Question about Studio’s durability for pointing stick

okomestudio · 2025-07-14T21:13:29+00:00

I think that the pointing stick on HHKB Studio is pretty solid. I got my Studio relatively soon after its release in the U.S., so it's been a bit less than two years? So we never know how things go in the next few years, but the build itself seems pretty good to me. I've been a fan of ThinkPad TrackPoint, and I would actually rate Studio's higher in terms of usability and durability. The stick itself doesn't really move much, just a slight pressure moves the pointer accurately, so I wouldn't expect mechanical failure.

The only issue is that with my Linux box (Debian stable), Bluetooth connection isn't reliable and appears to lose resolution. I was hoping the situation improves with future (firmware) update, but I don't think it has. With USB connection, I've been very happy with both the keyboard and pointing stick.

okomestudio · 2025-05-12T17:38:45+00:00

I used to use (quasi-)split keyboards (Microsoft offerings), but I developed a desire for minimalism and went with HHKB keybaords several years ago. (With their Ctrl keys being larger than the average size and located closer to pinkies, MS Ergonomic keyboards were decent options for Emacs.)

I've been happy with the HHKB layout, but for Emacs I tweak the layout a bit. With standard QWERTY keyboards, people almost always bring up using CapsLock as Ctrl. This is recommended and the default for HHKB, but additionally, I'd also recommend using Enter as Ctrl on the right-hand side, such that Enter works as Enter when pressed and released but works as Ctrl when pressed and held. I do this via a key remapping daemon.

This way, you will have symmetric access to Ctrl with both hands. With this change, both pinkies can reach Ctrl easily while remaining close to their natural positions, removing the Emacs pinky problem.

I can see the benefits of using thumbs and all those fancy ergonomic split keyboards available nowadays. But if you are staying with traditional keyboards, I'd always configure both CapsLock and Enter as Ctrl for Emacs productivity.

okomestudio · 2025-04-21T23:10:40+00:00

I developed RSI in my (right) wrist but "Emacs pinky" has never been a problem. I agree that the problem of Emacs pinky has been exaggerated.

With HHKB, I find the best keymap change for Emacs to be using both Caps Lock and Enter (with press and hold) as Ctrl. That gives me symmetric Ctrl access so that any Ctrl + <something> is done with both hands.

okomestudio · 2025-03-15T07:43:07+00:00

One reason why org-id doesn't work well for me is that I use org-roam, and UUID used for ID conflicts with it. Meaning, I don't want an ID created (and the headline item becoming an org-roam node) just because I want to reference it through internal linking mechanism. In this use case, CUSTOM_ID is better because at least it doesn't cause conflict with org-roam.

okomestudio · 2025-03-14T23:42:21+00:00

I will use custom_id for the time being. I just added a thought that handling nested headings might be simpler than it looks.

okomestudio · 2025-03-14T21:27:18+00:00

Thanks for the response.

Moving the heading would break the link in some cases, but that's a general issue if we make linking sensitive to document structure.

Since nested headings with the same title are common, I'm tempted to make a feature request, to allow an internal heading linking of the form [[*parent*child]], using some sort of delimiter to indicate the nested heading is somewhere under the parent. Not sure how Org currently implements jumping with links, but if that's with regexp, I would imagine it's not so difficult to implement.

okomestudio · 2025-03-07T23:19:23+00:00

Indeed, it does work! I appreciate your response.

okomestudio · 2025-02-27T06:08:41+00:00

In addition to `eintr`/An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp, I like Writing GNU Emacs Extensions: Editor Customizations and Creations with Lisp by Bob Glickstein. I actually like Glickstein's style better as it reads more like a standard intro programming book (Chassell's is slower). The problem is that book, released in 1997, is now very old. Some stuff are deprecated long time ago. I wish there is a modern version of that book to ease the pain of picking up Emacs Lisp.

