RSTHD

RSTHD (pronounced “rusted”) is an in-roll-focused, index-heavy layout. It is the second layout to put a letter on a thumb key, after Maltron. Compared to Maltron, it offers lower weak redirects and lower pinky usage, and removes the ol/lo pinky/ring half scissor.

An ANSI adaptation from 2022 translates the layout to standard keyboards with minimal swaps.

Versions

RSTHD

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Usage	4.36% (P24)	7.14% (P25)	10.64% (P44)	11.59% (P40)	9.3%	17.5%	12.42% (P64)	8.14% (P8)	7.85% (P27)	6.97% (P41)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	0.76% (P37)	0.07% (P28)	1.47% (P56)	3.27% (P61)
Skipgram	4.18% (P25)	0.20% (P38)	1.99% (P33)	5.31% (P71)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	1.26% (P85)	1.15% (P82)
Weak Redirects	0.28% (P37)	0.09% (P16)
Other Same Finger	17.78% (P46)	10.97% (P34)
Rolls : Alts	2.42 (P92)	1.96 (P64)
2-Roll In : Out	2.41 (P87)	1.65 (P74)
3-Roll In : Out	6.50 (P74)	1.84 (P58)

Author: Simon Zeng (xsznix)
Year: 2016

Official Website

RSTHD

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9	10
Usage	4.32% (P21)	7.14% (P26)	10.64% (P44)	11.59% (P41)	17.5%	12.42% (P64)	16.59% (P97)	9.08% (P59)	6.68% (P36)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	0.95% (P58)	0.06% (P24)	1.52% (P60)	4.17% (P79)
Skipgram	5.17% (P58)	0.24% (P46)	2.31% (P53)	5.48% (P75)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	0.76% (P55)	0.60% (P36)
Weak Redirects	0.37% (P55)	0.17% (P60)
Other Same Finger	19.26% (P62)	12.50% (P64)
Rolls : Alts	2.06 (P78)	2.53 (P91)
2-Roll In : Out	1.71 (P59)	1.16 (P51)
3-Roll In : Out	1.24 (P48)	1.55 (P54)

Author: Simon Zeng (xsznix)
Year: 2022
Finger Map: Traditional

Official Website

Kanata is a keyboard remapper that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Install Kanata by following “Step 1: Set Up Kanata” in Nova’s Kanata setup guide:

Step 1: Set Up Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)
Download the Kanata config file for RSTHD:

RSTHD (ANSI)
Make sure you know how to type your computer password using RSTHD.

Skipping this step will lock you out of your computer. If you forget how to type your password using RSTHD, look up RSTHD on another device, such as a phone, when unlocking the computer.
Run Kanata with the downloaded config file and make sure the layout works as you expect:
```
kanata --cfg path/to/config.kbd
```
To have RSTHD activate whenever your computer starts up, follow the instructions to “Automatically start Kanata”:

Automatically start Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)

There are two downloads available for macOS:

Method	Admin Required	Notes
Native	Optional	Does not require 3rd party key remapping software. Admin is required to install for all users and use on first login.
Karabiner-Elements	Yes	Requires 3rd party key remapping software, including the installation of a Driver Extension. Allows for remapping of only specific keyboards.

Native
Karabiner-Elements

Download the .keylayout file for RSTHD:

RSTHD (ANSI)
Install the .keylayout file:
- Single User
- All Users
Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. Create the folder if it does not exist.

Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to /Library/Keyboard Layouts.
By default, macOS hides the “Library” folder. To navigate to it in Finder, open the Go to Folder dialog (Go → Go to Folder… in the menubar, or Command-Shift-G) and type in the path shown above.
Restart macOS.
Open System Settings.
Go to Keyboard → Text Input → Input Sources → Edit… and add your new RSTHD layout.
Press the “+” button at the bottom left.
Search for “RSTHD,” select your new layout, and press Add.