In the default Atreus layout, on Layer 2 the C,V, and N keys are disabled rather than transparent. Why those keys in particular, and no others? It doesn’t seem disastrous if I accidentally type “c” while using the arrow keys, for example.
Obviously I can change them to fit my needs, I’m just wondering what the reasoning is and what I’m missing.
While I’m not the author of the default layout, I believe that the primary reason is precisely what you listed: to avoid accidentally typing other keys. While typing c accidentally while pressing the arrow key may not sound disastrous, it is pretty annoying when you’re navigating a menu, and pressing v jumps you to a completely different place. Or if you want to press Ctrl+Right, and you accidentally end up with Ctrl+v, that’s similarly not a good experience.
Why aren’t other keys blocked? Because typically, arrow keys are often held, while PgDn usually isn’t, for example. Accidentally holding Ctrl+v instead of Ctrl+Right is not something I’d wish to do.
For a default layout, safety is a big thing, and the blocked keys accomplish that quite well.
I also configured the Atreus to use the same keyboard layout as the model 01, as close as I could get it
I added pictures of the keyboard layout to the Readme of that GitHub repository, so I could quickly refer to the layouts if I forgot where the keys were.
I have used the thumb keys to switch layers and have included a locked to to the current layer and move to layer 0 on each of the layers.
I use the Atreis keyboard mostly when I’m sitting on the sofa to use my laptop, so I’m not doing anything urgent. this gives me a relaxed pace to become familiar with the keyboard layout.