Programming is naturally going to require a lot of typing since we haven’t yet reached the Star Trek level of being able to program simply by verbally telling the computer what to do. With a ton of typing, it’s natural to want a keyboard that has a solid layout, good material quality, no cramping, and having just the right number of keys to accomplish what you want to do.
While some aspects of your keyboard will be universal for almost everyone who codes, in some cases, you’re going to want to adjust for your individual comfort. The amount of noise the keys make, the distance the keys travel when pressed, and the specific arrangement of the keys relative to your fingers and wrists are all going to be important to how you individually type.
The Wired and Wireless Debate
Some programmers adore anything that smacks of high tech, whether it’s necessarily the most practical choice for their setup or not. The people who love a wireless keyboard enjoy the clean interface of being able to move their keyboard anywhere without having a cord that can get caught up on something else. This can be practical if you use a larger desk, or if you like to move around the room while you code simply because you can only sit still for so long.
On the other hand, a wired keyboard does carry some advantages of its own. The wire isn’t going to carry the potential for the lag that a wireless signal can, and the wire carries the electricity the keyboard needs. This means you won’t have to be concerned about a low battery either needing to be charged and causing you to lose productive time, or not properly sending its signal to your computer.
Also Read: iMac Keyboards You Must Choose for Your PC
Just the Right Number of Keys
There’s a golden mean to the number of keys on the best keyboard for programming, with there being a balance between too much clutter versus not enough of the keys you need. In almost every case, you’re going to want a full ten-key number setup, simply because these are useful in so many applications. Not having them tends to lead to a keyboard that’s too compressed to be comfortable to use.
On the other proverbial hand, you’re also going to want there to be a few of the “extra function” keys as possible, since these tend to be distracting and are too easy to press accidentally. It can disrupt your entire workflow when you’re coding, and accidentally open a new browser window or another program because your finger slipped for a split second.
The Keys Themselves
Often, it’s useful to try out the kind of keyboard you’re thinking of getting. Different keyboards register the keystrokes in different ways, including how deeply a key needs to be pressed. While this may sound like a tiny issue, across the millions of keystrokes you’ll be using in your programming, it can make a huge difference.
