All my modifier keys are on the home row. E.g. F is Shift until I release it, or F after I release it. My pinkies are not overburdened, and I'm an Emacs user.
Then, layers. I don't need to move my hand to the numpad; I press a modifier with my left hand, and the numpad is instantly under my right hand. Same with shifted symbols like @ or &; I can have them right under my left hand, without reaching far. Same for media control keys.
QMK also emulates a mouse, so I can move the mouse cursor, click, scroll with keys, pressing another modifier.
Also you can assign macros to keys. I have little use for it, but people playing games, or people using certain unergonomic software, appreciate it a lot.
This one of the main reasons I switched to an "ortho" keyboard. I use a left-hand modifier key to change uio jkl m,. into a number pad, meaning I can keep my hands near the home position and still crank out numbers just like I do with the number pad. I also kept the actual number pad around too, so I don't have to hit any modifier if I need one-handed number entry.
You can use home row keys JKL; as arrow keys with a thumb right alt as a modifier (or a long hold space), that beats having to move your hand to an unergonomic cluster
Initially I only used the left-hand modifier keys.. then figured this is pretty terrible for the hand, requiring a bunch of stretching. I tried to use the opposite-hand modifier after that.
Now, I use a custom keyboard, so that I can avoid using my pinky finger as much, and can put the modifiers on the home-row.
For emacs, I've found that putting the modifier keys on home row works well. i.e. tapping the key works as normal, and holding the key acts as Alt/Win/Ctrl/Shift.
An advantage to doing things this way is reducing hand movement/stretching.
Another advantage to that technique is it'd work with pretty much any keyboard. (Even keyboards which have large spacebars).
I've tried this, but I just can't get it to work nicely. I type rather quickly and often overlap my key presses, so if the first key is on the home row then it gets ignored and the second becomes modified instead. I really don't have any trouble reaching just outside the rows to hit the mods, either.
I make it a point to always press the modifier key with my other hand to reduce finger contortions. For pressing multiple modifiers, I take my hand off of home row to avoid using my pinky. (I also use a ortho-linear mechanical keyboard with thumb clusters and a Colemak-DH layout.)
If you need to hit modifier keys a lot on a normal keyboard, move your whole hand and press them with your index and middle fingers together, instead of using your pinky.
Modifier keycombos are often harder to use than simple keypresses. First of all because it involves two hands (if touch typing) and second of all because you have to coordinate the hands so that you type the combo in the right order (e.g. control before C).
“But the home row.” Right. And that’s sometimes a plus. But (1) moving your hands a bit is often not a big deal (unless you have to go back and forth a lot—then I think it’s a drag), and (2) even if things like using the (F key layer) arrow keys might be comfortable, it might not be comfortable to have to use yet another modifier key in order to use common functions like move-by-word (e.g. Ctrl+Left) or even move-and-mark-by-word (Ctrl+Shift+Left).
It’s not an objective win either way. So you definitely cannot just say that it “isn’t a big deal” as if having to use another layer has no cost associated with it.
I’m fairly certain they’re talking about creating an actual numpad layer on ur keyboard (which I also have), exactly so digits aren’t on the opposite side of the keyb. Mine is triggered by holding down esc/caps lock with my left, while my right is typing on the “numpad”
Personally I find it easier to push a single key that's slightly up above the number row, than have to press both a modifier and a key in the lower right corner of the keyboard.
This also gives me more freedom for window-management key shortcuts.
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