Slashdot Mirror

Does anybody produce MS-free keyboards any longer?

Oooh, baby, yah! Talk to me, talk to me!

I have one of the wing o' deth keyboards. Weighs a frigging metric tonne. Got those sweet, sweet ALPS keys in it... real springs and everything. Built like a freaking brick shithouse. When you put it down, it *stays* put. And clicky! Oh, so clicky!

I was lucky enough to score a replacement keyboard for free the other day. It's not a steel-plate wing o' deth, but it's got the ALPS keys. I figure I can swap out the guts.

For others with this sort of fanaticism for great keyboards, this website looks promising: they repair keyboards, and it sure looks like they're using ALPS keyswitches in their custom keyboards. I'm particularly horny for the one with the rubber joystick-mouse on it: [PC Keyboard].

If anyone does buy a keyboard from PCKeyboard, how about writing a Slashdot review?

--

Sometimes I'd like a real tactile keyboard, the ones that click, but I don't know where to find those anymore. I actually have one in my basement, but many years ago I spilled a plastic bonding agent on the keys, and while the board still functions, the keys are all grimy.

I just posted an article also praising the virtues of the IBM clickies. You can buy new ones at UniComp. I also bought a couple extras on ebay for $5/piece.

My main one shows no signs of slowing down after 14 years, though. I do hope that UniComp makes a USB version shall the PS/2 keyboard jack ever go away permaneantly. Or, does a PS/2->USB converter box exist?

zsazsaroo

About Taco talking about having to replace his $10 keyboards often -- I say get a real keyboard!

The keyboard that I am typing this on is an IBM Enhanced keyboard that came as original equipment on a PC/AT, manufacturing date: July 10, 1986. It literally has been used CONSTANTLY since then and shows no sign of ever giving up.
Well, the right control key kind of sticks ever since the Kool-Aid accident...

I recommend both the IBM enhanced (Unicomp still sells them brand new at http://www.pckeyboard.com/) and the Northgate Omnikey line. They actually use METAL in their construction, imagine that. The part of your computer that gets beat on constantly shouldn't made of flimsy plastic.

zsazsaroo

IBM makes one; you can also buy one from http://www.pckeyboard.com/onthestk.htm

I presume you're talking about keyboards for PCs, rather than Macs. If that's the case, I get my keyboards from here. They're nice and heavy, with the clattery keys you either love or hate. (And they're reliable - my wife dumped a cup of water into one of these, so I took it apart, dried it on top of my monitor for a couple of days, and it's been working fine ever since.)

I've seen bank tellers with such IBM keybords for desktops. Anyone know where to buy one?

pckeyboard.com bought IBM's keyboard division from Lexmark a few years ago. They still sell the IBM keyboards and a few similar models of their own. Fricking expensive, though.

This link will take you to Unicomp, my personal favorite keyboard manufacturer. They sell numerical keypads and all kinds of other neat keyboards - like the 85-key straight-up, heavy-duty IBM keyboard I got from them a little while ago - brand new, for less than old ones go for on eBay. They are the actual manufacturer, so when you call for info you get someone who can actually help you. Prices are decent, too.

You can purchase brand new, authentic, click action keyboards with everything but the IBM sticker from Unicomp. Or so I've heard... I bought my four real IBM clackers used.
But my grandest creation, as history will tell,

Try pckeyboard.com. They are the descendant of the IBM/Lexmark keyboard division. This page lists the classic 42H1292 AT PS/2 clicky keyboard. I bought one and really like it. As a bonus, it doesn't have those stupid Windows keys.

Try pckeyboard.com. They are the descendant of the IBM/Lexmark keyboard division. This page lists the classic 42H1292 AT PS/2 clicky keyboard. I bought one and really like it. As a bonus, it doesn't have those stupid Windows keys.

Well, since your friend likes IBM keyboards enough to be using one for more than five years, it's probably a good idea to get him a new one of the same or similar type.

I picked up two genuine IBM keyboards (with the clicky keys!) at Unicomp (www.pckeyboard.com), which is located in Lexington. At the time, I paid $49 for each, which might seem a little expensive, but these things last forever.

Be warned that Unicomp's home page can be unavailable; the easiest way to order from them is through Yahoo. Try looking here for the classic IBM keyboard, or check out their whole range from the top page here.

Then there are keyboards that have too much resistance at unpredictable times. I'm talking about ones that are worn out. Why not simply replace them? Well, I bought a nice laptop from one of those vendors that do not sell parts like keyboards and sending it back for a replacement was not an option. I neglected to act.

So, I spent my time with this keyboard like I was chisling stone tablets just to make sure all the keys were indeed pressed. The pain started. Tried the dvorak layout. That helped a lot due to less movement of the fingers to get the job done, but the keyboard got worse and the pain returned.

