---
title: Keyboard-Layout
tags:
  - Experience
  - Opinion
categories:
  - Experience
  - Opinion
date: 2025-01-01
---

Since around 2006 i basically write only using the
[NEO2](https://neo-layout.org)-Layout. There are many advantages that are not
obvious to an onlooker right away.

Don't get me wrong. I still can type `QWERTZ` - just because you learn an
additional layout does not mean that you forget everything from before.

The secret sauce lies in the deeper layers. Especially layer 3 having all the
"hard to reach" things like brackets, braces, etc. right on the home row. And
the 4th layer is _magic_ for text-navigation. Left hand has the full navigation,
right hand has the complete Numpad - even on laptop-keyboards that are lacking
those.

For me as a person having the usual German Keyboard with AltGr this just means:

- Putting the thumb down on AltGr - it is above there anyway.
- Use left hand as normal arrow-keys (that work EVERYWHERE because they are just
  arrow keys)
- Also use Home/End/PgUp/PgDown/…

Before i always had to switch over or hope that a thing had support for vi-style
"hjkl".

That's why i also prefer [Neovim](./Editors.md) as my primary editor - just not
having to touch your mouse at any time for anything is such a godsend :)

Best thing: If you don't want to switch, there is also a "Neo-QWERTZ"-variant ..
where you can just try the deeper layers while not leaving your QWERTZ-layout
behind. But i have just seen and never tried it. Your experience may be sub-par.