I'm not a true mechanical keyboard enthusiast. I mean I like a good keyboard for typing code, so I rolled with model-Ms in the 80s and 90s, then some expensive Cherry keyboard I only recently retired because it was utterly spent (and it was PS/2), and now I happily use a Wooting Two HE.
I'm so glad the mechanical gaming keyboard scene has developed so much: it means there's a plethora of really excellent keyboards for the rest of us who don't play games.
But something utterly baffles me: why are high-quality keyboards getting smaller?
There's a lot more keyboards without the numpad and the block of middle keys - whatever they're called - or with the middle keys reduced or squashed up awkwardly on the side, than full-size plain old 102- or 104-key layout keyboards. What's wrong with the numpad? Isn't more keys generally better?
Back in the days, I bought the original Happy Hacking keyboard because it kind of made sense to maneuver around in our server room with a small keyboard that took up less space. Typing on it drove me up the wall but it was convenient to carry. And I guess it was also good option for going to LAN parties with a smaller backpack. But other than that, for a keyboard that never leaves your desk, I don't get it.
Are there other advantages to smaller keyboards? Genuine question! I'm not dumping on smaller keyboards: to each his own and if you're happy with yours, more power to you. I'd just like to know why you prefer smaller.
I type on a Cooler Master Masterkeys Pro M. It's very slightly reduced from a standard 104 key ANSI layout. It has a numpad but is missing the three arrow key columns (what I've taken to calling the nav group as most of those keys are for navigating a document) All that functionality is in the numpad, like it always was, except on this keyboard it's not laid out like an old Model M, they transferred the arrow keys, home-end-page up/down-ins-del keys and such into the numpad in a way that makes sense if you're used to them. Takes a second to get used to, and I actually ever use the numlock key on this keyboard, but it works. The alphanumeric key section is more or less perfectly normal ANSI layout (there's a fn key between right Super and Ctrl) so it's perfectly ordinary to type on.
Narrowing the keyboard a bit like this does two things for me:
Moving my hand from the home row to the mouse is ~4 inches shorter. A full 104 key is so wide that either the mouse ends up way off to the right, or to reach the home row I have to reach my right hand to my right. My right wrist spends less time at extreme angles.
It frees up room for my space mouse to the left of the keyboard on my tiny little keyboard tray.
I really don't get the folks who not only did away with the F row but also the number row and have to deal with layers to get to stuff like that.