Six months ago, I made one small tweak to my keyboard that changed the way I type every day.
They’re called home row mods. These are changes to the keyboard’s home row, which is the row with a, s, d, f keys. The behaviour of these keys is changed. When held, the key acts like a modifier (like Ctrl). When tapped, it types the letter as usual.
For example, holding the f key works like holding the Ctrl key. Just tapping f still types the letter f.
I set this up on my NuPhy Air75 v2, which supports QMK firmware. With the usevia app, it was easy to assign the modifiers.
This setup feels gentler on the wrists and involves fewer twists and stretches, which lowers the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
At first, I was slow and made lots of typos. But eventually, I got used to it. Now it’s super useful, especially the Ctrl and Shift modifiers, since so many shortcuts rely on them.
I can now switch windows faster using the alt+number combo in my tiling window manager.
That said, home row mods aren’t perfect. I make more typos when typing fast, so now I type a bit slower. And sometimes the keyboard’s firmware causes repeated key presses after using mods.
A common mistake is typing d9 when I mean to type (.
Apart from home row mods, I have also remapped the Caps Lock key. Now, tapping it sends Esc, and holding it acts as Ctrl. This makes it easier to exit insert mode in Vim, without having to reach for the Esc key way off in the corner.
I’m still fine-tuning the layout, and might drop one of the modifiers later. But even with its flaws, this setup has been a big win for comfort and speed.