To be fair I am planning on putting them back at some point.
I'm working on a core 18-key layout that I can expand anywhere up to 34 keys, so I have a consistent layout that I can use on some of the unibody split keyboards that are usually in that range of keys.
Eh, I don't get it at all so I can't judge. I feel like even a 104 key-layout is kinda lacking, a keyboad just doesn't seem like the right place for minimalism to me.
I totally agree. I was focusing on getting the positioning of symbol layers and such right, and I wanted that to be independent of the number of thumbkey so when I add thumbkeys back in (say for weteor/grumpy) the core layouts will remain the same.
Personally I'm not sure it's worth it longer term. 5x3+2 is my preference but I'm doing this to sort my layers so I can try some of the unibody split keyboards that have less keys to go round.
Yeah I'm doing it to establish a common layout for my symbol / number / navigation layers more than anything else, so I can expand from there to some 28 and 30 key keyboards as well as the Ferris Sweep with some consistant muscle memory.
This is mine (I have few changes tho) if you want some inspiration :) it's 34 based on Canary layout.
I really love small format but I struggle with chords misfiring. But it's a good mix of one shot (shift and symbol layer) with hold (navigation) layers. I think I couldn't go lower without sacrificing typing speed.