Laptop with an ortholinear keyboard

3 min read Original article ↗

I never quite got used to my Planck keyboard, and I'd never get used to this, either. But isn't the OLKB ortholinear keyboard for the modular MNT Reform laptop just uncannily perfect? The absurd simplicity and symmetry of it. Like a hastily-drawn computer console in the background of a comic-book villain's lair.

The laptop itself is a marvel of open-source design—too chonky for me, always on the go—that has zigged in excelsis where everyone else has zagged. Just about every part can be swapped in an out, not just its mechanical keyboard! Phil Hagenberg got one.

Overall I'm thrilled with this laptop. It's available both as a DIY set which needs some assembly (just screwing things together and plugging connectors; no soldering) and as a prebuilt laptop, but honestly if you're anywhere near the target market for the Reform, you're probably going to enjoy the assembly process and are best off skipping the pre-assembled option. In the end the Reform is a powerful antidote to the user-hostile trends which have prevailed in computing over the past decade or so, and if you're anything like me and you don't mind a little tinkering, I can't recommend it enough.

And here's some details on the OLKB ortholinear option:

"Like the original keyboard, it uses Kailh Choc switches and lasered MBK keycaps," Humbert wrote.

"A compatibility keyset will be paired with the kit, allowing you to use the keycaps that came with the original to save on costs. Full keysets will also be available. Both keysets will feature extra keycaps for customisation."

As well as being compatible with the MNT Reform laptop, the OLKB ortholinear keyboard will be usable as an external USB device through installation into the MNT Keyboard chassis. It is designed to take a stock MNT Reform keyboard as a means of providing continuity between devices for those working on both an MNT Reform and a traditional desktop.