Uncategorized – Randy Rydberg

I bought another Moonlander keyboard. I was finding that when working at home, my home computers’ more standard keyboard, (more standard than a Moonlander, anyway) a Logitech K860, was too different. Going back and forth from an ortholinear keyboard to a standard layout was a bit much. And, the Logitech took too much room. Going back-and-forth kept proving how much better ergonomically the Moonlander is, for the back as well as the hands. It’s best to have one standard in keyboard and stick to it.

It is amazing how fast it has been, all three of my Moonlanders each took just under a week to be customized and sent from Taiwan.

There is a new keyboard out to compete with the ZSA Moonlander, called the Dygma Defy, although it isn’t out until later this year. They have a non-ortholinear Moonlander-like keyboard called the Dygma Raise, and both are non-wired, have a different kind of tenting system and more LED action. The Defy has more thumb-keys, but I noticed the other day that this is at the expense of some of the lower keys up front that the Moonlander has, so it’s not added keys, just different placement. I’m curious about this board, even though the Moonlander is perfect.

I might try it out next year, but after the first batches have sold as I don’t need it right away and I’m sure it’s going to sell fast. If I don’t like it I can always sell it, these aren’t some standard mass-produced boards one can buy anywhere, they are quality keyboards with a lot of thought put into them.

Being able to choose from multiple switches for feel and sound, in addition to seemingly endless customization of the keys and placement of the board, it makes it very apparent that the majority of people are stuck in a standard that holds them back, and they don’t realize it. Just doing the same old thing over and over when there is a better way. Keyboards and layouts haven’t evolved to their best possible design, which is what the ZSA and Dygma keyboards have done.

I actually made it into a Micro Center for the first time, and they had this neat set of key switches so that one can test all available options for sound, resistance and feel. I’m set, with a quiet set for work, and loud, clicky ones for home.

It is just nice to have my keyboard needs taken care of. It’s been a while (I did a different post about this journey), but it has been more than a decade since Microsoft stopped supporting the board I’d been using for more than ten years, and I had to hack into Terminal to bypass the security features of the Mac OS in order to keep using the board with the correct placement of the Control-Option-Command keys so that I could navigate the Adobe Suite efficiently. Eventually, as the OS continued to be updated, this work-around was no longer possible and I was searching for the right keyboard to replace my trusty and cheap Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000. Finally, as of last year, I’ve settled in to a keyboard so much better than even that one, and it is so nice to actually enjoy typing, figuring out more efficient shortcuts and layouts, everything about the Moonlander is just great.

An odd thing, is that I have maybe ten of these. I found them over and over again at thrift stores for three bucks, and kept forgetting how many extras I had. I’ve actually taken one a part, there are twenty-five screws, two different kinds. Membrane keyboard. I’ll be selling all but one (I’m sentimental) at our upcoming garage sale. It’s like having fifty subscriptions to Vibe. (Office Space reference)