What is your personal preference based on experience? I Assume because Mac is Unix and Linux is Unix based, it would be more suited, but I have no personal experience with the layout. I am willing to try something new if i hear enough merits for it, and I also find the windows layout somewhat inadequate(The grass is greener on the other side /s)
I dailydrive Gnome, I am not a programmer, but i am a power user
(On a tangent: Why is gnome so restrictive, it feels like its missing a ton of UI features that are trivial without a boatload of 3rd party extensions that break every update; why doesn’t Win+Shift+number launch a new instance, every other DE does, why doesn’t it?; I don’t use KDE because I just don’t like it, I feel Gnome could be way more if it just natively integrated the extensions ).
aesthetically the windows key annoys me and i hate putting stickers on keyboards; I like how the mac layout looks(My very minimal experience with an in store mac-book has cautioned me away from the fisher-price OS so i don’t know if it is intuitive to use)
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If you’re close to a Microcenter, they should have a bunch of “sample” keyboards so you can find the switches you want. Nowadays, you can even build your own keyboard with swappable switches, so you can have different switches for your WASD keys, if you’re into that…
What is a good price range to look into?
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Keychron is very expensive (you’re paying extra for the “slickness” factor of the board in my opinion), but so far the product is quality.
The optical switch has very linear travel. If you prefer a more tactile feel, the other option for switch might work a little better
Are they worth it(Last long)?
I’ve had several Keychrons and the only one that failed on me was due to liquid damage. I’ve had three of them and the original one I purchased for working on a Mac is still running strong with a few coffee stains. The second one I bought with a backlight lasted two years and died by my own hand. I have a new backlit one with a different set of keycaps and it’s been going strong for a year with no issues.
I tend to buy the wired C2 series which is the cheapest lineup. The great thing about Keychrons is that they are highly repairable and customizable by the user. You can replace keycaps, switches, and the keyboards are all designed to support both layouts with each requisite key included for Command and Windows. It can toggle to either OS via the flip of a switch, and you can attach the keycaps you prefer.
I use the Windows layout on all of my machines that run Linux, personally. You could easily keep the Windows configuration switch and just uh, replace the key I guess if that’s your aesthetic preference. I would probably do that if I were in your position. The keycaps are included and it’s not going to interfere unless you flip the switch.
A keyboard lasts as long as you make it last, in other words, until you spill a beer or coke on it… Even then there may be hope. I have a working IBM Model M from 1989 if that matters…
I have several perfectly working mechanical keyboards from the 80s, so I’d say, yeah they last long. That being said, I don’t necessarily think you’ll get decades from $40 mechanical keyboard like you can from an old school IBM, Alps, or Cherry MX keyboard. I mean, you may, but these keyboards were most than $40 back then and adjusted for inflation they’d not be cheap these days.
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The Mac keyboard layout was largely inherited from the Apple ][ and pre-OSX systems, which were non-Unix. The original Unix keyboard layout differs from both Mac and Windows layouts.
My recommendation? No. Don’t.
I’m an ex Windows user, current Linux and Mac user. Keyboard shortcuts on Linux are much closer to Windows conventions compared to macOS. I wouldn’t recommend using a Mac keyboard with Linux. I’d only recommend it if you want to use both Linux and macOS with the same keyboard (you will be happier in this case, because using macOS with a Windows keyboard sucks, vice versa).
If you don’t like the Windows key design, get a keyboard with a custom one.
Keyboard is keyboard as far as I am concerned. I’m using an old Microsoft Ergo 4000 V1 that I got probably 10 years ago. I have used this same keyboard on a Windows 10/11 install, multiple bare metal Linux installs and a MacBook Pro.
The only issue is the Command key as I recall on the MacBook but that can be remapped if I remember correctly.
Is the command key useful on Linux DE?
Cmd = super (Windows key on most keyboards)
Option = alt
Hummm… personal preference, but when I SSH into a linux server with my Mac… I totally hate the keyboard shortcuts… They are driving me crazy.
Windows keyboard shortcuts, feel more “native” and easier to use.
Can’t explain it, but while I used both, I totally hate the mac keyboard shortcut keys.
Doing something like
CMD + Option + bspthat reflects toalt + bspon windows… :/Huh, interesting. Since I got a Mac at work I have problems going back as command/alt + key feel a lot more natural than control + key.
I think it boils down to preference of thumb vs pinky. The ergo choice is thumb but the conditioned choice is pinky.
What’s the difference? the name of some keys? Layout is the same, no?
There’s no difference; a keyboard is a keyboard. Just grab one from the pile and plug it in.
I’m typing on a mac keyboard on Debian. USB one with the numpad. It’s fantastic if you’re into that.
The last time I tried to pair the magic mouse 2 though, no joy. I’d be wary of the bluetooth keyboard.
