'Plum' computer keyboard layout

Sections

  1. Summary
  2. Changes from other layouts
  3. Similarity to other layouts
  4. Scores
  5. Comparison to other well-known layouts
  6. Finger based metrics
  7. English Word-based analysis
  8. Comparison to other layouts (word metrics)
  9. English heat map
  10. Programming Code (all languages) heat map
  11. Most common English bigram pairs
  12. Most common Code bigram pairs
  13. Typing lessons
Canonical nameplum.en.matrix
Form factorSlab : Matrix
'Author'Debra L. Woods, modified and captured by Ian Douglas
Author data may not be correct, we're working on it.
Keys horizontally staggeredNo
Letters on thumb (lower and upper case)0
Avoids AltGr for standard charactersNo
Does not move non-character keys (ANSI/ISO)Yes
Maintains QWERTY 'shift' pairsNo
Maintains QWERTY top row (ANSI/ISO)Yes
Uppercase on same keyNo
Conventional home keys, fingering, Space, Enter, Shifts, AltGrNo
Maintains QWERTY ZXCVNo
Maintains Colemak punctuationNo
Vowel handBoth
Vowels and tricky charactersLeft hand: AELORUaeloruRight hand: CHIWYchiwy

Click image for larger view

plum.en.matrix


Download the Keyboard Layout Analyzer .json file.

Scores

Scores are percentages relative to the best layout for each metric.
MetricPercentage
Finger-based metrics52.63
Word-based metrics69.87
English46.81
Code72.55
Proglish55.99
Words metric for no same-finger69.87
Overall score58.38

All layouts (711)

MetricLowestLowest scoreplum.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersnoel.en.ansi26.6152.63
vckb2.en.ergodox98.50
Wordsnoel.en.ansi18.2169.87
snth.en.matrix100.00
Averagenoel.en.ansi23.8158.38
vckb2.en.ergodox97.42

Overview compared to all other layouts

plum.en.matrix plum.en.matrix

ANSI layouts

Ergo layouts

All Ergo (133)

MetricLowestLowest scoreplum.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersqwerty.en.ergodox41.7252.63
vckb2.en.ergodox98.50
Wordsneo2-us.en.ergodox65.2369.87
snth.en.matrix100.00
Averageqwerty.en.ergodox51.2558.38
vckb2.en.ergodox97.42

Overview compared to all other Ergo layouts

plum.en.matrix plum.en.matrix

Ergo layouts

All Ergo, uses AltGr (72)

MetricLowestLowest scoreplum.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersgupta-whrl.en.matrix50.7752.63
maks-ex.en.ergodox93.45
Wordsneo2-us.en.ergodox65.2369.87
hands-down-vibranium-ts.en.ergodox98.83
Averageplum.en.matrix58.3858.38
maks-ex.en.ergodox95.06

Overview compared to all other Ergo layouts, uses AltGr

plum.en.matrix plum.en.matrix

Ergo layouts, uses AltGr

All Ergo, no letters on thumbs (86)

MetricLowestLowest scoreplum.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersqwerty.en.ergodox41.7252.63
x1.en.ergodox90.48
Wordsneo2-us.en.ergodox65.2369.87
uciea-vanilla.en.ergodox98.42
Averageqwerty.en.ergodox51.2558.38
x1.en.ergodox92.06

Overview compared to all other Ergo layouts, no letters on thumb

plum.en.matrix plum.en.matrix

Ergo layouts, no letters on thumb

Comparison to other well-known layouts

plum.en.matrix plum.en.matrix

colemak-thumbshift.en.ergodox

mtgap-thumbshift.en.ergodox

dvorak.en.matrix

maltron-us-90.en.ergodox

qwerty.en.ansi

Best Ergo

snth.en.matrix

vckb2.en.ergodox

Worst Ergo

azerty.fr.iso

neo2-us.en.ergodox

Finger based metrics

Finger based metrics, as determined with Keyboard Layout Analyzer, using KLAnext scoring model, and then normalised to ANSI QWERTY = 100.
Lower is better.

