How easy is it to go back to using staggered keyboards?
I’ve been tempted to switch to ergo, but I’m worried about being able to still use laptops effectively.
I use both regularly, no big issue switching. Don’t worry.
Initially there was a difference for me, but now I can switch from one to another without a problem if I need to work on laptop keyboard for some reason.
You’ll be fine. Just be patient as your muscle memory adapts.
I have three different kinds of keyboards. Regular, Alice and split ergo with columnar stagger. It always takes a little while to get back to speed when I switch boards. But I think that the layouts are different enough so that a distinct muscle memory forms for each one. I guess that the most important thing is that you should be fairly proficient with touch typing on a regular board before trying a different layout. If you are still in the phase of learning, I imagine that it gets really frustrating.
Your brain is way more adaptable than you think. I go between 3 or 4 different keyboard layouts regularly and can use them all just fine. I think the secret is just to force yourself to recall locations from memory even if it takes a moment, only look up the layout if you are totally stuck. It’s also kinda fun to see how weird of a layout your brain can get used to. E.g. one-handed layouts, morse code, stenography etc.