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I presently use a Matias Tactile Pro 4.

Pros:

o Normal key travel depth means typing skills apply without relearning
o Positive "click" clearly indicates success of keystrokes — uses Alps mechanical keyswitches.
o N-key rollover — doesn't lose keystrokes.
o Has OS X keys where they should be.
o Nicely marked with option-key and other uncommon characters.
o Durability is high (I type a lot and these last longer than anything else I've tried.)
o Dual USB ports, very convenient at times.
o Nicely symmetrical shift, control, alt/option and command keys.
o Properly shielded cabling, keeps RFI low (I do a lot of radio work.)
o Sculpted keytops — aids in keeping fingertips where they belong
o Excellent build quality — case, feet, keys, cabling, connectors, jacks.
o Laser-etched keytops provide excellent legend durability.
o Actually has an ESC key. And proper function keys. 18 of them. :)
o Has a numeric pad.
o White with dark key legends: very easy to see, which I need when not typing on the conventional keys.
o No batteries to wear out — it's powered through its USB cable.
o No connection issues — communicates with the computer over USB.
o Available in US, UK, German and Japanese layouts. I use a US layout version, it's great.

Cons:

o Price: They're presently about $150.00, US. To me, absolutely worth it, but that's in the "ouch" range.
o Keys are not illuminated - I really, really wish they were. I prefer a darker room.
o Difficult to clean (I've no suggestions here, it's just an observation.)
o Although durability is far better than anything else I've tried, these still last me only about a year. Could be better. I think what usually happens is the keyswitches come loose from the printed circuit board underneath, a conclusion I have drawn based on the behavior of the intermittent keypresses.

And...

I have to emphasize that I type a lot. About eight to ten hours a day, at about 65 WPM in long bursts (sometimes several hours at a time.) I suspect that for most people, these keyboards would last a very long time.

OS X is still mostly BSD from command line and POSIX/BSD point of view.

You know Apple "deprecated" cron, right? That kind of idiocy is a strike at the heart of "being *nix" as far as I'm concerned. The less *nixy it is, the more work it is to use it for me, because I have to support both types of OS — I have considerably better things to do than figure out what Apple's screwing up, or planning to screw up, in the latest OS.

Back OT, the awful chiclet keyboards on the macbooks weaned me off ever buying another one again. That was well before they choked the macbook's physical connectivity down to almost nothing.

Apple keyboards aren't designed to get work done that requires, you know, typing. The touch bar... that's evidence of drug-addled interior decorators getting control over Apple engineering. What a travesty. A poster-child worthy example of "form over function." The whole surface with no keys? Ridiculous.

On my Mac desktop, I use a Matias Tactile Pro, which is a decent keyboard. This thing is actually worthy of typing on.

Somebody please mod this fucking crap down!

creimer's child bride retired military buddy suggested to him to "hide in plain sight" so creimer picked up "The Fat Bastard" as his new sock puppet user name!

http://matias.ca/usb2keyboard/
http://www.tomshardware.com/an...

1. Transputer
Check out:
* The REX Neo architecture
* Coherent Logix' HyperX (not to be confused with the PC component brand)

4. Postscript As A GUI
Postscript is a Turing-complete language running in a virtual machine. Code injection vulnerabilities in PDF is a real thing that you want to avoid.
* Isn't MacOS X's drawing model still based on Display Postscript?
* GTK+ uses the Cairo library for its rendering, and it also has PS and PDF backends that might satisfy many needs.

Smart objects on the display server side (which NeWS had) are still missing though. But I think a model with pre-defined well-behaving primitive objects (clickable, popup, draggable, scrollable etc.) sending events would be better.

7. Big, Properly-Sprung Keyboards
Have you missed the comeback of mechanical keyboards in recent years? They have got especially popular for PC gaming. If the mainstream widely available gaming mechs are not be to your liking, the mechanical keyboard community is now big and diverse (both users and companies) and there are lots of lesser known options if you look. Check out the Geekhack forum (for "geeks" and "hack writers").
I suspect that you might be especially interested in the TactilePro with new Alps (clone) switches from Matias, or real Model Ms with buckling springs from Unicomp.

What fraction of smartphones have been sold in 2015 through 2017 in a bundle with "a connected full-sized foldable keyboard" or "bluetooth connected full-sized foldable keyboard"? Even if something is available if you know to look for it, most cellular subscribers either don't know to look for it or aren't willing to pay ADA-extortion prices ($595 for a Half Keyboard anyone?) for it.

The most common mechanical keyboards are gaming boards using Cherry switches, which are usually a little under $100. They've been in common use for at least six or seven years, and work for 'normal' use in a pinch.

Other then that pesky little fact that they do not use Cherry switches. They use an ALPS inspired switch. http://matias.ca/switches/ Of course that is not covered in the article or summery. They just talk about a half keyboard that uses space like a shift key to make it the other half of the keyboard. Also not exactly common.

