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> so many things are built with QWERTY in mind

I found this to be the biggest issue with using Colemak or any other alternative layout. I use my own computers exclusively so I had complete control over using my layout, but it just got so tedious having to rebind everything all the time and I would often run into games and programs where you couldn't rebind keys at all. Trying to rebind keys to work in a sane way in Emacs was an uphill battle that never ended.



I'm a Dvorak typist and I use AutoHotkey for rebinding. It works like a charm and you can configure program-specific bindings.

For a Linux alternative you can give IronAHK a shot. https://github.com/polyethene/IronAHK


Why not just buy a keyboard with a layout switch button. No program will force you to use qwerty if your keyboard manages layouts. But seems like no such a keyboard is out there. Couldnt find it on Google or Amazon.


The TypeMatrix has such a button (Dvorak Key). It remaps the keys at the hardware level. It's accessed with Fn+F1 and has a LED indicator on the left side.

http://typematrix.com/2030/features.php


Colemak actually puts Backspace where Caps Lock is. I've always swapped Ctrl and Caps Locks though and did it with Colemak as well.


You're right, it's been a while since I used it.




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