I just stumbled on this. It’s also a 13.5" (pretty junk in a lot of ways, though), but… it’s proof that you can put a decent keyboard layout in this form factor.
PLEEEEEEEEAASE give us that keyboard layout! If we had that keyboard (and that screen, i.e. 3000×2000), I’d totally buy one of these. Without those features, however, it’s a major step backward from my current machine.
You mention elsewhere how the goal is to have something that can last 8-10 years. Well, a poor resolution screen and poor keyboard layout make for a machine I don’t want to use for 8-10 months, much less 8-10 years. Honestly, right now I’d be more interested in trying to put a framework mainboard into my aging Galago chassis, which got the screen and keyboard right. If you get those aspects right, I think it does make for a compelling case to want to keep the chassis and upgrade the innards. Unfortunately, while I love the concept and the ideals behind the company, right now I don’t find anything about the product compelling.
Other than not being ortholinear, what’s wrong with the keyboard? Obviously you’re after more traditional layouts but for a small laptop, what’s the issue with the one that ships with the Framework? Too big?
I came to post a thread asking for keyboard layout with full size arrow keys too!
My favourite layout has full height arrow keys, and a column of home, end, page up, page down on the right edge of the keyboard, rather like that dodgy amazon laptop linked. No one uses the right shift key (there’s even memes about it), feel free to tuck a 1x1 shift left or right of the ‘up’ key.
The Lenovo Yoga 700 14’ (which was the last laptop I purchased) is another good example.
Not going to touch the ortholinear debate . The example has full sizes arrows and dedicated home/end/pgup/pgdn. Basically, it has one more full column of keys. (I’ve seen quite a few requests for full-sized arrow keys.)
That’s probably a bit extreme, but it definitely doesn’t need to be 2½ keys big. Both our examples have a 1½ size right shift, which is perfectly fine. These examples are, in fact, a more-or-less standard, albeit far too uncommon IMNSHO, layout. I’ve seen other laptops with the same layout (including my current Galago). The dodgy Amazon one was notable because it manages that layout in the same form factor as the framework, whereas other examples are usually 14" 16:9.
I put that unpopular opinion in there because this is kind of a subjective topic. But to come in here ranting that you wish that Framework had shipped a merely decent keyboard, much less a good one, is a little hyperbolic.
you mention the screen and relate it to the 8-10 year life of the laptop… I don’t think you realize that the screen is easily user replaceable and they may come out with a higher res one to swap in in the future. The idea is you don’t have to throw the whole machine away to upgrade it, including the screen.
Please don’t treat anecdotes as gospel. I use my right shift key for capitalizing all keys on the left-half of my keyboard. And just because some people prefer full-sized arrow keys, doesn’t mean everyone does (I love the inverted-T arrow keys from Apple).
I do, but the current screen is for all intents and purposes unusable to me. I’m not going to buy in in the hope that it will be usable in the future.
No RJ-45 is also… seriously not good. But I have confidence they’ll address that. The screen and keyboard are the two things that would need to be addressed for me before I’d be willing to jump in. (And, yes, of those two I have more hope for the screen.)
Joined the forum to provide this feedback: I would 100% buy one of these laptops if a keyboard the row home-end-pgdn-pgup were available on a 13". I work in excel too often to need a fn button for this. Right now I’m stuck with HP, Asus or MSI. My HP is already giving me grief after 25 months, and I really love this idea, but I just can’t with the existing keyboard layouts.
Similarly, I swap my right shift key and the super key since I use super for a lot of window manager shortcuts (and I use my left shift for all capitalizing).
. The example has full sizes arrows and dedicated home/end/pgup/pgdn. Basically, it has one more full column of keys. (I’ve seen quite a few requests for full-sized arrow keys.)