Halmak – the AI designed keyboard layout

Halmak Keyboard Layout

This is an AI designed keyboard layout that was built within the keyboard-gentics project. More details and a documented process can be found in this blog

Features

• Build based on the real world hand movements analysis
• Nearly maximal possible typing efficiency
• Very low overall fingers movement distance
• Very low same finger / same hand usage overheads
• Very low overall horizontal hands movement
• Highly symmetrical design that accounts for individual fingers strength
• Designed with the modern, web based English in mind

Comparisons

During the research I've identified the following results: in terms of efficiency

• QWERTY - 0% (base line)
• Dvorak - +77%
• Colemak - +84%
• Workman - +101%
• Halmak - +134%

Please refer to this article for the more detailed breakdown of the results.

All scripts are opensourced and can be verified in the keyboard-gentics repository.

The Name

The name is a combination of HAL-9000, as a reference to the layout being designed by an AI. And, Dvorak as a gratitude to Mr. Dvorak for his dedication to the layouts optimizations process. The letter m in between is just to make it sound nicer. Or is it!?...

Installation

• Git clone all the stuff somewhere
• Copy Halmak.bundle into your /Library/Keyboard Layouts folder (create if it is missing)
• Sign out, Sign in
• Go to the keyboard preferences and add the Halmak layout
• Ask here in issues if nothing works

Learning

There is an unofficial support module for the TypeFu app that provides support for the Halmak layout:

halmak-typefu

Copyright & License

Again, I'm not sure if there is a point to this. But I guess it's MIT.

Copyright (C) 2016 Nikolay Nemshilov

from Hacker News https://github.com/MadRabbit/halmak