In Praise of ZSA

11 January, 2025

ZSA makes ergonomic keyboards. I own two of their Ergodox EZs (one for work, one for home) which I use every day. They also publish an email newsletter that I subscribe to and happily read. In the December 2024 issue, they noted that ZSA doesn’t advertise (see Why trust us | zsa.io), and essentially rely on recommendations from customers. I like ZSA and hope they continue to be successful, so this short article is my attempt to give something back to them without buying another keyboard.

My Ergodox EZs are great. I edit my configuration using ZSA’s online configuration tool (here’s my layout) and then flash a keyboard using wally. The firmware has a lot of great features and has allowed me to turn my keyboard into a personalised programming tool.

I expect to use these keyboards for decades, and that’s something I can’t often say about products I own. I think planned obsolescence is increasing because it can give businesses more consistent revenue over decades. Why sell something for $X that will last 20 years, when you can sell one for 0.15 * $X that lasts 2 years and have a customer purchase 10 (and throw out 9) over the same period? Of course, the business metrics that improve as a result come at the expense of the customer and the world at large.

In contrast, ZSA really seems to be doing business right: existing to serve its customers, rather than existing to self-perpetuate. My Ergodox EZ is for me in a way that many other technology products I use are not. Every newsletter email I get from conveys sincerity and integrity that I find increasingly lacking in businesses, especially in the technology industry. I wish them all the best.