If I’m getting an Orthodox split for the first time would it be worthwhile to learn a different layout at the same time since I’ve heard the learning curve is already pretty rough? I’m thinking of colemak-DH specifically but if there is a better option I’m open to hearing it.
I tried colemak-dh a while a go. It’s nice. However for me personally I found myself at a point of diminishing returns. The biggest impact on comfort had switching to a split keyboard and later on to a columnar split. I got to half of my regular typing speed with colemak (50wpm) relatively quickly. However switching between keyboards really messed up my brain and wasn’t worth it in the end.
If I where you I would just start with the new board and see how it goes. Then you can make experiments if you still think another layout will help you.