What is the best layout for web developer ?

[Jérémy Richard]

Hi there, I own a TypeMatrix 2030 but I'm still using the AZERTY layout. It's been a year now and I'm kind of sick of it because both < and > are hard, even painful, to reach with my left hand.

I wonder what is the best alternative :

• US DVORAK
  
• UK DVORAK
  
• WORKMAN
  
• COLEMAK
  
• BÉPO
  

I code with PHP (Symfony), JavaScript (React), HTML (Twig), CSS (Sass, Compass) and occasionally Bash, Makefile, Python, Arduino.

I also need to type in French, hence the BÉPO listed above, so having é, è , ç and à quickly available is a huge plus.

Thank you very much.

[Robin Devouge]

Hi!

I'm in the same case than you and I recently made a lot of searches to find out, so I finally decided to switch to BEPO which IMO is the most suitable because :

• DVORAK and BEPO layouts both look more suitable and since I develop in english DVORAK made more sense to me at first BUT
• With DVORAK you totally lose the accented characters so a big no since I still use french 50% of the time
• brackets are well placed on both layouts so in a sense it is more a matter of personal preference and/or habits, same with punctuation
• I didn't consider COLEMAK or WORKMAN as they don't seem to be better to me than DVORAK and have the disadvantage to be even harder to find, plus they still miss accentuated chars

So in short if you still write a lot in french, BEPO looks the most promising, if it's in english, DVORAK should be slightly better with code (particularly Typematrix's layout in regard of brackets).

Though I didn't receive my new keyboard and just tried out BEPO a bit with stickers, everything I said is, for now, only theoretical and the use should prove me right or wrong (but any alternative layout will be better than azerty if you ask me).

TL;DR

If you mostly write in french : BEPO

If you mostly write in english : DVORAK

Cause : DVORAK seems slightly better but lacks accentuated chars

Hope this helps :)