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submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

I'm new to Android dev, and I recently added my first contribution to ThumbKey (the Key Modifications feature).

I noticed that ThumbKey saves user settings using a Room database rather than using DataStore, or its outdated equivalent SharedPreferences.

Why is that? What's the advantage?

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[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You can use either, but I will never use anything but SQL-type databases for data storage. I've been burned too many times with alternative data storage methods that didn't think through all the problems sql devs have dealt with for decades.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Got it. Thanks

this post was submitted on 12 May 2025
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Thumb-Key

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About

Thumb-Key is a privacy-conscious smart keyboard, made specifically for your thumbs.

It features a 3x3 grid layout, as many older phones had, and uses swipes for the less common letters. Initial testing shows that you can reach ~25 words per minute after a day of use.

Instead of relying on profit-driven, privacy-offending word and sentence prediction for accuracy, as do most popular phone keyboards like Gboard and Swiftkey, Thumb-Key uses large keys with predictable positions, to prevent your eyes from hunting and pecking for letters.

As the key positions get ingrained into your muscle memory, eventually you'll be able to appromixate the fast speeds of touch-typing, your eyes never having to leave the text edit area.

This project is a follow-up to the now unmaintained (and closed-source) MessageEase Keyboard, which is its main inspiration.

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