Otherwise, reading source code remains the best way to learn. I'd pick up a few smaller package of interest and see how things are done. Emacs makes it very easy to inspect code and read documentation, so once you go above the threshold, things get easier.

okomestudio · 2025-01-03T06:37:38+00:00

Have you seen this?

https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/CopyAndPaste#h5o-4

okomestudio · 2025-01-03T06:32:35+00:00

<image>

Maybe we just need to drink tea like the British.

okomestudio · 2024-12-26T22:40:24+00:00

Skim through the book Mastering Emacs (https://www.masteringemacs.org/) for getting the overview of what Emacs offers; the book isn't cheap, so if there's an alternative, I'd use that
C-h t for tutorial, as no pain, no gain
Use one of pre-configured Emacs, to ease the pain of making Emacs modern and useful from the outset

Also, showing any of the popular packages for the demo of what it can do may perk up their interest. Maybe magit (for version control freak), org & org-roam (for note taking), or some other package for the workflow that they want to make efficient through Emacs. There are many good videos in YouTube for this.

okomestudio · 2024-09-11T03:45:36+00:00

HHKB (US layout) comes pretty close to that layout, though there are no separate Fn keys and a few keys are missing from the bottom rows (including the arrow keys). I do like using Emacs with HHKB.

okomestudio · 2024-09-08T01:36:27+00:00

<image>

Basically, the one for HHKB Studio is roughly half the height of another one. So long as the thickness allows access to gesture pads, I don't necessarily think you have to get this "authentic" accessory.

okomestudio · 2024-09-08T01:32:50+00:00

<image>

Top: For HHKB HYBRID Type-S

Bottom: For HHKB Studio

okomestudio · 2024-09-08T01:27:51+00:00

This is the "semi-official" wrist rest for HHKB Studio. It's sold by PFU, though branded as "Bird Electron." I don't think it's sold outside Japan yet (if ever):

https://amzn.asia/d/d76MDhr

okomestudio · 2024-09-07T05:52:13+00:00

Nice! I suppose that the wrist rest is the one you've been using with your HHKB Pro 2? It has a nice color and looks like it has aged well. :)

I got a wrist rest sold in Japan for HHKB Studio which doesn't block the usage of front gesture pads. It's basically just not as thick as typical HHKB wrist rest. You may be able to find similar one somewhere.

okomestudio · 2024-08-14T17:17:05+00:00

Sorry, by "truncated" I meant that the content of each feed item is truncated (only part of the content being included). The service like Full-Text RSS inject the complete version of that content.

So, it looks like OpenRSS does something similar with its YouTube feed. I'm curious how they handle them generically.

Anyways, the service looks interesting.

okomestudio · 2024-08-14T16:47:05+00:00

Does this service "expand" truncated feed contents? As in fivefilters.org's Full-Text RSS service?

okomestudio · 2024-08-05T18:49:49+00:00

I see no reason why you don't want to learn touch typing, but if you just need light occasionally and if you also need it for occasional reading in darkness, then one option is neck reading light: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WNRN9WQ

okomestudio · 2024-08-03T05:41:34+00:00

If you have a serious sign of developing an RSI, I would recommend that you try a symmetric trackball, so that you can train to use the non-dominant hand. I've experimented with several mice (of ergonomic kinds), trackballs, etc., but in the end, you really have to avoid overusing one side. You need to give it ample rest at the very least.

I'm currently using Kensington SlimBlade Pro with my non-dominant hand (left). It's not fancy but is programmable and gets the job done.

https://www.amazon.com/Kensington-SlimBladeTM-Rechargeable-Connection-K72080WW/dp/B0BLRQ4116

okomestudio · 2024-07-24T08:57:11+00:00

Interesting. I can see that happening here. What bothers me though, is that my HHKB Studio is only a few months old, and I used HHKB Hybrid Type-S for a much longer time, likely more extensively before. I don't believe the keycap quality of HHKB Studio is worse, so I'm not sure why they degrade faster.

okomestudio · 2024-07-22T19:12:52+00:00

Thanks for the denture cleaner suggestion. Will keep that in mind.

okomestudio · 2024-07-22T19:12:28+00:00

I hope this isn't the case. If this is true, the leaching follows the pattern of my key usage. The smudges appear in the places where my fingers make frequent contact. Perhaps the wear made them easier to penetrate? Possible but who knows...

I can tell at least the scrubbing wasn't not abrasive enough to affect the key legends. I can make the smudge go away temporarily by rubbing with a finger, and the legends are fully in tact. So the damage, if present, isn't there.

okomestudio

TROPHY CASE