Mechanical Keyboards

Tactile switches are quiet and have a "bump" (higher force initially before snapping down). Clicky switches are similar but create audible clicking noises. They also dont necessarily snap down the way browns do. If you google the graph for blue vs brown switches you can see a conparison of the forces

Thank you so much for asking this.

Look into Keychron instead. Even their cheapest QMK/VIA options are legit.

I got a Keychron V6 knob. Looks great but if I could go back in time I'd choose something 1) lighter 2) with wireless/BT and 3) lower input latency

Also holy panda switches and mixed keycaps (white on letters/numpad, light green on the special characters on the right, dark green for the modifiers)

Via uses chromium for the WebUSB api which firefox didnt implement because its a security nightmare. Vial is not as polished but is an open source standalone software

Red/brown/etc originate from Cherry MX switches (the style of keyswitch) and each color is a different kind of swotch with different tactile feel and sound. Red are linear. Imagine a mushy rubber button with no feedback. Brown has a tactile bump that is more typical of a keyboard where theres a bit of force before it actually actuates. I settled on holy pandas for now which were similar to browns but a stronger tactile feel.

I'm not 100% sure how good it is but as long as you read reviews to understand what the shortcomings and strengths of the board are, most keyboards should be fine. From what I've seen in a quick google search, this particular keyboard is probably ok, but some people have reported this company's keyboards randomly dying and little to no support. Reputable brands will obviously guarantee no funny business but with the tradeoff of cost. I would recommend joining some communities (e.g. the discord communities like MechGroupBuys) and asking around for more peoples experience with budget keyboards if the cost is a concern.

My suggestion is to get a keyboard with the features you want, then the keycaps you want. Then you can experiment with small switch sets to find one you like. Search for Outemu switches on Ali Express, they have very ~~adorable~~ affordable packs of 10. If you’re unsure whether you’d like a linear, tactile or clicky, get one from each at least. Get both regular and silent versions of tactile to try out. I really like the Silent Lemon tactile V3. People rave about the Panda.

Note that keycap material and to a lesser degree geometry will affect the sound too. You can also add o-rings to the caps to decrease high frequency sounds.

Edit: adorable/affordable. Autocorrupt made a funny.

Never heard of it. Might be good. But like others said, I’d prefer hot swappable switches. Keychron has a good reputation and affordable models. It’s what I bought and I can recomend. Their VIA units are easily configurable on Linux.

Of course! Just be aware that their keyboards, especially the nk65 entry edition can sell out just minutes after a restock so maybe sign up for the emails about the restocks. The nk87 usually takes longer to sell out and you can also buy the pre assembled nk87 darkshake if you are interested (I bought one of these for $140 during their black Friday sale)

I was going to suggest this first blog post to give you an idea about some basic types, but it linked to the second blog and I thought you might like that, too. Mostly, they give you an idea of the terms and language used to describe keyboard stuff. There are other sources, sure, but the first blog post seemed like a fair write-up for a beginner, so I stuck with hiros even though their main goal is selling products (but hey, they are kinda cool artsy products).

• https://hirosarts.com/blog/are-red-switches-good-for-typing/
• https://hirosarts.com/blog/best-key-switches-for-gaming/
• https://hirosarts.com/blog/are-keycaps-universal/