

Ultimate Hacking Keyboard - smacktoward
https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/

======
zck
I own an Ergodox ([https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ergodox#tab-
description](https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ergodox#tab-description)). Here are
my thoughts and questions about this keyboard based on my experience with the
Ergodox.

1\. Does it require drivers to use a non-standard layout? If I want to
customize it, do I need drivers on the computer I use the keyboard on, or just
a program on the computer I do the customizations on?

2\. Can I map any key to any button? For example, can I move the Mod key to
the caps lock position, and place Enter where Mod is? I think you can; the
page says "How about swapping Space and Mod? Or any other crazy remapping
ideas? We've got you covered!"

3\. Why is the keyboard still laid out in the "traditional" way, with non-
vertical rows? Q should be directly above A, not offset.

4\. I want to be able to have more than four layers.

5\. How does layer switching work? Does pressing Fn go to the Fn layer, or are
layers (to use Jef Raskin's term) quasimodes, where releasing the Fn button
goes back to the Base layer?

6\. If I switch to the Fn layer, how do I get back to the Base layer?

7\. What if I want to press two buttons on the Fn layer in a row?

8\. Can I use it on Linux? Can I customize it there? Can I use the media keys,
and can I use application-specific keymaps?

9\. I hope you can save layouts, and quickly switch between them. Ideally
they're sharable.

~~~
mondalaci
Hi zck!

First of all sorry for the delayed response. Here are the answers:

1\. No drivers required. You only need Agent, the cross-platform configurator
application installed on your computer.

2\. Yes, these remapping scenarios are all possible.

3\. I've only used staggered layouts up until this point so it was natural to
me to design a staggered keyboard but I'm very interested in matrix keyboards
and we plan to design a matrix keyboard in the future if everything goes well.

4\. This might be possible. I'm not sure how much SRAM will be available after
implementing all the planned functionality.

5\. Layers are stateless, so you have to keep Fn pressed to use the Fn layer
and so on.

6\. Keymaps, however, are stateful, so you can permamently switch keymaps, not
having to keep any modifiers pressed. Hopefully this answers your question.

7\. The Ultimate Hacking Keyboard is a fully NKRO keyboard and it features
diodes in its key matrix so no ghosting will happen if that's what you are
worried about.

8\. Yes, you will be able to do all of this. As a matter of fact Linux is our
primary development platform.

9\. Yes, the keymaps and the layers of the keymaps along with all the other
configuration settings get permamently saved in to the EEPROM of the keyboard.
We also plan to make them easily sharable eventually.

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nathan_long
Looks neat. This also caught my eye:

"Following successful funding we will immediately open source the firmware,
the electronics design files and Agent under the General Public License,
version 3. We've already released the bootloaders and will also release the
mechanical CAD files within 5 years of the initial release."

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jdc0589
for those of you who like the idea but don't want to wait, check out the
ergodox. Similar, but slightly more ergonomic design (albeit with a steeper
learning curve). The firmware is already open source, and massdrop has an
AWESOME UI for building custom layouts and downloading the firmware for it.

Unfortunately no one really sells them pre-assembled though...Massdrop (and a
few other places) does group buys on kits regularly, with an option for
getting the more difficult components soldered up for a reasonable fee of $10
or so.

[http://ergodox.org/](http://ergodox.org/)

[https://www.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox](https://www.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox)

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kevsim
Looks cool except that I know using a mechanical keyboard will result in me
getting murdered by my colleagues in our open floor plan office.

~~~
mondalaci
There's some truth about this, although brown switches (which we'll also
provide) should not be so loud. :)

