Is a 60% Keyboard Practical for Learning to Program?

If you like the compact keyboard, another option is a small programmable macro pad. You could assign arrow keys, function keys, or other frequently used commands to it, giving you extra controls without replacing the 60% keyboard.

You don’t strictly need a larger keyboard to learn programming. Most actions can be done with shortcuts, and you can adapt to layers over time. That said, dedicated arrow and function keys make moving around code and using shortcuts such as F5 much more convenient. A larger keyboard is a comfort and efficiency improvement, not a requirement.

Since you’ll spend a lot of time typing both code and documentation, comfort matters. At minimum, I’d choose a keyboard with dedicated arrow keys and easy access to symbols such as { } and [ ]. A basic full-size or ergonomic keyboard can be inexpensive, and avoiding constant key combinations may make long sessions less tiring.

A 60% keyboard can handle programming, but if you’re constantly switching layers just to use the arrow keys, that will probably get irritating. A reasonably priced 75% keyboard gives you dedicated arrows and some extra keys without taking up as much space as a full-size model.