I use a 40% (corne specifically) for full time dev work. I use (neo)vim so I don’t really need any of the keys you mentioned apart from some function keys, for which I only have to hold one modifier and having them closer to the home row is much more comfortable.

I use a 40% (corne keyboard specifically). Before that I had a 60% (Redrafon K530). Neither is bad but I prefer my crone for typing and programming by a LONG shot.

When you look at it it seems like a 40% would be too small for typing, but in reality it’s much more efficient because you have layers, so for example with one button my right hand is now standing on a numpad, and with a different button it’s symbols, both of which are much harder to reach on a 60% or even a full sized keyboard. This (and other videos from this guy) pushed me over the edge to build my own keyboard, and I’m really glad I did.

Edit: since you asked about arrows on my keyboard you press a button and esdf become arrows. Why not wasd you might ask, and the answer is that esdf is just like wasd but in the position where your hand is resting when typing.

Posting as I don’t really use splits despite owning a few, but I do use a large selection of 40s and 30s as my daily drivers for coding.

Past week I have been using my Equinox as I got bored with how big my Equinox XL is, I just wasnt using the right side of it past ;, I wanted the same aesthetic but smaller.

I regularly use a QAZ and I have a number of V4N4G0Ns that I use more often. I have another 40 or so boards that I use a lot less regularly, mostly because they simply have too many keys for me or I just do not like the layout in practice. This is the big thing with 40s, way more variation in layout, much easier to find something that fits your particular usage style.

The trick is to make use of layers as much as possible, and theme your layers around the task that you are trying to accomplish. For example, if you regularly use a numpad now, create a locking layer (plenty of ways to do this in QMK) that has the same layout as a numpad. I have a layer that is just for my window management in Sway.

The other trick is to move your most common symbols, actions, F keys, etc. to the home row on those layers and only the most used. Making your most used keys that you would normally be reaching for much more accessible. The big thing I aim for is moving my hands less. A full sized board you have to move your hands all the time, on a 40 I only move to use my track ball.

I use a corne (low profile) and it works great.

It is all about setting up your layers so you have everything you need easily accessible.

I use an ergodox, which is about a 60% although there are dedicated cursor keys in non-standard positions. It’s fine, every f-key is one extra keystroke away.

Using vim (actually Helix for me) also helps, home and end are accessible but they’re really not something I press often.

I’m joining the choir of Corne-users here. I use one both at home and at work. I recently completed my PhD amd wrote the entire thing including code on a corne. Apart from the deadline induced stress it was a very pleasent experience, at least to type.

I’ve been using a Corne-ish Zen at work for a couple years now. It’s a split 3x6 grid (columnar staggered) with three thumb keys on each half.

Numbers are home row with a left thumb modifier, symbols are home row with a right thumb modifier. F-keys the row above with the same modifiers. Navigations is yet another modifier (holding down semicolon actually), with IJKL for arrows, H for home, N for end.

Everything is either zero or one keys away and zero or one layers away.

I have a Kyria too, as another poster mentioned. But I wanted to try low profile choc switches and prefer them for work. BLE is pretty nice too.

I use a Happy Hacking Keyboard 2 for programming, love it so much. Just rebind your caps lock to a modifier of your choice (I like control)

I use a 60% for literally everything. It’s my only keyboard. If I had more keys, 99.9% of what I’m doing would be on these keys anyways.

I’m often using vim-style navigation in editors, which is designed to minimize the need to move your hands off the home row in the first place.

When I do need arrow keys, I hold a modifier key and my hjku keys become arrow keys. For gaming I can toggle the arrow keys on so I don’t need to hold another key the whole time.

I wouldn’t say I have a wildly complex setup. There are very few custom keybinds that I use regularly and need.

Anyway here’s my current setup, I’m interested to see everyone else’s too! I assume everyone’s more into the group-buy kind of keyboards here but that business model is honestly insufferable as a casual enthusiast, got silent switches cause I couldn’t really open up/mod this bad boy and I still work at an office

Thanks for asking this question. Responses here helped me decide to get a Kyria split keyboard. Who even needs a number row?

The largest keyboard I use is a 65% and I regularly use my smaller 60% also.

I used to have a Vortex Core 40% that I used as my daily driver. Took a few weeks to get used to the extra layers, but once I practiced with it, I became as natural to type on as any other keyboard.

I think 65% is my favorite size, or a modified 60% with arrow keys. Once I went tenkeyless in college, I could never go back. Smaller and smaller is my life now.

I have a 36 key split keyboard. Smaller keyboards usually have thumb clusters so your thumbs can do more than just press space and that means having extra “shift-like” layers at your thumbtips. You can have these layers be one shots, holds, toggles. Whatever is best for you. And that’s what’s so good about the custom keyboard shit, you can make it work exactly for you.

My thumb keys are backspace, shift, space and enter with an extra two for two separate layers. One is symbols and numbers, with me putting the more common programming symbols where my fingers lie naturally, and the other is navigation and function keys. It’s great.

I’m now much more productive as beforehand a standard fill size qwerty keyboard for the amount of work I did was starting to do damage to my hands. I don’t get as much pain anymore now that I’ve downsized and no longer need to stretch my fingers out to hit ; = / () and the like

Thanks everyone for the detailed answers, interesting to know that it’s mostly key bindings and vim shortcuts. Really the answer is you lot are a whole lot more efficient in your dev workflow than I am. Thing is I still have senior devs coming by and helping me with debugging etc. so I doubt I’ll be going the smaller keeb/vim route cause they’ll rip on me to no end

Developing on emacs with a planck (40%) and a custom layout. Mostly one layer for less usual symbols, one layer for movement (up down pg up etc) and one layer for numbers and f keys.