Choosing a hobbyist steno writer - Revision history

BTackt at 15:49, 28 October 2025

2025-10-28T15:49:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:49, 28 October 2025
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	\|$90		\|$90
	\|}		\|}

			==Additional considerations==
			{{See also\|Steno key switches}}
			A significant factor in ergonomics is the weight of the key switches, which is explained in more detail in the above article. Researching the weight of the switches and whether they can be hot-swapped or spring-swapped is advisable.

Aerick: /* Add prices */

2024-07-24T00:08:51Z

Add prices

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:08, 24 July 2024
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	!Non-English language support		!Non-English language support
	!QWERTY layer / Extra keys		!QWERTY layer / Extra keys
			!Price (USD)
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://stenomod.blogspot.com/ TinyMod]		\|[https://stenomod.blogspot.com/ TinyMod]
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	\|Limited to WSI		\|Limited to WSI
	\|No		\|No
			\|$140 (stock)
			$180 (silent)
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://nolltronics.com/product/ecosteno/ Ecosteno]		\|[https://nolltronics.com/product/ecosteno/ Ecosteno]
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	\|Limited to WSI		\|Limited to WSI
	\|No		\|No
			\|$95
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://nolltronics.com/product/multisteno/ Multisteno]		\|[https://nolltronics.com/product/multisteno/ Multisteno]
	\|Yes		\|Yes
	\|Yes		\|Yes
			\|$170
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://stenokeyboards.com/products/asterisk-keyboard Asterisk]		\|[https://stenokeyboards.com/products/asterisk-keyboard Asterisk]
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	\|Limited to WSI		\|Limited to WSI
	\|No		\|No
			\|$50
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://www.stenokeyboards.com/products/the-uni-v4 The Uni]		\|[https://www.stenokeyboards.com/products/the-uni-v4 The Uni]
	\|Limited to WSI		\|Limited to WSI
	\|No		\|No
			\|$100
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://stenokeyboards.com/products/polyglot-keyboard Polyglot]		\|[https://stenokeyboards.com/products/polyglot-keyboard Polyglot]
	\|Yes		\|Yes
	\|Yes		\|Yes
			\|$125
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://www.stenography.store/ Starboard]		\|[https://www.stenography.store/ Starboard]
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	\|Limited to WSI		\|Limited to WSI
	\|No		\|No
			\|$90
	\|}		\|}

.kevinlel: removed splitography

2024-07-23T23:44:55Z

removed splitography

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:44, 23 July 2024
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	\|Limited to WSI		\|Limited to WSI
	\|No		\|No
	\|-
	~~\|[https://softhruf.love/ SOFT/HRUF Splitography]~~
	~~\|No~~
	~~\|Yes~~
	~~\|Yes~~
	\|}		\|}

Aerick: Typo, rephrase Javelin (it's a firmware...not just an embedded steno engine)

2024-06-26T02:40:13Z

Typo, rephrase Javelin (it's a firmware...not *just* an embedded steno engine)

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:40, 26 June 2024
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	~~LiFor~~ most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers\|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly adequate—choose a writer that's in stock, and within your budget. However, you may want to take more care in choosing a writer if any of the following apply to you:		For most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers\|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly adequate—choose a writer that's in stock, and within your budget. However, you may want to take more care in choosing a writer if any of the following apply to you:

	* You cannot run Plover on your device		* You cannot run Plover on your device
Line 10:		Line 10:

	=== Javelin support ===		=== Javelin support ===
	[[Javelin]] is a steno engine ~~that can be embedded~~ within a keyboard itself, bypassing the need to install Plover on the host machine; essentially "plug and play stenography" without any setup required. This is useful if you cannot run Plover on your device.		[[Javelin]] is a keyboard firmware that features an steno engine. This means all the steno translations occur within the keyboard itself, bypassing the need to install Plover on the host machine; essentially "plug and play stenography" without any setup required. This is useful if you cannot run Plover is not compatible with your device.

