Re: I would try it, but...
> why are there no programmer focused keyboards out there on the market?
Leaving aside Ken Hagan's very sensible comment about messing with muscle memory, if you really want a keyboard with keywords ready to go, all the odd characters available without SHIFT etc etc then there are opportunities for you to make it a reality.
There is a thriving make-your-own keyboard "scene"[0], everything from reprogramming a ready-built keyboard to designing your own wonderful arrangement (want it shaped like a hand of bananas? PCBWay can probably offer you a range of colours to choose from). All controlled by a common off-the-shelf MCU board (although there are specialised dev boards from the likes of Adafruit) and configurable firmware to control what each keypress does.
Or maybe just get one of the wide range of "macro keyboards" and use that instead?
One of the happy results of USB is that you can plug as many HID devices as you like into your PC and have them all operational at the same time[1]. So you could just take the easy route to removing the need for a SHIFT key by gluing a second keyboard above your normal one[2] and then gluing down its SHIFT key. Plug both into the PC and you'll have a proper Upper Case to work with.
[0] Although a large part of this seems to be dedicated to creating the smallest possible keyboard, so be careful who you outline your ideas to. Personally, as a dedicated Northgate Omni Ultra user, if a keyboard can't be used to measure out a fathom of line it is too small to be taken seriously.
[1] This is, of course, why That Scene from CSI is so daft - they just needed to plug in another keyboard, then they'd both be able to type on all the keys instead of each one only getting the board to use.
[2] be careful if using a laptop, it may obscure the display