The Linux nerds over at System76 have designed an open source mechanical keyboard that they plan to start making.
Aluminum, hotswap, with a very odd layout with an ugly top row that will make finding keycaps impossible. They plan to run custom dye sub XDA caps to fit the board…
IMHO a real open source keyboard would use standard size caps that I don’t need to buy from a specific vendor LOL.
Ever since somebody pointed it out to me (on a 75% maybe?) I haven’t been able to look at layouts that are row-staggered except for the function and number rows (so, where everything is staggered but the function and number row are in exact alignment). It just looks… off, to me.
I’m all down for some hotswap action, but that layout…is interesting. I’d like to know their decisions behind that. I mean, why not just a standard 75%?
Only thing which I can think of that kinda can explain many (but still not all) weird choices about this layout is that they would utilise it in their next-gen of laptops (which might be self-produced finally, instead of white label with customised software only).
If this is the case, it’ll remind me of this beast of a laptop.
They could’ve also gone with low profile mechanical switches instead. Kailh also made hotswap sockets for those, but you’d have fewer switch choices.
low profile switches feel like butt (not in a good way)
This layout is bad…it’s actually legit horrible.
I’m glad you clarified that b/c I’m totally a butt guy… and I was about to go buy 300 or so low profile switches
do they feel like butt lubed too? Need to get my “research” done on this one.
I’d be way more into a keyboard case for existing formats that compliments their towers.
Someone needs to come up with a pretty-routing plug-in for newbs (like me).
Good news is with all those standoffs screwed directly into an integrated plate it will have a very smooth and pleasant typing feel… lol.
This looks like somebody hand wired a keyboard and then took a picture of the wiring and dropped it into KiCad.
Someone needs to tell them NOT to do this. That layout is horrid.
Is it possible that while this is the “default” layout there will be support for a more “standard” 75% layout?
Having looked at this with fresh eyes it seems they have for no reason decided to avoid 1.25u keys. The steps are there because they are using all 1, 1.5, and 1.75u. I see no logical reason for this, but it is interesting in a bad way, lol.
Input Club PCBs are done quite the same way, not pretty but it does the job…
While I praise the effort of using Freecad for case design, what a pain in the butt it must have been…
I wish that this tool will one day be the Kicad for solid modelling, but it is not yet to this state.
Fusion360 is far more superior in term of ease of use and speed.
At least I can understand the open source effort
…
In the future if I ever need an argument against open source, this board will be a prime example…
Haha!
This is not a great open source exemple indeed 
We can hope the same team will come up with something better in the future.
