77 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
77 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: ZSA Moonlander First Impressions
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date: 2020-10-27
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series: keeb
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tags:
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- moonlander
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- keyboard
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---
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# ZSA Moonlander First Impressions
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As I mentioned
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[before](https://christine.website/blog/colemak-layout-2020-08-15), I ordered a
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[ZSA Moonlander](https://zsa.io/moonlander) and it has finally arrived. I am
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writing this post from my Moonlander, and as such I may do a few more typos
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than normal, I'm still getting used to this.
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The Moonlander is a weird keyboard. I knew that it would be odd from the get-go
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(split ergonomic keyboards have this reputation for a reason), but I was
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surprised at how natural it feels. Setup was a breeze (unbox, plug it in, flash
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firmware, type), and I have been experimenting with tenting angles on my desk.
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It is a _very_ solid keyboard with basically zero deck flex.
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I have a [fairly complicated
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keymap](https://tulpa.dev/cadey/kadis-layouts/src/branch/master/moonlander) that
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worked almost entirely on the first try. Here is a more user friendly
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visualization of my keymap (sans fun things like leader macros):
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<div style="padding-top: 60%; position: relative;">
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<iframe src="https://configure.ergodox-ez.com/embed/moonlander/layouts/xbJXx/latest/0" style="border: 0; height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%"></iframe>
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</div>
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My typing speed has been destroyed by the change to this ortholinear layout.
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Before I was getting around 70 words per minute at best (according to
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[monkeytype.com](https://monkeytype.com/)), but now I am lucky to hit about 35
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words per minute. My fingers kinda reach for where keys are on a staggered
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keyboard and I have the most trouble with `x`, `v`, `.` and `b` at the moment. I
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really like having a dedicated : key on my right hand. It makes command mode (and
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yaml) so much easier. The larger red buttons are a bit odd to hit at the moment,
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but I imagine that will get much easier with time.
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Each key has a programmable RGB light under it. This allows you to get some
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really nice effects like this:
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However brown colors don't come out as well as I'd hoped:
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I am not sure how I feel about the armrests. On one hand they feel a bit cold
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(context: it is currently 1.57 degrees outside and I'm wearing a hoodie at my
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desk so that may end up being the cause of this), but on the other hand i really
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hate typing on this without them. The tenting is nice, I need to play with it
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more but the included instructions help a lot.
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I still have a long way to go. I'll write up a longer and more detailed review
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in a few weeks.
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Expect to see many more glory shots on
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[Twitter](https://twitter.com/theprincessxena)!
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As an added bonus, here is the `if err != nil` key in action:
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<video controls width="100%">
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<source src="https://cdn.christine.website/file/christine-static/img/keeb/tmp.ZdCemPUcnd.webm"
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type="video/webm">
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<source src="https://cdn.christine.website/file/christine-static/img/keeb/tmp.ZdCemPUcnd.mp4"
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type="video/mp4">
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Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos.
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</video>
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