They come in full-size and mini versions, wired-with-hub and also wireless...
http://www.matias.ca/

Ergo Pro now shipping -- no expense spared to make it the best...

• http://matias.ca/ergopro/pc

Reviewed here...

• http://www.marco.org/2015/02/26/matis-ergo-pro-review

Get a Matias Quiet Pro. It's a mechanical keyboard and it's pretty quiet. I have the Laptop Pro which uses the same keyswitches. It's so much better than a rubber dome keyboard.

I'm typing this on my favorite keyboard of all time -- the Apple Extended Keyboard II, but it would never be confused with "not bulky." Plus, you have to get an ADB-USB adapter and, at best, the keyboard will be about 20 years old. That said, they're the best keyboards ever made IMHO and, even at 20 years old, mine still types like new. Plus they're pretty quiet for a mechanical keyboard.

I also love the Model Ms from Unicomp, but those definitely aren't quiet.

http://matias.ca/ergopro/pc/ It doesn't "re-merge" but it's my keyboard and I'm not giving a bent-wristed yahoo access to it. And I'm too old and get paid too much to spend time assembling a keyboard, I'd rather buy it off the shelf.

I’m guessing parent meant mechanical as in clicky mechanical keyswitches, like a Model M. He might be interested in something like this.

These switches are just MX blues with a stiffer spring so they can be used in space bars, escape keys and such. They have the same problems that the blues have, making them fall far short of a buckling spring replacement:

First, there is the shrill "tink-tink" sound that they make which seems to be intentionally made to be audible on a busy factory or sales floor (not at home or in the office).

Second is the hysteresis or "reset point" which is higher up (on the way back up) than the actuation point itself. This creates an odd feel when pressing a key more than once in succession.

I'd tell anyone who wants a firmer (but not 80g) switch with good tactile feedback to try Matias corp's new mechanical switches. You can choose between clicky (but not shrill) and quiet versions.

I think it's fair: It's Apple's product, and it's Apple's keyboard, and they could fix it if they cared about your experience. Saying Apple has a UI problem isn't the same as saying ONLY Apple has a UI problem. I was just talking about OS X.

Also, FWIW, if anyone is unhappy with their Mac keyboard, I finally found happiness with the Matias Tactile Pro 3. YMMV, but I doubt it. :)

I had this problem when I broke my wrist. It turns out that it is pretty easy for your brain to learn to type one-handed if you simply use a special shift key to make each half of your keyboard be a mirror image of the other half. This can be accomplished in software, using the space key as the special shift, but there is a patent on the technique, and software drivers that used to be available are gone. You'll learn this way faster than any of the chorded keyboards. I have found the Matias Keyboard, which implements this technique in a hardware keyboard, to be a great solution. It's not cheap, but it works. http://www.matias.ca/halfkeyboard/index.php?refID=7

I guess this is the one. They have a demo on the site. http://matias.ca/halfkeyboard/index.php

A long time ago, Matias was selling a "half keyboard" for use with PDAs and other mobile devices at a more or less reasonable price of $99. The following is patented: "Hold the space bar to flip the keyboard horizontally." When that market failed, Matias jacked up the price by hundreds of dollars to take advantage of companies that were buying the "half keyboard" as a legally required accommodation for employees with disabilities.

That's because Matias has already cornered the market on its $600 keyboards. I'm guessing this has something to do with the fact that health insurers, employers, and governments are willing to pay so much to make a business or agency compliant with the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

...so is this.

I can't stand the Apple chiclet keyboards, and Apple is what I run. So I swap the Apple keyboard out. Simple. Just like your model M, the aftermarket is the place to go if you're a typist of any sort.

Would a half keyboard and a trackball work? It's too bad that Matias, which owns the patent on half keyboards, prices them squarely in the insurance-driven market for assistive devices for people with disabilities, not the consumer-driven gaming market: $595? Give me a break.

the keyboard is not really the problem, pushing a button on a pad or a keyboard doesn't make that much difference, also there is the logitech g13 that cost less than 100€
when playing an fps on console the real problem is the aim stick, it's nowhere near a mouse precision, that's why there are a lot of aim aids on console games

Would a half keyboard and a trackball work? It's too bad that Matias, which owns the patent on half keyboards, prices them squarely in the insurance-driven market for assistive devices for people with disabilities, not the consumer-driven gaming market: $595? Give me a break.

For the record, I just ordered a Mattias Tactile Pro 3 keyboard because the Apple "chiclet" keyboard on my Mac pro is so appallingly bad - no physical or audible feedback, mushy feel, unreliable rollover / missed keys / extra keys. This is for my desktop; I suffer with the awfulness on my Macbook pro.