English

RankLayoutScoreDistanceSameFingerSameHand
Bestvckb2.en.ergodox41.0041.0531.9359.05
This layoutplum.en.matrix87.5857.0588.54146.71
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi100.00100.00100.00100.00

Programming code

RankLayoutScoreDistanceSameFingerSameHand
Bestx1_atreus-44-keys.en.ergodox54.5034.5661.2880.83
This layoutplum.en.matrix75.1241.6584.30123.68
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi100.00100.00100.00100.00

Proglish (an 80:20 English:Code mix)

RankLayoutScoreDistanceSameFingerSameHand
Bestvckb2.en.ergodox47.0841.5043.7464.91
This layoutplum.en.matrix84.0852.7186.93141.12
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi100.00100.00100.00100.00

Overall Fingers score (4 * English % + Code % + Proglish %) / 6

Higher is better. Score is out of 100.
RankLayoutPercentage
Bestvckb2.en.ergodox98.50
This layoutplum.en.matrix52.63
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi44.26
MetricLowestLowest scoreplum.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Overall fingersnoel.en.ansi26.6152.63
vckb2.en.ergodox98.50

English Word-based analysis

Home Keys Analysis

The Home Keys for this layout are shown with red dots in the first image above, giving the following letters:

adehirst

Home key common words

Not part of final score.
Which of the 200 most common words are typeable on the home keys.

Words handledWords not handled
the a that is as it i his at he are had this their her has she its there said these did see three here set of and to in was for with on be by from not which have or were an but you they all been one will who would more up can him so out into we when them about other than time no if some only also first could two my what over such do may me any like then after very most new made your people now between should where years many being our before through much way work those well down back just even because own little make must good under man used both same how still while use last too life against know year each us get mr take long part off go day might great never found old gbp right another place came during again without come world men end upon think later say few left number away thought until home small different system though around since often called within always every need went

Home key words

How many of the 30,000 most common words in the English corpus are typeable on the home keys.
Not included in final score ... layouts with letters on thumb have unfair advantage, and it punishes layouts which opt to keep O and U off the home row.

Home Key lettersEnglish words typeableScoreLongest wordExample
adehirst685283911hairdresser

Word count
Word length

No same-finger words

How many of the 30,000 most common words in the English corpus can be typed without using the same finger twice.

Home Key lettersEnglish words typeableScoreLongest wordExample
adehirst14822322319massachusetts-based

Word count
Word length

Word metric comparisons

MetricLowest exampleLowest scoreplum.en.matrix scoreHighest exampleHighest score
Home keys wordstahan.en.ansi42839
hands-down-platinum-ts.en.ergodox6068
No same-finger wordsnoel.en.ansi8403223
snth.en.matrix4613
Words averagenoel.en.ansi18.21 %69.87 %
snth.en.matrix100.00 %

Comparison to other layouts

plum.en.matrix plum.en.matrix

colemak-thumbshift.en.ergodox

mtgap-thumbshift.en.ergodox

dvorak.en.matrix

maltron-us-90.en.ergodox

qwerty.en.ansi

ANSI layouts

Ergo layouts

Best Ergo

hands-down-platinum-ts.en.ergodox

snth.en.matrix

Worst Ergo

neo2-us.en.ergodox

azerty.fr.iso

Heat map

English heat map

plum.en.matrix

Programming Code (all languages) heat map

plum.en.matrix Note: Colour change points are different in the Code heat map due to the different character frequency distribution.

Ten most common English bigram pairs (excluding space and enter)

( er ht eh in an it no en es at)
plum.en.matrix

Ten most common Code bigram pairs (excluding space and enter)

(er in en et ar el es or st at )
plum.en.matrix

Typing lessons

Download some English words suitable for learning the layout.
Note if any files are empty it's because there are not enough words to create a lesson. This is most noticeable in the bad layouts.

Week 1Homekey words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 2No same-finger words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 3Common / tricky words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 4Pangrams Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 5So you think you can type? Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 6Extra practice 1: Common words in text Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 7Extra practice 2: Lorem ipsum and friends Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 8Extra practice 3: Underused words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 9Extra practice 4: Commonly misspelled words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5