Previous framework was 3:2, not 16:9 so there isn't a ridiculous amount of width. But yes, a vertical column of dedicated keys is a decent compromise that doesn't shift the keyboard over much. I had that on an older luggable.

You don't have to shift the keyboard over at all. That can stay centered and there's room for a 2x3 block of edit keys plus an inverted-T with full height up and down arrows. All it takes is willingness to be a leader instead of a follower copying one company's misguided minimalism-at-all-costs.

Because of the screen ratio, there's simply no space to do that on a Framework 13, without reducing key spacing: there is almost exactly 1 cm of space between the last keys and the actual edge of the frame.

On the Framework 16, I wouldn't be surprised if someone makes that: it looks like the design would accommodate a left/right-hand side narrow input module with the keyboard still centred.

I'd prefer inverted-T with half height keys and use fn as a modifier for pgup/pgdn/home/end. Don't really need insert or delete though, but there's already a key for that.

Interesting. Having two columns sounds like it could work pretty well, thanks for throwing out another alternative.

Can you give an example of what keys you mean by this?

Maybe you mean an 85-key "75% keyboard". It's a popular request on the frame.work community discussion of "The keyboard".

On keyboard layouts like Framework's, I still have trouble trying to touch-type the right control key with my ring finger-nail. I prefer a "75% keyboard" with an navigation/editing column which provides room for the right ctrl key further right. (And full size arrow keys. And makes shift-End easy for selecting rest of line.)

Maybe we can hope a Kickstarter keyboard maker will make a Framework version in a few years. Main limitation is the thinness, only 3.7mm.

If they're using qmkesque firmware you could start programming some interesting new layers to give you functionality like this. I used to require a full sized keyboard so I'd have all this functionality like home and end keys and stuff, and then I started using keyboards with qmk and similar, and now I have all sorts of layers and macros and etc and I seriously can never go back.

The firmware is QMK: https://github.com/frameworkcomputer/qmk_firmware Will be upstreamed before launch.

You say "will" rather than hedging that you'll issue PRs and see if they get upstreamed. Have you all been in conversations with Jack Humbert and co?

I tend to favor left control, and right shift myself... discovered this using a KB where the up arrow was at the edge of the right shift, most annoying keyboard to type on ever... all of the sudden my typing is in the middle of already typed text. If typing while looking at something else, I'd see a garbled mess too often.

Do you have very large hands or a narrow keyboard? On a normal 85-key "75% keyboard", I cannot reach the up-arrow key with my pinky while the rest of my fingers are on the home keys.

I've had similar cursor problems with those keyboards that have page-up and page-dn next to the up-arrow key. Just a little finger displacement when trying to left-arrow and the cursor is suddenly inserting my subsequent typed text far from the intended location.

The keyboard I'm referring to was small, like htpc use. My desktop uses a full keyboard and I've brought one with me for laptop use before.

And my hands are a little big. Not crazy big though.

Also height of keys. I don't understand the rush towards thinner and thinner that killed the more reasonably higher-keys keyboards.I don't need a 1mm laptop, I need a laptop I can comfortably type in.