The TTP3 has Alps mechanical switches, basically unlimited rollover, and key legends that won't wear off, at least according to them (laser etched.) It's my xmas present to myself.

The idea that a touch screen could take over -- and mind you, I'm really into my iPad -- is no less than ridiculous. The "keyboard" on an iPad is meant to cover you in very rare instances. It's not usable long term or in a serious manner. People who type for a living, or simply a lot... they can't be moved to a touch screen. Not even remotely viable.

$150??

I use a standard hp desktop keyboard and its perfect, everything where u want it, fantastic 'click' and so many of them around i have 5 at home i'm not even sure what to do with them

For the record, I just ordered a Mattias Tactile Pro 3 keyboard because the Apple "chiclet" keyboard on my Mac pro is so appallingly bad - no physical or audible feedback, mushy feel, unreliable rollover / missed keys / extra keys. This is for my desktop; I suffer with the awfulness on my Macbook pro.

The TTP3 has Alps mechanical switches, basically unlimited rollover, and key legends that won't wear off, at least according to them (laser etched.) It's my xmas present to myself.

The idea that a touch screen could take over -- and mind you, I'm really into my iPad -- is no less than ridiculous. The "keyboard" on an iPad is meant to cover you in very rare instances. It's not usable long term or in a serious manner. People who type for a living, or simply a lot... they can't be moved to a touch screen. Not even remotely viable.

A product like Warmouse will especially useful when the patent on half keyboards runs out.

You're supposed to put it back in the case you got for it, first...

I've always been fond of the clicky keyboard -- the old IBM PC keyboards with the mechanically switched keys allowed me to type significantly faster than the newer stuff.

I found the Matias Tactile for my Mac a few years ago, and was willing to shell out the $100 for it. Have never regretted it, either.

If you are using a Mac, perhaps you will find this interesting.

One of my coworkers has one of the originals (with an old iMac) and it is fantastic. This should be as close to the real thing as possible.

The IBM M is lame. The Apple Extended Keyboard II is the best ever built.

Much quieter, a bit less key resistance, so it doesn't wear you out. Individual keyswitches for reliability and durability.

And you can still get one built like it:

http://www.matias.ca/tactilepro2/

Now that I think about it, the Tactile Pro 2 is probably the best keyboard built today.

Meh, get either of these two keyboards and you will be able to type every letter with only your left hand.

http://www.matias.ca/halfkeyboard/index.php?refID=7

If they had released a 7" model without the huge bezel around the scree I might have picked one up.

The keyboard width can never be greater than the screen width plus the screen bezel width. How do you think you would type on such a tiny PC? I have an Eee 900 with an 8.9" screen, and I had a bit of trouble adapting to its small keyboard. Or were you expecting something like the patented Matias Half Keyboard ($150)?

We've had our very own high-quality mechanical keyboards for years now, and they even come with the Apple and volume/CD keys! My Matias Tactile Pro is going on four years old and nary a hiccup; my Apple-branded membranes were lucky to last four MONTHS.

If you really love the mechanical keyswitches and want a Mac Friendly layout, I'd recommend the Matias Tactile Pro: http://matias.ca/tactilepro/ I've had one for 4 years now and absolutely love the beast. Won't solve your usb port on the side problem though.

It's been replaced by the tactile pro 2 http://matias.ca/tactilepro2/ which I have no experience with, but If it's anything like the original it would be a great keyboard.

If you really love the mechanical keyswitches and want a Mac Friendly layout, I'd recommend the Matias Tactile Pro: http://matias.ca/tactilepro/ I've had one for 4 years now and absolutely love the beast. Won't solve your usb port on the side problem though.

It's been replaced by the tactile pro 2 http://matias.ca/tactilepro2/ which I have no experience with, but If it's anything like the original it would be a great keyboard.

The Matias Tactile Pro keyboard is much the same thing, a clickety-clackety mechanical switches keyboard, but it does have the volume control keys the reviewer missed in the Das Keyboard.

If you touch-type, then something like a halfkeyboard (http://www.matias.ca/halfkeyboard/) might help - I've never tried it, but it looks useful for something like that. I also remember another keyboard from times long past - 6 or 7 keys (plus additional ones for special keys), only the thumb moves, all characters are "chords". That looked like a nice toy, perhaps practical. I don't know if there's anything like that now. Still, I don't think it's a good idea to multitask while driving. Too many accidents happen because of that. You may be able to drive with no problems, but your response time in a critical situation may increase significantly.

