Mozilla should make a keyboard app

[ADGrimes]

Not related to Firefox, but more of a new product idea.

I'm not aware of any keyboard app that could be considered as private by design. It seems the market for this is dominated by Microsoft with SwiftKey and Google With GBoard. It would be good if Mozilla made a keyboard app that was private but still had the features of the most popular keyboard apps.

[Maverick74]

Would love this as well (specially if it has T9 support)

[MintMain21]

I find OpenBoard is good enough for me, but a Mozilla developed option would be interesting.

[Eeeee]

If you want to make this kind of keyboard, please make it support Chinese input method, and separate the traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese suggested words, please ！！！！
By the way, I am used to using the Bopomofo input method.

[nose_gnome]

This.

I was actually thinking that it would be great if Mozilla did this the other day when I was trying to look for a good keyboard app.

[Fuchsia]

Until Mozilla releases a open-source keyboard, you can always use OpenBoard, which is a GPL3-licensed fork of the AOSP keyboard and doesn't track you.

[Ezorp]

There Is Openboard in Android, you can install it on the play store or with F-Droid, fully open source and has all the basics features

[tukusejssirs]

I use Hacker’s Keyboard. I hope the new kb will support 75 % layout or at least 60 % (it doesn’t need to be default layout) with special keys and NumPad hidden under Fn key (arrows should be visible at all times). Even Hacker’s keyboard is missing some keys (AltGr, Right Ctrl, Meta/Super/Win, Caps Lock) and Left Ctrl is in place of Caps Lock and Esc in place of Left Ctrl.

Also, do support multiple locales (sw layouts), like English (UK), Slovak (QWERTY), Hebrew, Greek. We should be able to switch between these layout by swiping Space.

And it would be awesome if we could switch between alphanumeric and numeric layout at our will using an option hidden in a button.

And buttons like Ctrl, Alt, Shift should use indicators on their buttons if they are pressed or not.

It might a good idea to customise the layout, like what chars should be shown when long-pressing a button and it what order (e.g. for `a`, this might include `á`, `à`, `â`, but also `א` or `α` if a user wants them to be shown).

[DaRealNOX]

Wanting to have the umpteenth keyboard but not looking at what's available on the market??

So I'm sorry, I don't understand that. Of course, I'm also all for finally banning all the "keylogger" keyboards and only giving preference to secure and local keyboards, but there is a small problem, namely the cloud-based language services (word suggestions, autocorrections, etc.).

Running all of this locally on the user's mobile device (in times of A.I.s) would be possible due to advances in hardware technology, but backwards compatibility would then not be available. So people have to start dealing with renunciation in a certain context.

But at this point everyone (developers and users) should ask themselves what a keyboard actually supposed to be able to do? Or better let's say: How you would like to use the keyboard?

Please understand there are many types and techiques of virtual keyboards out there.

For example, I've never liked N-gram keyboards (e.g. SwiftKey) because I don't like A.I. want to predict or constantly dictating my language to me.

By the way, I started typing on mobile devices with "T9" because there was nothing else. I then switched to QWERTZ keyboards at the turn of the millennium. I tested the "Typewise" keyboard in 2020 and unfortunately missed too much in terms of comfort, which is why I'm still sticking with QWERTZ these days. To be precise, I'm currently using "AnySoftKeyboard" (ASK for short) and I'm very happy with it. The only bug still present is duplicate entries in the clipboard. But if this is solved, then the process will have taken about 25 years, but I would be extremely happy in keyboard heaven. 😄

So I ask you now:
1.) What technique do you use to type?
2.) And can you imagine that it is really difficult to please everyone with an input method like a virtual keyboard?

My suggestion would therefore be: Find your own custom-made keyboard and rate the ones you have tested and find useless. Give constructive feedback to their developers. And get involved in the creation/improvement process!

[myspace]

I would definitely use this +1

[Jeppie]

 they need to add firefox-translations to it like on my picture.

[maap]

PLEASE i still use gboard and i wish there was something more privacy friendly (and yes i've tried a couple foss options but the features are simply not as robust