I have a DIY AMD FW13, and I’m generally pleased with it. I come from a ThinkPad background, and the FW13 keyboard is much better than I anticipated, with key exceptions.
One year in, I cannot get used to not having dedicated Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys. I’ve thought about reprogramming some other keys, but that’s not particularly intuitive or easy. I’m constantly getting a non-anticipated result when I try to go to the top of a document, select to the end of a document, etc.
I also very much miss having trackpad buttons. It’s just objectively easier to press those than try to get just the right pressure and duration on a trackpad click.
I’d love to see a replacement keyboard with those additions.
I came to FW largely because of the matte, 3:2 screen, and that is great (if lacking contrast). But I didn’t realize how much I’d come to rely on the above issues. I figured that a week or so would get me used to the change, just as with most keyboard issues. But these two items are making me think seriously about going back to ThinkPad, despite its many flaws, rather than making this FW my very long-term laptop. A new keyboard insert would solve the problem, and I’d be willing to pay decent money for it.
Has there been any consideration of such an insert?
Framework hasn’t talked about plans to create such an alternate keyboard. Personally, I think it’s kind of unlikely, but you never know. Note that Framework, like most companies, doesn’t release future plans or ideas they are working on until they’re ready / it’s far along and release is soon. So we wouldn’t know if they are planning it.
There has been work by a community member on fitting an actual Thinkpad keyboard into the Framework 16, and touchpads buttons. Bringing with it Thinkpad’s Home, End, PgUp, PgDn keys, and it’s trackpoint. No community member working on similar for the FWL13 that I’ve run across. The FWL13 would be more challenging.
If you’re on Linux you could do something like programming Ctrl + arrow keys for Home, End, PgUp, PgDn. Of course, not as nice as dedicated keys, but it’s pretty convenient and easy once it becomes memory. You certainly might be able to do it on Windows as well, I just don’t know a program for it myself, you need a key remapper that can do layers.
