KALQ keyboard layout

asked 2015-03-12 10:50:50 +0200

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In a few demo videos for the upcoming Tablet and Sailfish OS 2.0 I saw that Sailfish OS 2.0 will have a splitted keyboard in landscape view. This is actually a great idea to make typing with two thumbs easier. But the splitted keyboard still will have the classical QUERTY/QUERTZ layout. An alternative keyboard layout could enhance the usability of the touchscreen keyboard.

An international team of researchers of informatics has worked on alternative keyboard layouts to improve the usability with two thumbs. By simulations and tests they found the KALQ keyboard layout: http://people.mpi-inf.mpg.de/~oantti/KALQ/. It would be nice to have it as an option in Sailfish OS. Of course it should be optional, not the default setting, because it needs some time to learn. Also it is only optimized for the english language by now.

By the way there is still the open issue, that alternative keyboards aren't allowed in the official jolla store yet: https://together.jolla.com/question/1189/keyboard-layouts-possible-to-provide-in-jolla-store/. I hope that will change.

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I agree. Would be a nice optional feature and a nice eye-catcher.

PatsJolla ( 2015-03-12 12:04:46 +0200 )edit

I vote for it. Thanks for the article. The sheer idea is brain food. I want that keyboard, too!

lakutalo ( 2015-03-12 23:53:35 +0200 )edit

2

answered 2015-03-15 11:16:20 +0200

misc11

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https://together.jolla.co...

i think it should be extensible but NOT be available by standard because if this is added then why not:

Dvorak
Colemak
Velotype
Meier
MARSAN
Malt
de-ergo
Neo
Neo 2
Enti-Key++
Ristome

you see this becomes a bit much, and those are only the ones i know and mostly german alternative layouts! so please dont offer this by standard or else we will end up with an enormous pile to chose from. and everybody will want their own cool new idea in the list.

a possibility would be to have an additionaly official supported downloadable packet, where you can select which layout would be added to the normal layout list

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I would not want it as a standard keyboard layout either. But I don't think that would be Jolla's or was wanderer's intention. :)

lakutalo ( 2015-03-15 13:18:13 +0200 )edit

i dont mean standard as well... but as an entry in the list (standard list so to speak)

misc11 ( 2015-03-15 13:22:07 +0200 )edit

0

answered 2015-03-14 18:40:50 +0200

lakutalo

20555 ●168 ●261 ●264

updated 2015-03-14 21:25:20 +0200

Here comes a possible extension of your idea, as the keyboard is build upon the general setup of using English as primary or only language.

What about gathering the respective occurence of all letters by heuristic measurement? It could be done while using one's keyboard, separately for each language. Include probability of letter pairs being neighbours, to separate into opposite parts of the keyboard, left and right respectively. By analysing results, I am sure you could find the optimal XYZQ layout, best fitting for each language.

Let's make it dynamic. And then let's write another paper on that! :)

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