the surest sign of imperfect humans, imperfect human.

[Palatino]

I've only just noticed your name is a palindrome. As someone who collects palindromic sentences as well as keyboards, I'm ashamed to have missed that!

[Muirium]

I noticed your name is a classic renaissance font in the very first instance. As someone who collects fonts as well as keyboards, I’m annoyed your avatar features Helvetica glyphs!

[Palatino]

Well spotted! I assembled that picture in a hurry, using the Model M in front of me, which does have beautiful lettering. Definitely a risk given the keen-eyed folk on here! I wonder if there's a keyboard with Palatino keycaps. A new search is born...

[Palatino]

(Do you have time to do that immediately, you ask me? What, with pieces of tropical fruit whizzing to and fro around me? No, sir - away: a papaya war is on!)

[depletedvespene]

We’re humans.

That's exactly what a robot would say.

Actually, a robot would say "We're Humans."; it's the imperfections what makes us (ok, you guys) people.

[kelvinhall05]

No, because the Avid caps I have on my daily driver Focus 9000 don't have homing bumps. You get used to it pretty fast.

[Polecat]

No. I'm not a touch typist, and I have so little feeling in my fingers that I can't feel the bumps anyhow. That's why I started using clicky keyboards thirty-some years ago, so I don't have to keep looking up at the screen every time I hit a key less than precisely to see if it "took" or not. I know I'm doing it all wrong and that I should learn to type, but it's probably too late by now.

[Muirium]

I’m not an official, card carrying, door knocking Touch Typist™ either, but still. You should know looking at your keyboard while at work is decadent and depraved.

[kbdfr]

I play string instruments with fingerpicks/plectrums, so that I have thick calluses on the fingertips of my left hand but none on the right hand.
And I am a proficient touch typist with decades of practice.
When typing, I touch (or rather hit) the surface of every key for just a tiny fraction of a second. In such a short time there’s no way I can actually feel whether the surface of a given cap has a bar, a dot or a dish, be it with my left (callous fingers!) or my right hand.

The different feel of those "homing keys" just helps you to reposition your hands without a glance at your keyboard after taking a sip of coffee, picking your nose, scratching your (track)ball(s) or hugging your… mouse.

[Muirium]

The different feel of those "homing keys" just helps you to reposition your hands without a glance at your keyboard after taking a sip of coffee, picking your nose, scratching your (track)ball(s) or hugging your… mouse.

Some of those noble activities really do warrant a hand washing before you lay your hands back on any keyboard… of mine!

It is an entirely true summary of what home indicators are actually for. The only time your forefingers are ever meant to be checking for them is when you're arriving back at your keyboard again. If you're well used to its geometry—I find this true for compact keyboards at any rate—you don't even need them, they're just a convenient shortcut.

[paperWasp]

So why not glue two transparent pieces of plastics to F J keycaps of your vintage keyboard?
This shouldn't change its looks too much and could help.

Btw. my Cherry F J caps have homing bumps plus different (steeper) concave.

[hellothere]

I have homing "lines" on both the old Chicony keyboard I'm typing on right now (pretty sure these are Tai-Hao caps) and the almost-brand-new SteelSeries Apex Pro. I know I have bumps on my Apple keyboards.

I'm not a touch typist, but it'd be interesting if my brain could handle the complete absence of homing lines/bumps.

[mode1ace]

it doesn’t bother me at all. I thought it would, but I’ve used some alps doubleshots for a couple of days that don’t have bumps. it just made zero difference.

[kitschmensch]

I really rely on homing bumps. When using my model F, I frequently type entire sentences asojhnq ecnd eyn vng,

So I made my own! I think I read this tip on this forum, but you can use a tactile pen for vision impaired people to create your own.
https://thelowvisionstore.com/products/ ... actile-pen

It works pretty good, and doesn't damage the keys at all. It does wear off over time, though, so I might look into getting sticker-based bumps instead, if I can get them small enough.

[Palatino]

Nice method! I suppose another way would be to use a couple of those relegendable keycaps for the F and J keys, as the plastic feels different from the regular PBT. Might detract from the look though, unless you made some nice matching inserts under the plastic - or you could double down with bright red F and J in size 20 Stencil font.