Ergodox EZ & MoonLander Default Layout

The Ergodox EZ and MoonLander keyboards are split, ergonomic keyboards, and simply awesome! Being fully programmable, the both keyboards have a lot of potential for customization.

I own both keyboards, and here are some observations on why the default layout didn’t quite work for me.

• a lot of the keys are hard to reach when you rest your fingers on the home row — that is important in order to minimize finger travel, and also to improve speed.
• The Shift keys, Ctrl, Cmd, and L1 toggle key require the pinkies to move out uncomfortably
• the arrow keys are hard to reach
• Alt, Cmd are not in the usual place for a Mac keyboard

• the Symbol layer can be reached by holding down the key in the lower left corner, but then it is hard to reach the left-hand symbols

• the Media layer was not so useful for me personally

Because of the points above, the default layout did not quite hit the spot for me, especially for programming. I guess the default layout is more a show case for what configurations are possible, rather than an attempt for an “optimal” layout.

But no problem, they do recommend personalizing the layout, and it is easy!

Check this article for some ideas on what to consider when customizing your layout.