If you hunt and peck, then typing while driving is very dangerous and you shouldn't try it. Multitasking is one thing, but spending half the time not looking at the road ahead can kill. Sure, on an isolated empty highway it may be rather safe, but otherwise you never know - a child may run in front of you, the driver ahead of you may hit the brakes suddenly for a reason you can't see (for example, he just noticed a hole in the road big enough to tear off the wheels - happened to me once, the car behind almost hit me)... Just don't do that.

http://www.matias.ca/halfkeyboard/

This suppose to allow for one hand typing. If you need a letter that's on the other side of the keyboard, hold down the space key and press the corresponding finger placement. For example /Space-Q/ for "P" and /Space-G/ for "H".

Best. Keyboard. Ever.

Seriously - it uses the same Alps mechanical keyswitches as the original Apple Extended Keyboard (I hear you can wash those in the dishwasher..). None of this mushy dome-switch crap, the keys snap down with authority and a crisp, loud, proper CLICK. Virtually identical to the old Model M (they use a buckling spring but the feel to me is the same). $150 but well worth it; I went through three Apple keyboards in two years and have had my TP for three, still as great as ever.

What makes it worse is that every now and again, Apple pulls out the stops to make a keyboard or mouse that isn't just good, it's legendary.

Serious. In the "Best Keyboard Ever" sweepstakes, there's the IBM Model M, and there's the Apple Extended II at the top, and then it falls off a cliff. Nothing else is anywhere near as good. There's a company charging almost $150 for a bog-standard 110 key USB keyboard - and getting it - because its key action and layout are almost exactly like the old Extended II.

Then Apple turns around and gives us crap like the new Son of Chicklet bluetooth rattleboard or the original iMac hockey-puck mouse. Madness, I tell you.

I've one of the very old USB Half-keyboards. http://www.matias.ca/halfkeyboard/index.php They're a bit pricey for the size but all the alternate keyboard seem to be more than a $22 QWERTY you can get at the office store. I found it easy to pick up having two letters per key. The tapping a modifier key to get number and the function keys takes more concentration and the keyboard manual. It's been something I use when irc chatting while laying on the couch.

As a proud owner of a brand-new SpaceSaver from Unicomp, I have to agree. Worth every penny, though the postage cost me as much as the keyboard itself.

Wouldn't know about characters fading, though; mine's a blank, like Das Keyboard.

it's like the microsoft keyboards, they are actually awesome, but nobody would own one if they refused to type words or phrases that were on a banned list.

Anyone tried to put one of these Matias Tactile Pros through the dishwasher? (I'm actually only interested in version 1, which I have).

Last time I bought a Mac, in the 1980s, they charged me $175 for the extended keyboard. Do they still do that?

No, they're $29 now. Though personally, I'd go for a Kensington Slimtype or a Matias Tactile Pro.

I've never seen an Apple Adjustable Keyboard that didn't have serious issues. New out of the box, you got double characters. Of course, I'd adjust every one I touched to be a regular keyboard, because I find the "ergonomic" keyboards VERY uncomfortable to use.

But the Apple Extended Keyboard II was the best keyboard ever built, by ANY company. And the Apple Extended Keyboard was the second best. I know you've got some people who really like the IBM noisemakers, but those are horrible compared to one of the Apple keyboards.

I keep meaning to try one of these: http://matias.ca/tactilepro/index.php

But the current keyboards are pretty good, and they're only $30.

Hello that is why I got one of these babies:

http://matias.ca/tactilepro/index.php

Old school mechanical switch goodness for my sleek MacBook Pro seventeen inch 2 gigamajig whatzamahoozit. This keyboard could easily cause a conclusion of the brain plus it sounds like a Sherman tank rolling thru your house when you type on it.

Too bad (for you) they are out of stock til next year.

The clack lives on for specialty keyboard users: see the Matias Tactile Pro and the Unicomp Customizer.

While we're on the topic of esoteric keyboards, I'll throw a shout-out to the Matias Tactile Pro, a keyboard with mechanical keyswitches I very much enjoy.

For the Mac there's http://www.matias.ca/tactilepro/

I have to agree.
What is so "cool" about making your computer more difficult for others to use, first of all? Considering the fact that keyboard makers can't even agree on such basic things as where the best place is to locate the backslash - I see nothing sensible about a keyboard where it's not even marked in the first place!

But $80 for it too? This is the kind of gimmicky stuff I'd expect to see selling for about $10-15. If you really want a *good* keyboard, I recommend hunting down one with ALPS mechanical keyswitches in it!

The old "Northgate Omnikey" keyboards used to be the "Cadillac" of keyboards ... solid with great key feel and configurability. (You want that backslash in the alternate location? No problem! Pull the keys off, switch 'em around, snap 'em back in place, and set the DIP switches to tell it what you did!) They're still available on eBay now and then - occasionally reconditioned to brand new shape.

EG:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Omnikey-101-Northgate-keyboard -Looks-and-Feels-NEW_W0QQitemZ5806505448QQcategory Z33964QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Mac users also have the Matias Tactile-Pro keyboard as an option:

http://matias.ca/tactilepro/index.php