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Everything about Keyboard layout

Arrangement of keys on a typographic keyboard

A keyboard layout is any specific physical, visual, or functional arrangement of key switches, legends, or key mapping (respectively) of a keyboard. Layouts are used on computer keyboards, for virtual keyboards, or other typographic input devices. Standard layouts vary depending on their intended writing system, language, and use case. Some hobbyists and designers create alternative layouts to better suit individual preferences or to extend functionality. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Keyboard layoutA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: A Haptic Braille Keyboard Layout for Smartphone ApplicationsInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Modern Operating SystemsThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Why Alphabetic Keyboards Are Not Easy to Use: Keyboard Layout Doesn't Much MatterCited 97 times
  5. Go sideways: QWERTYA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: AZERTYA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun Any specific physical, visual, or functional arrangement of the keys or legends of a computer keyboard, mobile phone, or other device.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Key types
  2. History
  3. Physical, visual, and functional terminology
  4. Conventional Latin-script
  5. Other Latin-script
  6. Non-Latin phonetic scripts
  7. East Asian languages

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics