clickety clack
October 7, 2014 10:24 AM Subscribe
Hands up everybody else who knew which keyboard this would be.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:41 AM on October 7, 2014 [83 favorites]
posted by MartinWisse at 10:41 AM on October 7, 2014 [83 favorites]
Yep, love mine. Even converted my wife from "Oh my, you're such a nerd and that thing sounds terrible." when I brought it home to her using it daily for any serious typing task that comes up.
Things get done when it's involved, recognizable by those who know what it is about, and it looks imposing as hell sitting in the corner. It really is the Godfather of keyboards.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:42 AM on October 7, 2014
Things get done when it's involved, recognizable by those who know what it is about, and it looks imposing as hell sitting in the corner. It really is the Godfather of keyboards.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:42 AM on October 7, 2014
Ermita does steady business with 20-somethings looking for a keyboard made on their birthday.
Guess I'm buying a new (to me) keyboard.
posted by Twain Device at 10:44 AM on October 7, 2014
Guess I'm buying a new (to me) keyboard.
posted by Twain Device at 10:44 AM on October 7, 2014
Down with slimline keyboards.
Down with chiclet keyboards.
Model M 4-EVER
posted by overeducated_alligator at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Down with chiclet keyboards.
Model M 4-EVER
posted by overeducated_alligator at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
I really like their video.
If you're on a Mac and want some extra clickety clack from your keys, try the Noisy Typer app. (Some extra setup required.) And while you're at it, might as well replace your terminal with Cathode!
posted by archagon at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2014
If you're on a Mac and want some extra clickety clack from your keys, try the Noisy Typer app. (Some extra setup required.) And while you're at it, might as well replace your terminal with Cathode!
posted by archagon at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2014
.. and why am I surprised there's a mechanicalkeyboards sub-reddit.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is this where I talk about how much I love my happy hacking keyboard? Because I totally do.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by leotrotsky at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
As much as I like Model M keyboards, a more modern one with Cherry MX Browns is much better.
posted by Gev at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Gev at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
This is mine. Extra nebbish credit for recognizing the orange characters.
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 10:48 AM on October 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 10:48 AM on October 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
As much as I like Model M keyboards, a more modern one with Cherry MX Browns is much better.
Does it still carry the heft of a M? That question, combined with lack of finances because those things aren't cheap, at least the last time I checked anyway, keeps me away from considering them as competition.
Those keys (and a Roomba for what it's worth)... if there was some sort of way to try-before-you-buy I'd be all over that service.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:49 AM on October 7, 2014
Does it still carry the heft of a M? That question, combined with lack of finances because those things aren't cheap, at least the last time I checked anyway, keeps me away from considering them as competition.
Those keys (and a Roomba for what it's worth)... if there was some sort of way to try-before-you-buy I'd be all over that service.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:49 AM on October 7, 2014
Das Keyboards are excellent. I tried a Model M style and found it a bit much.
posted by oneironaut at 10:51 AM on October 7, 2014
posted by oneironaut at 10:51 AM on October 7, 2014
This is mine. Extra nebbish credit for recognizing the orange characters.
I'll bite. Some of them seem like logical operators, but I'm curious to know what they're for.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:52 AM on October 7, 2014
I'll bite. Some of them seem like logical operators, but I'm curious to know what they're for.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:52 AM on October 7, 2014
Apple Extended Keyboard II. Best ever (in the Mac world)
posted by Jubal Kessler at 10:55 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Jubal Kessler at 10:55 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
As much I might admire the Model M, it also marks the emergence of the insane ergonomic practice of putting the Control key in the lower left-hand corner instead of next to the A key where the Caps Lock is now. (You can see this in the interactive timeline in the article.) This makes lots of keyboard commands unwieldy--a bad thing if you do a lot of touch-typing or use Emacs--while elevating the Caps Lock to an unnecessarily prominent place on the keyboard. How many nasty online arguments WITH PEOPLE SHOUTING might we have been spared if IBM had stuck with the PC/AT layout when making the Model M?
Yes, I know, you can remap the Caps Lock as another Control key; one of the first things I do now when I get a new computer is just that. But given the influence the Model M has had, it would have been nice if IBM had thought a little more about what the optimal keyboard layout should be.
posted by Cash4Lead at 10:57 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yes, I know, you can remap the Caps Lock as another Control key; one of the first things I do now when I get a new computer is just that. But given the influence the Model M has had, it would have been nice if IBM had thought a little more about what the optimal keyboard layout should be.
posted by Cash4Lead at 10:57 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure 99% of people who use keyboards have no idea what the control key even does, let alone use Emacs.
posted by archagon at 11:01 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by archagon at 11:01 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't mind the slimline ones with the little feets that flip out from the back but that is as far as I will go. Some fool tried to convince me to get a fucking projection keyboard to tap stupidly in the air on my desk and we are now sworn enemies.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:01 AM on October 7, 2014
posted by poffin boffin at 11:01 AM on October 7, 2014
Does it still carry the heft of a M? That question, combined with lack of finances because those things aren't cheap, at least the last time I checked anyway, keeps me away from considering them as competition.
I've got a circa-1984 Model M as well as two modern keyboards: A WASD v.1 and a Ducky Shine.
In terms of heft, they're probably slightly less hefty than the Model M, but still a hell of a lot more sturdy than other new keyboards.
WASD sells sampler packs that include one of each switch so you can get an idea of how the switches feel.
posted by Gev at 11:02 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I've got a circa-1984 Model M as well as two modern keyboards: A WASD v.1 and a Ducky Shine.
In terms of heft, they're probably slightly less hefty than the Model M, but still a hell of a lot more sturdy than other new keyboards.
WASD sells sampler packs that include one of each switch so you can get an idea of how the switches feel.
posted by Gev at 11:02 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
So this story was told to me probably 3rd-4th hand, so I can't verify it at all - I'm quite gullible when it comes to engineer stories - but after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - particularly Rita - all sorts of things started washing ashore from wrecked oil platforms.
A large lot of valuable items from one particular platform (which is how I heard the story) were found in one area, including a few Model M keyboards...which after they cleaned 'em up and dried 'em out, kept on working.
It seems weird to make up a story about keyboards and I've used things from that same salvaged lot, so maybe it is true (shrug).
posted by barchan at 11:04 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
A large lot of valuable items from one particular platform (which is how I heard the story) were found in one area, including a few Model M keyboards...which after they cleaned 'em up and dried 'em out, kept on working.
It seems weird to make up a story about keyboards and I've used things from that same salvaged lot, so maybe it is true (shrug).
posted by barchan at 11:04 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
Extra nebbish credit for recognizing the orange characters.
Those orange characters are for APL, the nerdiest programming language ever made.
posted by foobaz at 11:06 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
Those orange characters are for APL, the nerdiest programming language ever made.
posted by foobaz at 11:06 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
Oh christ almighty I HATED those noisy bastards. Give me a modern quiet keyboard every time.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:06 AM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:06 AM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
I'm pretty sure 99% of people who use keyboards have no idea what the control key even does, let alone use Emacs.
Perhaps not, but that's still no reason not to practice good ergonomic design. Trying to do Ctrl-C (Copy), Ctrl-W (Close), etc. is a lot easier when you only have to move your pinky slightly to the left rather than awkwardly curl it backward like you're suffering from arthritis.
posted by Cash4Lead at 11:07 AM on October 7, 2014
Perhaps not, but that's still no reason not to practice good ergonomic design. Trying to do Ctrl-C (Copy), Ctrl-W (Close), etc. is a lot easier when you only have to move your pinky slightly to the left rather than awkwardly curl it backward like you're suffering from arthritis.
posted by Cash4Lead at 11:07 AM on October 7, 2014
Why yes, my keyboard does have Unicomp USB guts slipped into a classic model M body.
posted by ckape at 11:09 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by ckape at 11:09 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
"I'm pretty sure 99% of people who use keyboards have no idea what the control key even does..."
Crouch.
posted by vapidave at 11:10 AM on October 7, 2014 [27 favorites]
Crouch.
posted by vapidave at 11:10 AM on October 7, 2014 [27 favorites]
Hands up everybody else who knew which keyboard this would be.
Knew right away. I've never even used a Model M, but it's pretty famous for being the only keyboard people won't shut up about.
posted by aubilenon at 11:12 AM on October 7, 2014 [14 favorites]
Knew right away. I've never even used a Model M, but it's pretty famous for being the only keyboard people won't shut up about.
posted by aubilenon at 11:12 AM on October 7, 2014 [14 favorites]
Oh christ almighty I HATED those noisy bastards.
Are you my old roommate? Because that and a thesis is what got my keyboard tossed through a second story window.
posted by barchan at 11:14 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
Are you my old roommate? Because that and a thesis is what got my keyboard tossed through a second story window.
posted by barchan at 11:14 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
A surprising benefit to the Model M, I've found, is that unlike pretty much any other keyboard, my cats HATED walking on it.
posted by exogenous at 11:15 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 11:15 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cash4Lead: Trying to do Ctrl-C (Copy), Ctrl-W (Close), etc. is a lot easier when you only have to move your pinky slightly to the left rather than awkwardly curl it backward like you're suffering from arthritis.I follow the guidelines from Xah Lee, one of them being to use both hands when doing copy-paste.
posted by chinesefood at 11:18 AM on October 7, 2014
Apple Extended Keyboard II. Best ever (in the Mac world)
You know, I've got one of those at home collecting dust. I believe I'll look for an ADB-to-USB converter and plug it into the Mac Pro. Just to see what this mechanical keyboard retro-mania is all about.
Or I could just plug it into my SE30 and fire it up, if it will fire up (and not, literally, fire up. That would be bad). If only I could find that System 1 boot floppy.
posted by the matching mole at 11:18 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
You know, I've got one of those at home collecting dust. I believe I'll look for an ADB-to-USB converter and plug it into the Mac Pro. Just to see what this mechanical keyboard retro-mania is all about.
Or I could just plug it into my SE30 and fire it up, if it will fire up (and not, literally, fire up. That would be bad). If only I could find that System 1 boot floppy.
posted by the matching mole at 11:18 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Somehow all my friends and I ended up with 2001 keyboards. I guess it was the hip keyboard to have in the early 90s, at least where I grew up. I miss my old 2001 (with that smoky / amber keyboard cover) so much.
[nerd cred: I remember having to flip the XT/AT switch when moving keyboards from my friend's computer to mine.]
posted by komara at 11:19 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
[nerd cred: I remember having to flip the XT/AT switch when moving keyboards from my friend's computer to mine.]
posted by komara at 11:19 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
I guess I'm just at the right age that the Model M for me feels like childhood.
The one room in the school that was air-conditioned was the computer lab filled with a softened hum of three dozen PS/2s.
posted by wcfields at 11:21 AM on October 7, 2014
The one room in the school that was air-conditioned was the computer lab filled with a softened hum of three dozen PS/2s.
posted by wcfields at 11:21 AM on October 7, 2014
As much as I like Model M keyboards, a more modern one with Cherry MX Browns is much better.
Agreed! I finally decided I couldn't stand the mushy Logitech wireless I have at home due to space constraints, and started looking into tenkeyless mechanical keyboards. I found the Cherry MX Blue is just too clicky for me, but the Brown feels just right and sounds fine.
The only downside of this is now I really want to replace the bog-standard Dell keyboard I have at work, because it feels like typing in quicksand.
posted by Foosnark at 11:35 AM on October 7, 2014
Agreed! I finally decided I couldn't stand the mushy Logitech wireless I have at home due to space constraints, and started looking into tenkeyless mechanical keyboards. I found the Cherry MX Blue is just too clicky for me, but the Brown feels just right and sounds fine.
The only downside of this is now I really want to replace the bog-standard Dell keyboard I have at work, because it feels like typing in quicksand.
posted by Foosnark at 11:35 AM on October 7, 2014
I still remember an episode of Max Headroom in which Bryce has gone underground and he's got to do some world-saving hack from somebody's house using their kid's computer, and first among his objections is "it's got a membrane keyboard!"
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:40 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:40 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cherry MX Browns
Sorry, but Cherry MX Browns are vague, mushy, and are practically linear with hardly a bump around the activation point. No way. If you want a solid tactile snap you need buckling spring or something like an Matias ALPS clone which has a click leaf (even in the quiet version). I will admit however that Cherry MX Clears are a bit better than the Browns. They're all better than rubber domes, though.
posted by zsazsa at 11:44 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Sorry, but Cherry MX Browns are vague, mushy, and are practically linear with hardly a bump around the activation point. No way. If you want a solid tactile snap you need buckling spring or something like an Matias ALPS clone which has a click leaf (even in the quiet version). I will admit however that Cherry MX Clears are a bit better than the Browns. They're all better than rubber domes, though.
posted by zsazsa at 11:44 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is mine. Extra nebbish credit for recognizing the orange characters.
Rats! Got here too late to shout APL. Somewhere around here I still have my copy of APL Is Easy from STSC...
posted by jim in austin at 11:52 AM on October 7, 2014
Rats! Got here too late to shout APL. Somewhere around here I still have my copy of APL Is Easy from STSC...
posted by jim in austin at 11:52 AM on October 7, 2014
I have a CODE keyboard and I really love it, but for shallow reasons that might annoy true mechanical keyboard fans: I don't necessarily notice it being better to type on, but it's a gorgeous black slab, completely unbranded, and it looks awesome on my desk, especially with the lights out and the backlight on. Also, I really like the clicky sounds...it makes me feel really industrious, like I'm not just typing but doing the hard work of really creating something.
posted by Ian A.T. at 12:07 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Ian A.T. at 12:07 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
No. Shut up. Delete this post. Delete that article.
I used to be able to pick up Models M at thrift stores all the time. I got so cocky about it that I actually gave a bunch of them away. And then, as with pretty much everything dear to me, hipsters tweaked to it, and I haven't seen a thrift store Model M in years. The one I'm using now HOLY CRAP IT'S MY KEYBOARD'S 28TH BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEYBOARD.
(OK, no lie: That happened real time.)
I was going to mention that the top row 1 key and the + on the number pad are kind of sticky, but now I feel bad about using my keyboard to complain about my keyboard on its birthday, so I am couching that as a meta-complaint, and will now just reiterate that people need to stop talking about Models M because they're mine and I saw them first.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:11 PM on October 7, 2014 [11 favorites]
I used to be able to pick up Models M at thrift stores all the time. I got so cocky about it that I actually gave a bunch of them away. And then, as with pretty much everything dear to me, hipsters tweaked to it, and I haven't seen a thrift store Model M in years. The one I'm using now HOLY CRAP IT'S MY KEYBOARD'S 28TH BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEYBOARD.
(OK, no lie: That happened real time.)
I was going to mention that the top row 1 key and the + on the number pad are kind of sticky, but now I feel bad about using my keyboard to complain about my keyboard on its birthday, so I am couching that as a meta-complaint, and will now just reiterate that people need to stop talking about Models M because they're mine and I saw them first.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:11 PM on October 7, 2014 [11 favorites]
George_Spiggott, I remember the same quote showing up in an episode of "Whiz Kids". Found it!
And my keyboard is a Kinesis Advantage, which I've been using in various forms since about 1995 or so.
posted by oddphantom at 12:15 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
And my keyboard is a Kinesis Advantage, which I've been using in various forms since about 1995 or so.
posted by oddphantom at 12:15 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Matias ALPS clone which has a click leaf (even in the quiet version)
I have the QuietPro and it's pretty slick. I'm in a cube, so I think getting an M would be unkind to my neighbors. But the QuietPro is only about as loud as a membrane keyboard being used forceful/fast typist.
Also, pro-tip for MS Office users willing to customize their keyboards: rip out your F1 key. Admit it, you only ever hit it by accident, and then you have to watch that useless help screen slowly come to life.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2014
I have the QuietPro and it's pretty slick. I'm in a cube, so I think getting an M would be unkind to my neighbors. But the QuietPro is only about as loud as a membrane keyboard being used forceful/fast typist.
Also, pro-tip for MS Office users willing to customize their keyboards: rip out your F1 key. Admit it, you only ever hit it by accident, and then you have to watch that useless help screen slowly come to life.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2014
The story of the most unlikely destroyer of relationships and separator of roommates ever made
FTFY.
Not that I didn't love mine, or that 2 of the 5 in the closet right now don't belong to me. I clung tightly to my Model M until I finally switched to something with Cherry MX Blues. But man, I have seen more relationships and roommate fights and splits incited by this keyboard than I have over any other bit of living-together logistics.
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014
FTFY.
Not that I didn't love mine, or that 2 of the 5 in the closet right now don't belong to me. I clung tightly to my Model M until I finally switched to something with Cherry MX Blues. But man, I have seen more relationships and roommate fights and splits incited by this keyboard than I have over any other bit of living-together logistics.
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014
When I worked at IBM, I had a Model M that combined the Uber Keyboard you're all familiar with a pointing stick mouse. I WAS SO EFFICIENT.
posted by boo_radley at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by boo_radley at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
If we're in a safe space for keyboard nerdery, I'd be interested in any recommendations about peripherals, configurations, or practices that have worked for you to make everyday nerdy tasks easier. I have a Trigger (Trigger warning: XTREME PRODUCT LOGO)... which is great, except I've switched to exclusively Linux. Since then it [1] can't be configured because (sketchily) you need to install a Windows program to set up bindings or macros for the "extra" keys, and [2] seems to have some USB issues because occasionally all the "lock" LEDs will light up and it's unusable until I unplug/re-plug it. It was also useless when I was working through boot issues after first reinstalling Linux, because the keyboard itself doesn't seem to "boot" fast enough for me to hit F12 to enter BIOS configuration.
The hardware itself aside, I've often considered (and occasionally started) making a custom xkb/xmodmap configuration that changed the behavior of capslock. Honestly, being interested in new programming languages leaves me with a lot of fear of RSI from
My thought was to make capslock leave the letters alone, but instead switch all the number-row keys — and potentially the brackets and quotes as well — to "shifted" mode. Unfortunately, I'm lacking the free time, or the attention span, or both, to work my way through the documentation for that stuff.
So yeah, this post is all over the place but I'm genuinely curious what other like-minded folks have done, if anything, to cope with these types of issues.
posted by Riki tiki at 12:29 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
The hardware itself aside, I've often considered (and occasionally started) making a custom xkb/xmodmap configuration that changed the behavior of capslock. Honestly, being interested in new programming languages leaves me with a lot of fear of RSI from
underscored_identifiers or (s-expression (parenthesis (overload))). I rarely need all caps (extreme product logos notwithstanding), but as a developer I frequently need access to the "shifted" characters on the number row; punctuation is king, and I always have the numpad for when I do actually need the numbers.My thought was to make capslock leave the letters alone, but instead switch all the number-row keys — and potentially the brackets and quotes as well — to "shifted" mode. Unfortunately, I'm lacking the free time, or the attention span, or both, to work my way through the documentation for that stuff.
So yeah, this post is all over the place but I'm genuinely curious what other like-minded folks have done, if anything, to cope with these types of issues.
posted by Riki tiki at 12:29 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Once you start down the path of looking at keyboards and which mechanisms they have, it's really hard to come back out.
People think they have strong feelings about fonts, but I submit that it's NOTHING compared to keyboard aficionados.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:32 PM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
People think they have strong feelings about fonts, but I submit that it's NOTHING compared to keyboard aficionados.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:32 PM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit: "People think they have strong feelings about fonts, but I submit that it's NOTHING compared to keyboard aficionados."
ripster who is the creator/moderator of /r/MechanicalKeyboards/ has a big beef with GeekHack (he calls them GeekWhack) and Deskthority. Arguably, though, ripster has contributed more to keyboard science! than any other person.
posted by wcfields at 12:40 PM on October 7, 2014
ripster who is the creator/moderator of /r/MechanicalKeyboards/ has a big beef with GeekHack (he calls them GeekWhack) and Deskthority. Arguably, though, ripster has contributed more to keyboard science! than any other person.
posted by wcfields at 12:40 PM on October 7, 2014
I don't have a Model M, but I do have a Wang keyboard. Typing on it sounds like castanets: glorious! 'Scuse me, am off dig up the "Adapter Train" and plug it in again to make some music.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:41 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 12:41 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I use a 1986 Model M at home, and a 1995 Model M Quiet Touch at work. The Quiet Touch was IBM's rubber dome model -- much higher quality than any other rubber dome keyboard I have ever used, with a feel that is not that far off from the buckling spring keyboard. The rest of it is the same, including the heft. Makes for a nice compromise in an open plan office. And everyone knows that they don't mess with my keyboard.
posted by fimbulvetr at 12:42 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by fimbulvetr at 12:42 PM on October 7, 2014
I used to be able to pick up Models M at thrift stores all the time. I got so cocky about it that I actually gave a bunch of them away. And then, as with pretty much everything dear to me, hipsters tweaked to it, and I haven't seen a thrift store Model M in years. The one I'm using now HOLY CRAP IT'S MY KEYBOARD'S 28TH BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEYBOARD.
So...you're saying you liked them before they were cool?
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 12:49 PM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
So...you're saying you liked them before they were cool?
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 12:49 PM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
The Model M was the lone thing about the IBM PC that inexplicably didn't suck, because damn if every other part of those lame-ass monstrous boxes of corpulent soullessness didn't chew hard on the psoriatic shins of shittiness until you got to the keyboard, which was like a magical gamelan orchestra of clockwork angels playing your fingers forward into the future.
Then, of course, IBM came out with the PC Jr. and all was well with the world of hating IBM.
posted by sonascope at 12:49 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Then, of course, IBM came out with the PC Jr. and all was well with the world of hating IBM.
posted by sonascope at 12:49 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Trying to do Ctrl-C (Copy), Ctrl-W (Close), etc. is a lot easier when you only have to move your pinky slightly to the left rather than awkwardly curl it backward like you're suffering from arthritis.
Either my hands are huge, or I have adjusted my entire typing style around Emacs pinky, but I hardly move my finger backwards to press ctrl. I just looked at my hands right now, and my knuckles are on a line slightly to the front of the spacebar. Pressing Ctrl is almost straight down, and if the second key is on one of the top rows I might pivot the entire hand a bit to the front to reach.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:53 PM on October 7, 2014
Either my hands are huge, or I have adjusted my entire typing style around Emacs pinky, but I hardly move my finger backwards to press ctrl. I just looked at my hands right now, and my knuckles are on a line slightly to the front of the spacebar. Pressing Ctrl is almost straight down, and if the second key is on one of the top rows I might pivot the entire hand a bit to the front to reach.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:53 PM on October 7, 2014
I should add that I use a Matias, as well as a small fleet of old aircraft carriers ADB M0115 keyboards, and sometimes, you just have to turn around and stand up against the shitty mediocrity of the world (Says I, angrily typing this message on a stock Dell mockery of an Apple chiclet keyboard on my work computer that feels slightly worse than a cassette player made by Coby, or like trying to write on Satan's backne). It's insane to me that people don't mind how incredibly crappy their cheap-ass crap is, but hey, at least it's cheap, right?
Oy--I feel like I need a Silkwood shower every time I type on this thing.
posted by sonascope at 1:00 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oy--I feel like I need a Silkwood shower every time I type on this thing.
posted by sonascope at 1:00 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
They thought I was weird when I brought my own keyboard (Matias Mini Quiet Pro) to my new job. If professional musicians have their own instruments, and many professional mechanics have their own tools, why can't people who type for a living have their own keyboards?
posted by zsazsa at 1:07 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by zsazsa at 1:07 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Trying to do Ctrl-C (Copy), Ctrl-W (Close), etc. is a lot easier when you only have to move your pinky slightly to the left rather than awkwardly curl it backward like you're suffering from arthritis.
I've been using Macs for 20+ years, most of that for work, and this is why I love the command button on pretty much every Mac I've either owned or used. It's next to the spacebar, so thumb on the command key, one of your other fingers on the keyboard shortcut (eg P for print or Q for quit or what have you). You can pivot your hand around your thumb on the command key far better than you can use the CRTL key on a Windows machine for similar purposes, and the fact that you use your thumb for the command key means that pretty much every shortcut is easily available either by using the thumb and finger of one hand or the thumb of one and the finger of the other - none of this awkwardly extending your pinky to the CTRL key (right on the outer reaches of the keyboard) thing that Windows requires. My current job involves using a Windows machine (and I don't have a choice in the matter); it took me six months of swearing under my breath to train me out of so many years of keyboard shortcut muscle memory.
posted by Len at 1:09 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
When I worked at IBM, I had a Model M that combined the Uber Keyboard you're all familiar with a pointing stick mouse.
black M, trackpoint. yeah, back in the day at IBM, these flowed like water for us, you could get as many as your little black heart wanted. years later, they were selling for like USD400 at the MIT swap meets. the only drawback was, in even later years, you had to find just the right specific PS/2 adapter for both kbd+mouse to work over USB. earlier this summer, I retired my last couple of those to the free table at work, with a sad salute and fond farewell. hope someone is enjoying them, now.
these days, at work, I use a das keyboard with blank keys. I feel a little bad at how loud it is. but at least no sucka gonna bogart a blank kbd. (there was a brilliant incident, bunch of people crammed into my office and one of the junior techs commandeered my machine to illustrate a point. they absolutely could not use a blank keyboard. dept-head/my-boss, like 20 years older than all of us, sat down and said "look, this is how you do it" and typed flawlessly. respect. typing all the while looking over his shoulder at the techs, because he knew it's one of the beloved gags I learned from him. much style.)
derail: it is so difficult to buy thinkpads now, without a stupid unholy touchpad. it's so much easier/inexpensive to get the model you want, disable the touchpad in BIOS, and pollyanna-to-yourself that it isn't physically there. except it's still there. it's always there. I am typing this right now on an x61 tablet that only has a trackpoint, and I am beyond grateful for the fact. (my x220t is at least 10x faster and smoother than superconductive ice-9 greased with the souls of baby angels, but I don't use it because... trackpad... why...?)
posted by dorian at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
black M, trackpoint. yeah, back in the day at IBM, these flowed like water for us, you could get as many as your little black heart wanted. years later, they were selling for like USD400 at the MIT swap meets. the only drawback was, in even later years, you had to find just the right specific PS/2 adapter for both kbd+mouse to work over USB. earlier this summer, I retired my last couple of those to the free table at work, with a sad salute and fond farewell. hope someone is enjoying them, now.
these days, at work, I use a das keyboard with blank keys. I feel a little bad at how loud it is. but at least no sucka gonna bogart a blank kbd. (there was a brilliant incident, bunch of people crammed into my office and one of the junior techs commandeered my machine to illustrate a point. they absolutely could not use a blank keyboard. dept-head/my-boss, like 20 years older than all of us, sat down and said "look, this is how you do it" and typed flawlessly. respect. typing all the while looking over his shoulder at the techs, because he knew it's one of the beloved gags I learned from him. much style.)
derail: it is so difficult to buy thinkpads now, without a stupid unholy touchpad. it's so much easier/inexpensive to get the model you want, disable the touchpad in BIOS, and pollyanna-to-yourself that it isn't physically there. except it's still there. it's always there. I am typing this right now on an x61 tablet that only has a trackpoint, and I am beyond grateful for the fact. (my x220t is at least 10x faster and smoother than superconductive ice-9 greased with the souls of baby angels, but I don't use it because... trackpad... why...?)
posted by dorian at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
Sorry, but Cherry MX Browns are vague, mushy, and are practically linear with hardly a bump around the activation point.
Comparing Browns and Blues side by side in a store, I felt the same. Comparing them at home in actual use though? The Browns honestly feel just as good to me, and are so much quieter.
I'd have liked to try Clears but (A) I was unwilling to spend $150 on a keyboard, at least until I was certain I really do prefer mechanicals, and (B) for home use I need something tenkeyless since keyboard and mouse share an under-desk tray. (I have a MIDI keyboard and a drum machine on the desk itself.)
posted by Foosnark at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2014
Comparing Browns and Blues side by side in a store, I felt the same. Comparing them at home in actual use though? The Browns honestly feel just as good to me, and are so much quieter.
I'd have liked to try Clears but (A) I was unwilling to spend $150 on a keyboard, at least until I was certain I really do prefer mechanicals, and (B) for home use I need something tenkeyless since keyboard and mouse share an under-desk tray. (I have a MIDI keyboard and a drum machine on the desk itself.)
posted by Foosnark at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2014
I've got a couple that were included with RS/6000 workstations, the layout's a bit different, and comes with a PS/2 connector. I seem to recall there were a few Model M clones, mechanical switch keyboards, with full-size trackballs where the number pad goes. Loved the hell out of those, but they weren't as robust as the Model M.
posted by Slap*Happy at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by Slap*Happy at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2014
zsazsa I have done that more than once, too! bring your keyboard to work -day (-year/-years).
I have also found that employers sympathetic to ergonomic concerns, are more than happy to order you a das keyboard (or whatever cherry-etc. equivalent exists within their standard vendor whatsis) - and honestly, that is not BS, I have decades of quality M-shaped keyboards, clicky or not, that have been so much better on my tendons and poor fingerbones.
posted by dorian at 1:22 PM on October 7, 2014
I have also found that employers sympathetic to ergonomic concerns, are more than happy to order you a das keyboard (or whatever cherry-etc. equivalent exists within their standard vendor whatsis) - and honestly, that is not BS, I have decades of quality M-shaped keyboards, clicky or not, that have been so much better on my tendons and poor fingerbones.
posted by dorian at 1:22 PM on October 7, 2014
Model M, much respect.
I'm an Apple guy though, so my favorite is the Apple Extended Keyboard II.
posted by Wild_Eep at 1:34 PM on October 7, 2014
I'm an Apple guy though, so my favorite is the Apple Extended Keyboard II.
posted by Wild_Eep at 1:34 PM on October 7, 2014
Cash4Lead, you can get the layout you want from unicomp still, just select "US Linux" as the language. I own a (non functional) Model M and a unicomp and they are nearly identical except my unicomp has the proper keyboard layout where control and escape are in the correct places.
posted by Poldo at 1:46 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Poldo at 1:46 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
The only thing more durable than an Apple Extended Keyboard were the old ImageWriter II tractor-fed, dot matrix printers. When I was a young schnitzengruben, I managed a computer lab in college and the three ImageWriters would routinely get knocked to the floor by people with their backpacks. The printers kept on trucking. I kinda miss them, though I wonder if anyone even sells tractor-feed paper these days.
My work keyboard is a Logitech something-or-other from home, brought in after the alt keys on my standard Dell keyboard stopped working and I didn't want to dig through idle cubes for a replacement. I wonder if I could get them to spring for a Model M clone...
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:48 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
My work keyboard is a Logitech something-or-other from home, brought in after the alt keys on my standard Dell keyboard stopped working and I didn't want to dig through idle cubes for a replacement. I wonder if I could get them to spring for a Model M clone...
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:48 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
They thought I was weird when I brought my own keyboard (Matias Mini Quiet Pro) to my new job. If professional musicians have their own instruments, and many professional mechanics have their own tools, why can't people who type for a living have their own keyboards?
That's my thought on it. (Two Das Keyboards, from before they changed suppliers. One for work, one for home)
My code is my craft, and my tools are what allow me to perform my craft.
Keyboard? Definitely. Multi-monitor improvement (DisplayFusion license)? Of course. Sublime Text (and professional paid-quality plugins)? Sign me up.
The main remaining thing I haven't found appropriately professional-grade is a mouse (Ideally wireless, for a work-mouse)
posted by CrystalDave at 1:51 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
That's my thought on it. (Two Das Keyboards, from before they changed suppliers. One for work, one for home)
My code is my craft, and my tools are what allow me to perform my craft.
Keyboard? Definitely. Multi-monitor improvement (DisplayFusion license)? Of course. Sublime Text (and professional paid-quality plugins)? Sign me up.
The main remaining thing I haven't found appropriately professional-grade is a mouse (Ideally wireless, for a work-mouse)
posted by CrystalDave at 1:51 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
My dream is that one day Logitech will dust off their classic 3-button mouse molds and make a modern version. Or, sell the design to Unicomp.
posted by ckape at 2:03 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ckape at 2:03 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I wrote my university dissertation on one of these with a German key layout - loved it.
posted by stanf at 2:05 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by stanf at 2:05 PM on October 7, 2014
> any recommendations about peripherals, configurations, or practices
Learn about and master the compose key. It is the best thing ever for proper typography.
posted by scruss at 2:20 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Learn about and master the compose key. It is the best thing ever for proper typography.
posted by scruss at 2:20 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Learn about and master the compose key. It is the best thing ever for proper typography.
I'm in the Mac universe, where those sort of things were understood as necessities of human civilization, which is why, whenever I want to type a goddamn em dash on a Windows machine, and particularly on a Windows laptop without a numeric keypad, I wish for the world to end in a rain of nuclear fire, because it is just insane that you have to (A) depend on the sporadic kindness of software to make the substitution for "--" or (B) do this ridiculous thing with the numeric keypad, which, on a laptop keyboard, is so baroque as to be almost Biblical in its absurd and pointless complication:
1. Press the stupid button to turn part of the keyboard into a slanty, virtually unusable numeric keypad.
2. Press and hold ALT, and then type 0 1 5 1 on the slanty, virtually unusable numeric keypad.
3. Press the stupid button to turn the keyboard back into a keyboard.
4. Launch the Atlas missiles in the direction of Seattle.
This is why, though I am locked in grinding poverty, I still prefer Macs, because I like em dashes and umlauts and other actual characters that actual people use. Argh.
posted by sonascope at 3:29 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
I'm in the Mac universe, where those sort of things were understood as necessities of human civilization, which is why, whenever I want to type a goddamn em dash on a Windows machine, and particularly on a Windows laptop without a numeric keypad, I wish for the world to end in a rain of nuclear fire, because it is just insane that you have to (A) depend on the sporadic kindness of software to make the substitution for "--" or (B) do this ridiculous thing with the numeric keypad, which, on a laptop keyboard, is so baroque as to be almost Biblical in its absurd and pointless complication:
1. Press the stupid button to turn part of the keyboard into a slanty, virtually unusable numeric keypad.
2. Press and hold ALT, and then type 0 1 5 1 on the slanty, virtually unusable numeric keypad.
3. Press the stupid button to turn the keyboard back into a keyboard.
4. Launch the Atlas missiles in the direction of Seattle.
This is why, though I am locked in grinding poverty, I still prefer Macs, because I like em dashes and umlauts and other actual characters that actual people use. Argh.
posted by sonascope at 3:29 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
My dream is that one day Logitech will dust off their classic 3-button mouse molds and make a modern version. Or, sell the design to Unicomp.
I have a bus mouse sitting downstairs right next to my old keyboard. I'm on a unicomp now...
posted by mikelieman at 3:35 PM on October 7, 2014
I'm typing this on a M13 with Trackpoint II. Have another one at work, two spares stored upstairs. Which is probably overkill - this is a keyboard you can pass on to future generations.
(Except for the mouse buttons - they wear out in three years of daily use or so. Unicomp still stocks spares, thankfully.)
posted by bitmage at 4:15 PM on October 7, 2014
(Except for the mouse buttons - they wear out in three years of daily use or so. Unicomp still stocks spares, thankfully.)
posted by bitmage at 4:15 PM on October 7, 2014
I'm a long-time Model M user -- my desktop keyboard at work is a Space Saver and my home one is a full-size that I've had since the early 90s. Best keyboard ever.
the matching mole, I've written a ADB to USB adapter if you want to reuse your Apple Extended Keyboard. I also wrote a Mac SE video adapter if you want to reuse your original Mac CRT and run Linux instead of System 7.
posted by autopilot at 4:18 PM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
the matching mole, I've written a ADB to USB adapter if you want to reuse your Apple Extended Keyboard. I also wrote a Mac SE video adapter if you want to reuse your original Mac CRT and run Linux instead of System 7.
posted by autopilot at 4:18 PM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
There was a big stash of Model Ms sitting in a cupboard at one of my previous employers. Buckling spring switches have never done anything for me, but I wish I'd snagged a few to sell on ebay. I'm a big fan of topre switches, and that's what I use all day at work, I've got cherry browns at home, but find them a little soft, I'd like to try the clears.
posted by markr at 4:37 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by markr at 4:37 PM on October 7, 2014
Trying to do Ctrl-C (Copy), Ctrl-W (Close), etc. is a lot easier when you only have to move your pinky slightly to the left
Are you a gamer? Most gamers I know tend to naturally rest their pinky along CTRL and SHIFT when typing. Depressing either CTRL or SHIFT is trivial; pressing CAPS LOCK would be annoying and require moving the whole hand upwards.
FWIW; pinky rests along SHIFT and CTRL, left ring finger rest on A, middle finger on W, left index on D, thumb on SPACEBAR.
posted by Justinian at 4:56 PM on October 7, 2014
Are you a gamer? Most gamers I know tend to naturally rest their pinky along CTRL and SHIFT when typing. Depressing either CTRL or SHIFT is trivial; pressing CAPS LOCK would be annoying and require moving the whole hand upwards.
FWIW; pinky rests along SHIFT and CTRL, left ring finger rest on A, middle finger on W, left index on D, thumb on SPACEBAR.
posted by Justinian at 4:56 PM on October 7, 2014
Somehow all my friends and I ended up with 2001 keyboards. I guess it was the hip keyboard to have in the early 90s, at least where I grew up. I miss my old 2001 (with that smoky / amber keyboard cover) so much.
Nothing said "Dad's Work Computer--DON'T TOUCH" like that amber cover. He didn't even ever have to use the keyboard lock (located right next to the TURBO and Reset buttons) to keep us away from it, though the sacrificial cast off AT with CGA monitor helped a bit.
I never even knew about the XT/AT switch until years later when I saw a busted up one being used at the point-of-sale terminal of a video rental store which was missing the switch cover.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:56 PM on October 7, 2014
Nothing said "Dad's Work Computer--DON'T TOUCH" like that amber cover. He didn't even ever have to use the keyboard lock (located right next to the TURBO and Reset buttons) to keep us away from it, though the sacrificial cast off AT with CGA monitor helped a bit.
I never even knew about the XT/AT switch until years later when I saw a busted up one being used at the point-of-sale terminal of a video rental store which was missing the switch cover.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:56 PM on October 7, 2014
Oh, I love the Model M but I can't use straight keyboards any more. Repetitive strain injury on my wrists means I more or less must use an ergonomically shaped keyboard if typing for more than a few minutes. Needless to say using a laptop is torture.
posted by Justinian at 4:58 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by Justinian at 4:58 PM on October 7, 2014
ernielundquist: I used to be able to pick up Models M at thrift stores all the time. I got so cocky about it that I actually gave a bunch of them away.
UGH SHUT UP. I used to find PILES of them at the local pc recycler... in the as is section... unpriced, so they were 99 cents.
I still have a green one from there.(yea, GREEN!). I gave away all the other ones to people who wanted them or thought they were cool.
I don't really regret it, but i miss them being that readily available.
And shit, i've had that keyboard for so fucking long now. It used to be plugged into a pentium III, connected to a crappy viewsonic CRT at my parents house. I played so much pre-1.6 counterstrike with that keyboard. I beat half life 2 on launch day with it. Me and that keyboard have seen some shit.
posted by emptythought at 5:10 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
UGH SHUT UP. I used to find PILES of them at the local pc recycler... in the as is section... unpriced, so they were 99 cents.
I still have a green one from there.(yea, GREEN!). I gave away all the other ones to people who wanted them or thought they were cool.
I don't really regret it, but i miss them being that readily available.
And shit, i've had that keyboard for so fucking long now. It used to be plugged into a pentium III, connected to a crappy viewsonic CRT at my parents house. I played so much pre-1.6 counterstrike with that keyboard. I beat half life 2 on launch day with it. Me and that keyboard have seen some shit.
posted by emptythought at 5:10 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
> I'm in the Mac universe, where those sort of things were understood as necessities …
Ah, but the Mac OS Option key is a feeble thing; it's like the Compose Key with stabilizers/training wheels. It allows you to type some characters, but not in a logical way. I mean, to type ½ on a Mac, you have to type Option-Shift-P. With a compose key, it's Compose-1-2. Most of the Compose key sequences are logical (if sometimes silly):
posted by scruss at 6:22 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Ah, but the Mac OS Option key is a feeble thing; it's like the Compose Key with stabilizers/training wheels. It allows you to type some characters, but not in a logical way. I mean, to type ½ on a Mac, you have to type Option-Shift-P. With a compose key, it's Compose-1-2. Most of the Compose key sequences are logical (if sometimes silly):
- ë = Compose-"-e (which might or might not need Shift, depending on your keyboard)
- ł = Compose-l-/
- µ = Compose-/-u
- ° = Compose-o-o
- ☺ = Compose-:-)
- ‰ = Compose-%-o
- … = Compose-.-.
posted by scruss at 6:22 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Ah, but the Mac OS Option key is a feeble thing;
I'll still take a simple chord of shift+option+- for a character I use regularly over alt, then 0 then 1 then 5 then 1 on the numeric keyboard, which is just freaking torture.
Doing an umlaut seems pretty logical—option+u to set it up, then the character you want umlauted, like ä ü ë ö or even ÿ if you're starting a mid-eighties metal band. Being able to do å as a two-key chord made my Swedish homework easier. Doing that Spanish N-thing, too—just option-n and then n for ñ. Easy!
The Compose key seems neatish, but in a weird visual phonetics sort of mode. Also, are they sequential entries, so you need 3-4 keystrokes, or are they just peculiar floating chords?
posted by sonascope at 6:39 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'll still take a simple chord of shift+option+- for a character I use regularly over alt, then 0 then 1 then 5 then 1 on the numeric keyboard, which is just freaking torture.
Doing an umlaut seems pretty logical—option+u to set it up, then the character you want umlauted, like ä ü ë ö or even ÿ if you're starting a mid-eighties metal band. Being able to do å as a two-key chord made my Swedish homework easier. Doing that Spanish N-thing, too—just option-n and then n for ñ. Easy!
The Compose key seems neatish, but in a weird visual phonetics sort of mode. Also, are they sequential entries, so you need 3-4 keystrokes, or are they just peculiar floating chords?
posted by sonascope at 6:39 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, sonascope, the Alt+numerics on Windows is very poor, but it doesn't stop me calling a friend ZoAlt+0235 …
Like all Unix things, the Compose key is infinitely fiddlable-with. One person's chords may not work for you. There's a big repository of options at the .XCompose site. Some of the options on my current keymap aren't quite as logical as I'd like, but I'm mostly happy with it.
posted by scruss at 6:48 PM on October 7, 2014
Like all Unix things, the Compose key is infinitely fiddlable-with. One person's chords may not work for you. There's a big repository of options at the .XCompose site. Some of the options on my current keymap aren't quite as logical as I'd like, but I'm mostly happy with it.
posted by scruss at 6:48 PM on October 7, 2014
even ÿ if you're starting a mid-eighties metal band
Sphÿncter
posted by thelonius at 7:06 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
Sphÿncter
posted by thelonius at 7:06 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
Buckling springs are cool but I can't deal with the non-split smooshed together layout. The special split M15 version can go for over $1000 now, I'm sticking with my Alps-equipped Northgate Evolution monstrosity.
> derail: it is so difficult to buy thinkpads now, without a stupid unholy touchpad.
You're going to be very, very sad with the newest generation of Thinkpads. In addition to the chicklet keyboard, the trackpoint buttons have been integrated into the button-less trackpad. Instead of three simple buttons you get a huge button that just "suggests" where the left, middle and right mouse keys should be pressed. The whole trackpad is also made of flexible plastic and has a mm of play in all directions.
posted by meowzilla at 8:13 PM on October 7, 2014
> derail: it is so difficult to buy thinkpads now, without a stupid unholy touchpad.
You're going to be very, very sad with the newest generation of Thinkpads. In addition to the chicklet keyboard, the trackpoint buttons have been integrated into the button-less trackpad. Instead of three simple buttons you get a huge button that just "suggests" where the left, middle and right mouse keys should be pressed. The whole trackpad is also made of flexible plastic and has a mm of play in all directions.
posted by meowzilla at 8:13 PM on October 7, 2014
meowzilla - le sigh, I thought I was somewhat aware, much as I try to pretend otherwise. I think the last ones to ship with only trackpoint were x200 (i, s, t, & regular) - I don't think any x201 variants shipped without a touchpad, but you can easily retrofit the palmrest/bezel from a x200.
the 220t, was such a great deal from a close friend - never used, monstrous upgrades, amazing price, still in warranty - I couldn't pass it up. I am still trying to see if I can engineer some sort of franken-palmrest. and it's almost a decent throwback to pre-lenovo days - e.g. keyboard is nice non-chiclet old thinkpad style.
trackpoint buttons have been integrated into the button-less trackpad. Instead of three simple buttons you get a huge button that just "suggests" where the left, middle and right mouse keys should be pressed
this makes me very sad indeed. apparently I was not even close to aware.
posted by dorian at 9:08 PM on October 7, 2014
the 220t, was such a great deal from a close friend - never used, monstrous upgrades, amazing price, still in warranty - I couldn't pass it up. I am still trying to see if I can engineer some sort of franken-palmrest. and it's almost a decent throwback to pre-lenovo days - e.g. keyboard is nice non-chiclet old thinkpad style.
trackpoint buttons have been integrated into the button-less trackpad. Instead of three simple buttons you get a huge button that just "suggests" where the left, middle and right mouse keys should be pressed
this makes me very sad indeed. apparently I was not even close to aware.
posted by dorian at 9:08 PM on October 7, 2014
The crappiness of that buttonless trackpad makes no sense either. lenovo is capable of making a decent one. The short lived X30x(as i remember?) models that had the buttonless pad had a brilliant one, it was as good as apples. The one on the X1 was also pretty ok(and that, in an of itself, is actually a pretty cool machine. it answers the question of "what if lenovo made a thinkpad version of the macbook air, and the macbook air never existed?" if you pretend it's less of a traditional thinkpad and more of like, a concept car it's quite nice. especially the ridiculous high resolution version. its like it's from the alternate universe where japan won ww2, or something.)
and then... this shit?
The thinkpads used to feel like a unified line of products. The little ones were obviously designed by the same people as the big ones, and everything felt the same quality across the board. This lasted until the 3-digit-number series for the X, and up until like.. the t420, and i'm not sure where the cutoff is in the W series.
I don't want to draw the line at the chiclet keyboards, but it's really really hard not to. You know that pretty soon they're just going to 86 the trackpoint entirely and go "everyone wants buttonless trackpads, because macbook!". You can already see this happening to other vaguely comparable machines like the dell precision...
posted by emptythought at 9:17 PM on October 7, 2014
and then... this shit?
The thinkpads used to feel like a unified line of products. The little ones were obviously designed by the same people as the big ones, and everything felt the same quality across the board. This lasted until the 3-digit-number series for the X, and up until like.. the t420, and i'm not sure where the cutoff is in the W series.
I don't want to draw the line at the chiclet keyboards, but it's really really hard not to. You know that pretty soon they're just going to 86 the trackpoint entirely and go "everyone wants buttonless trackpads, because macbook!". You can already see this happening to other vaguely comparable machines like the dell precision...
posted by emptythought at 9:17 PM on October 7, 2014
It's priceless when your friend needs to borrow your ThinkPad and holy shit there's no trackpad how do i use this thing Unfortunately I can't see myself buying X series anymore given the way it's going.
I have a keyboard with Browns but it really doesn't have much feedback at all. I may have to try these Quiet Click things.
posted by Standard Orange at 10:18 PM on October 7, 2014
I have a keyboard with Browns but it really doesn't have much feedback at all. I may have to try these Quiet Click things.
posted by Standard Orange at 10:18 PM on October 7, 2014
The W540 is the first "new-generation" W-Series Thinkpad. I'm switching from a W510 and the keyboard and trackpad feel so utterly inferior. It's also missing all the LED indicator lights and additional volume buttons, with the function keys defaulting to volume/brightness/etc. which even Apple knows not to do. Even the logo on the top is oriented the Macbook way (so that other people see it face-up but the user doesn't).
I use a Macbook at home and this Thinkpad is just a poor imitation, whereas the older ones stood on their own.
posted by meowzilla at 11:33 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
I use a Macbook at home and this Thinkpad is just a poor imitation, whereas the older ones stood on their own.
posted by meowzilla at 11:33 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
I have three of them, but I find mine unreliable- too much time in the basement.
I love the heft and the sound, but out of nowhere I get eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
I bought a tool to take them apart, but the mylar sections I think I need to clean are welded in place.
posted by MtDewd at 5:44 AM on October 8, 2014
I love the heft and the sound, but out of nowhere I get eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
I bought a tool to take them apart, but the mylar sections I think I need to clean are welded in place.
posted by MtDewd at 5:44 AM on October 8, 2014
My favorite Thinkpads were the mobile workstations by IBM and Tadpole - honest to goodness RISC/Unix notebooks. IBM made a number of PowerPC versions in-house for AIX, OS/400, OS/2 and WindowsNT(no joke!), and Tadpole took the excellent magnesium case , keyboard and display of the original 800-series, and fitted logic boards with Sun SPARC, DEC Alpha and HP PA-RISC processors and associated graphics. It was like something out of a gritty cyberpunk story. It was like a prop from Blade Runner, only it worked as awesome as it looked - crisp display, better-than-desktop keyboard action, the super slick nub-mouse.
Tadpole then moved on to Dell-like bloated plastic monstrosities in the aughts, and is now out of business, and IBM now makes neither notebooks nor workstations, but the original Tadpole notebooks and 800-series notebooks were something, and turned heads when you pulled one out at a nerd gathering.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:53 AM on October 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
Tadpole then moved on to Dell-like bloated plastic monstrosities in the aughts, and is now out of business, and IBM now makes neither notebooks nor workstations, but the original Tadpole notebooks and 800-series notebooks were something, and turned heads when you pulled one out at a nerd gathering.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:53 AM on October 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
Unfortunately, I can't use straight keyboards anymore. At work, I'm on my second Microsoft 1000, but I might have to dust off my Kinesis and see if it's workable.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 7:01 AM on October 8, 2014
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 7:01 AM on October 8, 2014
I wonder if my self-taught hyper-hunt-and-peck typing style has saved me from CTS. My hands hover above the keyboard, and at the natural "angle", I don't skew my hands outward at the wrist to the home row locations. I have no home row locations, just glance down once in a while if muscle memory can't guide my fingers to the keys. I can keep up a pretty good pace, tho not nearly the speed of a touch-typing pro, but I'll take comfort over speed.
For whatever reason, mechanical keyboards the like Model M (and to a lesser extent Apple chiclet keyboards, believe it or not) really speed things up for my idiosyncratic typing style, or at least gives me a satisfying illusion of typing faster.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:12 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
For whatever reason, mechanical keyboards the like Model M (and to a lesser extent Apple chiclet keyboards, believe it or not) really speed things up for my idiosyncratic typing style, or at least gives me a satisfying illusion of typing faster.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:12 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
I sort of agree with that Slap*Happy, although I took formal touch-typing classes back in the early 80's, for me it was about using computers better, therefore the "home row" thing was a guideline rather than a strict rule, for me. Yeah, I cheated.
Turns out that I do 'home' on the f and j keys, but the rest of my 'hand position' is all over the place. Which, given the arthritis I've developed as I got older, isn't a bad thing.
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 AM on October 8, 2014
Turns out that I do 'home' on the f and j keys, but the rest of my 'hand position' is all over the place. Which, given the arthritis I've developed as I got older, isn't a bad thing.
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 AM on October 8, 2014
You will pry my Model M from my cold, dead hands!
posted by rhombus at 8:11 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by rhombus at 8:11 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
I bought a Ducky 9087G2 keyboard with Cherry Blue switches pretty much as an impulse purchase, and have been extremely happy with it. In addition to the pleasant clicky switches, it also saves some precious square-inches of desk-surface, and reduces the keyboard-to-mouse distance, by not having a numeric keypad, which I'd rarely have use for even though I'd type long number strings faster with one.
It does have the arrowkeys/INS+HOME+PGUP+DEL+END+PGDN/PrntScrn+etc.. column though, which I don't mind having.
But the clicks; ah. My fingers are as happy as my ears!
posted by Anything at 11:31 AM on October 8, 2014
It does have the arrowkeys/INS+HOME+PGUP+DEL+END+PGDN/PrntScrn+etc.. column though, which I don't mind having.
But the clicks; ah. My fingers are as happy as my ears!
posted by Anything at 11:31 AM on October 8, 2014
My only gripe about the abovementioned Ducky keyboard is that I'd rather prefer a white/beige color to the black.
posted by Anything at 11:35 AM on October 8, 2014
posted by Anything at 11:35 AM on October 8, 2014
Why won't Unicomp remake the Model M15 Split Ergonomic!
Cherrys are nice, but I want buckle ergo. And I'm not about to built an Ergodox and 3d print the plastic needed to make it a vertical/sloped split.
posted by wcfields at 1:17 PM on October 8, 2014
Cherrys are nice, but I want buckle ergo. And I'm not about to built an Ergodox and 3d print the plastic needed to make it a vertical/sloped split.
posted by wcfields at 1:17 PM on October 8, 2014
I know I keep going on about them, but Matias is releasing an adjustable split ergo keyboard. But they're only using their quiet keyswitches, not the clicky clacky ones.
posted by zsazsa at 2:13 PM on October 9, 2014
posted by zsazsa at 2:13 PM on October 9, 2014
meowzilla: "the function keys defaulting to volume/brightness/etc. which even Apple knows not to do"
I might be misreading a double negative here, but one of the disappointments I had in moving from a ThinkPad Z61t to a MacBook Pro (along with the missing indicator LEDs, etc.) was that the function keys defaulted to controlling lighting, volume etc. rather than actually being function keys. That's probably switchable in software somewhere, but I miss having dedicated buttons AND function keys. It's not like the Mac lacks space for them.
posted by exogenous at 2:31 PM on October 9, 2014
I might be misreading a double negative here, but one of the disappointments I had in moving from a ThinkPad Z61t to a MacBook Pro (along with the missing indicator LEDs, etc.) was that the function keys defaulted to controlling lighting, volume etc. rather than actually being function keys. That's probably switchable in software somewhere, but I miss having dedicated buttons AND function keys. It's not like the Mac lacks space for them.
posted by exogenous at 2:31 PM on October 9, 2014
That's probably switchable in software somewhere
Doesn't solve your problem of wanting both, but yes:
System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard tab -> Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:37 AM on October 10, 2014
Doesn't solve your problem of wanting both, but yes:
System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard tab -> Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:37 AM on October 10, 2014
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*happy sigh*
posted by barchan at 10:40 AM on October 7, 2014 [6 favorites]