	=== Non-English language support ===		=== Non-English language support ===

Aerick: /* rewrite page add table*/

2024-06-24T22:51:18Z

rewrite page add table

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-For most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly adequate—choose a writer that's in stock, and within your budget. However, you may want to take more care in choosing a writer if any of the following apply to you:
+LiFor most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly adequate—choose a writer that's in stock, and within your budget. However, you may want to take more care in choosing a writer if any of the following apply to you:
 * You cannot run Plover on your device
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 * You will exclusively use your steno writer in your computer usage
-== Javelin support ==
+== Considerations ==
-== Non-English language support ==
+=== Javelin support ===
 The layout used for the vast majority of English steno theories, known as the [[Ward Stone Ireland layout]] (WSI), may not be sufficient for other languages. The layout for [[Steno Layouts and Supported Languages#Korean CAS|Korean CAS]] , for example, uses 6 thumb keys and has an entire dedicated row for numbers. If you are intending to use Plover for other languages, have a look at the [[Steno Layouts and Supported Languages|languages]] page for more details on the layouts supported by Plover.
-If you decide to learn steno in a language requiring a larger layout, we recommend the following options:
+=== Using a steno writer exclusively ===
+It is possible to use a steno writer as your only keyboard for all your computer usage. However, sometimes it may be useful to have extra keys for two main reasons. First, some steno writers also double as a standard keyboard. They can be toggled to behave like a QWERTY keyboard (or any other layout), such that you do not need to switch physical keyboards. Furthermore, the extra keys on a steno writer can be mapped to modifier keys. This helps facilitating holding down keys as required for certain applications like CAD.
-== Using a steno keyboard exclusively ==
+== Table summary ==

Aerick at 22:09, 24 June 2024

2024-06-24T22:09:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:09, 24 June 2024
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	For most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers\|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly ~~adequate~~. However, if you intend to use ~~Plover for languages other than English, or are intending to switch to~~ steno ~~full time, there are some important aspects to take into consideration.~~		For most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers\|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly adequate—choose a writer that's in stock, and within your budget. However, you may want to take more care in choosing a writer if any of the following apply to you:

			* You cannot run Plover on your device
			** Incompatible devices (Android and iOS devices)
			** Insufficient permissions on your computer (work/school computer)
			* You intend to steno in a language that's not English
			* You will exclusively use your steno writer in your computer usage

			== Javelin support ==

	== Non-English language support ==		== Non-English language support ==

Aerick: Created page with "For most users, any of the commercially available hobbyist writers are perfectly adequate. However, if you intend to use Plover for languages other than English, or are intending to switch to steno full time, there are some important aspects to take into consideration. == Non-English language support == The layout used for the vast majority of English steno theories, known as the [[Ward Stone Ireland layout]..."

2024-06-24T21:39:53Z

Created page with "For most users, any of the commercially available hobbyist writers are perfectly adequate. However, if you intend to use Plover for languages other than English, or are intending to switch to steno full time, there are some important aspects to take into consideration. == Non-English language support == The layout used for the vast majority of English steno theories, known as the [[Ward Stone Ireland layout]..."

New page

For most users, any of the [[Supported Hardware#Commercially available hobbyist writers|commercially available hobbyist writers]] are perfectly adequate. However, if you intend to use Plover for languages other than English, or are intending to switch to steno full time, there are some important aspects to take into consideration.

== Non-English language support ==
The layout used for the vast majority of English steno theories, known as the [[Ward Stone Ireland layout]] (WSI), may not be sufficient for other languages. The layout for [[Steno Layouts and Supported Languages#Korean CAS|Korean CAS]] , for example, uses 6 thumb keys and has an entire dedicated row for numbers. If you are intending to use Plover for other languages, have a look at the [[Steno Layouts and Supported Languages|languages]] page for more details on the layouts supported by Plover.

If you decide to learn steno in a language requiring a larger layout, we recommend the following options:

* Nolltronics Multisteno
* StenoKeyboards Polyglot

== Using a steno keyboard exclusively ==