Best input device mod, device or software 2014

[webwit]

Please suggest nominees for the Best input device mod, device or software in 2014. You have to give a short motivation for each suggestion. The entry must have been made or released since November 2013.

By voting in the third round of this category, you can win Hyper prototypes from 7bit!

In this round you can earn multiple entries in the draws for voter prizes: if you are the first to suggest a particular nominee and the suggestion gets at least 5 votes in round 2, you get an extra entry in the draw for the prize by the sponsor of the related category. If your suggestion is voted as an official nominee and makes it to round 3, you get another extra entry.

The first round ends on Thursday 27 November, 00:00hrs UTC.

Current suggestions (this list is frequently updated):

• xwhatsit's Model F controller
• MC HCK controller
• hweller’s trackball-modded DataHand
• Hasu's last version of the HHKB BT module
• Tarmak layouts

[Halvar]

I'll nominate xwhatsit again, this year for his Model F controller. I'm not really sure about the date when it was available first, but it wasn't nominated last year, so I'll assume that it came out after the deadline.

The controller has helped people revive keyboards like the 4704 banking keyboards ("kishsaver" etc.) and other older terminal keyboards that were dead metal and are now amongst the most desirable keyboards for actual use on modern PCs.

With the nomination I'd also like to honour the continued work that xwhatsit has put into his open sourced software for his controllers during this year, both the firmware and the PC utility. The firmware got a whole new interrupt-driven architecture, and the usb utility now supports macro definitions.

Last but not least the fact that he open sourced everything and built several whole batches of readily assembled controllers for people.

[Muirium]

Yes, his controllers are quite magnificent. And improving even more at a fair old clip.

[mtl]

I'd like to nominate Keyboard Layout Editor, a great tool for designing custom keyboards!

I don't think it's new this year but I believe it's under active development and may not have been nominated before.

[matt3o]

The MC HCK controller, the super slim, inexpensive, open source controller https://mchck.org/

[Cherry1990]

Would be nice to have a direct link to nominated, for us, young, inexperienced enthusiasts...
I cannot nominate in this category but I would like to learn and get info.

[Nuum]

Since lowpoly has a working prototype of his Miniguru, I would like to nominate him for this award. I really like the idea of a integrated trackpoint in a keyboard, also I like the idea of the mouse switches in front of the spacebar and a capacitive switch under the spacebar as a FN key.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=7545
Also I'd like to nominate the Katy keyboard from vvp for his new approach to a ergonomic keyboard. While I'm not into ergonomic keyboards myself I think it didn't get the attention it deserved and I really like the progress he made with it.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=8524

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I'd like to nominate Keyboard Layout Editor, a great tool for designing custom keyboards!

I don't think it's new this year but I believe it's under active development and may not have been nominated before.

Sorry, this one is out — the current version is 0.10, released Nov 12, 2013. Too bad, as it should have got a nomination last year. ijprest's last post was 17 Dec 2013.

[ne0phyte]

I'd like to nominate Keyboard Layout Editor, a great tool for designing custom keyboards!

I don't think it's new this year but I believe it's under active development and may not have been nominated before.

Sorry, this one is out — the current version is 0.10, released Nov 12, 2013. Too bad, as it should have got a nomination last year. ijprest's last post was 17 Dec 2013.

Was about to post something regarding that. The last commit on the Github repo is from May 21 and the License says "Copyright 2013 Ian Prest" so nobody can even modify or extend the project.

[Findecanor]

The last commit on the Github repo is from May 21 and the License says "Copyright 2013 Ian Prest" so nobody can even modify or extend the project.

Technically, the line in the LICENSE that prevents modification is "All rights reserved.".
You can publish Open Source software that still carries your copyright.

[bazh]

I nominated hasu's controller for HHKB, which is in test for Bluetooth function, which makes a wireless HHKB came real.

[jacobolus]

Would hweller’s trackball-modded DataHand count for this category?
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41 ... msg1509793

[xwhatsit]

Thanks for the mention but I won last year! The Model F controller was just a rehash of the Beamspring. I nominate the XTant.

[Muirium]

Yup. The XTant deserves a prize or two. And is yet another thing powered by your work!

I nominated hasu's controller for HHKB, which is in test for Bluetooth function, which makes a wireless HHKB came real.

But was that this year? I'm sure I saw Hasu's HHKB BT longer ago than that. But if this is a new version, I guess…

Would hweller’s trackball-modded DataHand count for this category?
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41 ... msg1509793

Nice! I'm pretty sure it does: as the thread is from 2014. Quite a daring thing to do, since those are now so valuable!

[webwit]

Since lowpoly has a working prototype of his Mini Guru, I would like to nominate him for this award. I really like the idea of a integrated trackpoint in a keyboard, also I like the idea of the mouse switches in front of the spacebar and a capacitive switch under the spacebar as a FN key.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=7545
Also I'd like to nominate the Katy keyboard from vvp for his new approach to a ergonomic keyboard. While I'm not into ergonomic keyboards myself I think it didn't get the attention it deserved and I really like the progress he made with it.
Link: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=8524

Use Best self-build keyboard for these. The Mini Guru is from 2009 though.

[webwit]

But was that this year? I'm sure I saw Hasu's HHKB BT longer ago than that. But if this is a new version, I guess…

A quick search says it's from 2011, in which case I have to disqualify it.

[matt3o]

Hasu is working on a new version of the BT module for the HHKB.



he released this prototype this year (last month I believe). It definitely deserves a nomination.

[bazh]

The one I got in his current distribution is only rev.D (I registered for one when it was rev.B in developing) so this seems to be a new one apart from the 2011's, the difference is it now support HHKB JP I guess

[davkol]

I nominate Tarmak (also here), a transitional family of layouts designed for converting from QWERTY to Colemak. The steps were slightly changed for the better and lalop&DreymaR made a nice presentation for it earlier this year.