Knucklehead
Mnemonic, macOS-optimized ergonomic columnar layout for corne-style 42 key split keyboards, designed to ease the transition from Apple ANSI keyboards.
Install / Use
/learn @minusfive/KnuckleheadREADME
👊 Knucklehead
Knucklehead[^1] is a mnemonic, macOS-optimized ergonomic columnar layout for corne-style 42 key split keyboards, designed[^2] to ease the transition from Apple ANSI keyboards.
[!WARNING]
Under active development. Expect breaking changes and scarce/incomplete documentation.
Drawn with @caksoylar's Keymap Drawer
[!IMPORTANT]
Home Row Mods are now the default. Previous version available on the legacy branch.
Legend
| Symbol | Key Name | Symbol | Key Name |
| :----: | --------------------------------------------------- | :----: | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| 🆆 | Smart 🆆ord behavior | 🆇 | E🆇it smart 🆆ord behavior |
| ⌃ | Control | ⇥ | Tab |
| ⌥ | Option | ␣ | Space |
| ⌘ | Command | ⇡ | Page Up |
| ▲ | Meh (⌃ + ⌥ + ⇧) | ⇣ | Page Down |
| ✦ | Hyper (⌃ + ⌥ + ⌘ + ⇧) | ⛭ | Brightness Up |
| ⇧ | Shift | ⛯ | Brightness Down |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock | ⟲ | Firmware reset (hold: bootloader mode) |
| ⌫ | Backspace | | |
| ⌦ | Delete | L1 | Layer 1 |
| ⏎ | Return | L2 | Layer 2 |
| ⏻ | Power | Fn | Function Layer |
Features
Mnemonic Affordances
<!-- s force column width and prevent unwanted breaks -->[!NOTE]
These are optimized for the Colemak-DH layout (default). However, most should still work well regardless of layout, while others will be "lost in translation".
Other layouts available:
| Key | Cue | Mnemonic Affordance(s) |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| ⇥ (Tab) | ␣ (Space) | Tab as a space multiplier; proximity. |
| ` ~ | H, ⇥ (Tab) | ~ a.k.a. "Home" directory on 'nix systems; proximity. Same position, opposite hand as ⇥ (Tab), typically adjacent on Apple keyboards. |
| - _ | N + L | Negative, Low; adjacent to = + |
| = + | E + U | Equals, Up (+); adjacent to - _ |
| [ { | N + H | Proximity; used to define a New Hash table/map on many programming languages; adjacent to ] } |
| ] } | E + , | Proximity; used to End hash tables/maps on many programming languages; , is also typically used to delimit items within hash tables/maps; adjacent to [ { |
| -_ =+<br/>[{ ]} \|\ | Apple ANSI position | This key cluster retains their order/position relative to each other as on Apple keyboards, but moved to vertical combos more easily accessible to stronger fingers. |
| / ? | Y + I or \| \ | Shape similarity, proximity, symmetry; same column as \| \; "why?"; interrogation symbol. |
| \| \ | I + . or / ? | Shape similarity, proximity, symmetry; logical OR — same position, opposite hand as & (logical AND); same column as / ?. |
| & | R + X | Shape similarity; logical AND — same position, opposite hand as \| (logical OR) |
| * | S + C | Star, wild Card |
| ⇪ (Caps Lock) | ⇧ (Shift) | Same position as ⇧ (shift), but on Fn layer |
| ! @ # $ %<br/>^ & * ( ) | 1 2 3 4 5<br/>6 7 8 9 0 | Symbols maintain their standard ANSI association with numbers as laid-out on L2, replicated as combos on L1 and L2 |
| Fn