The reason why I got a laptop in the first place was to work in any comfortable place I please. So, I ditched the laptop and am happy with a new spring click keyboard.

Check this out! Nice pointing device placement.

My old Zenith NoteFlex has a trackball right below the spacebar, and the buttons are actually intelligently positioned. Also very easy to use, I point with my right thumb, click with my left, and never move my hands from home row. Try shift-click-drag-drop on a desktop, and you'll suddenly want a trackball under your thumbs, trust me.

I agree, tongues would be nice. I'm not dextrous enough with my foot to use a mouse, altho I did pretty well in Captain Skyhawk on the NES using a foot controller. I can imagine a tongue controller working really well. You could put a Breathalyzer(tm)-style interchangeable tip on the thing. The more I think about this, the less I want to use public phones. My cell phone might cook my brain, but at least it doesn't have someone else's spit on it. I wonder which is more dangerous?

Side-note on the tongue controller. Can we say misused? I thought we could. Then again, a surface covered densely with Trackpoint-style sensors could digitize a backrub. How to reproduce it tho? Throw in some vibrations and things could get positively interesting.

Posting as AC while I'm feeling perverted.

I changed over to the Dvorak layout about a year ago after reading about how superior it was ( in terms of speed and comfort ). It took me +-3 weeks to be up to the speed I was with QWERTY. I have no regrets about learning Dvorak, but that is only because it fulfilled 50% of my expectations - namely comfort. It is significantly more comfortable to type on. Your fingers definitely stay on the home row more than with the QWERTY layout. If you're looking to avoid strain on your hands, then Dvorak is quite possibly worth learning.

However, I have not found it to be any faster than QWERTY. If it's speed that you're looking for, then your time would be better spent practicing your QWERTY typing, rather than learning a new layout.

If you do decide to learn Dvorak and you want a Dvorak keyboard, then I recommend purchasing one of the classic 101 key IBM PS/2 keyboards ( using the buckling-spring switches ). I'm sure that you can find a second-hand one quite easily. If you want a new one, then try Unicomp. This is the company that bought the buckling spring technology off of Lexmark ( spun off from IBM ). They sell these keyboards for $69.

The reason I recommend this IBM keyboard is because all the keys have the same angle and shape, so you can rearrange them to a Dvorak layout easily. It took me five minutes to do mine. Another nice feature is that you don't have to pull the whole key off. Each key has a hollow shell on top of the key that you can remove, without pulling the whole key off. Another bonus is the fact that these keyboards have the best 'feel' out of any keyboard I've ever tried.

After you've rearranged your keyboard, you'll still need software to remap the keys. It isn't hard to do under Linux or Windows. The only problem that I've found is that certain Window's games use the original layout ( and ignore your modified keyboard map ). So, for these games you might have to customize the controls. Also, don't forget the QWERTY position of the keys that you need to use for LILO. Both your BIOS setup as well as LILO won't know about your Dvorak layout, which causes problems if you've actually changed the physical keycaps.

The issue about using QWERTY keyboards on the other systems that I have to work on is not a problem. When I actually tell people that I don't use QWERTY it usually impresses the heck out of them ( Of course, the other technical people might be skeptical, but the "people-in-suits" look at me in awe. They think I'm some kind of god for being able to type on keyboards that they can't use. Go figure. ).

To conclude, I actually believe that the quality of the keyboard will usually make more of a difference to your typing than the layout you use. Try not to use the mushy keyboards that are so common today. If you can find yourself a keyboard with good tactile response, then your typing will be infinitely more pleasant, whether or not you use Dvorak.

Regards,
Peter K.

I have one little suggestion on where to aquire a Dvorak keyboard. There is a company called Unicomp, who purchased the old-buckling spring keyboard technology from Lexmark ( spun off from IBM ). Anyone who remembers the IBM buckling-spring keyboards knows what I'm talking about when I say that they have the best feel out of just about any keyboard. Anyway, I just purchased one of the original classic IBM 101 key keyboards from Unicomp ( $69 ). Aside from the great tactile feel, they also have an easy way to change the position of the characters to convert the layout to Dvorak.

Most keys on these keyboards consist of two parts. The top part is like an outer shell on top of the real key underneath, and all the top shells have exactly the same size and shape. This makes it very easy to pop off the shell and rearrange the letters. I converted mine to Dvorak in a couple of minutes. It's actually very easy. Of course, you still have to remap the keys via software, but at least the characters on the keyboard will match what you type.

Unicomp seemed like a very friendly and efficient bunch, so you might give them a try. I ended up paying a hefty price for DHL shipping to South Africa ( $99! ), but if you live in the US it should be pretty cheap. If you don't want to spend this amount on a new keyboard, then look around for an old second-hand original PS/2 IBM 101 key keyboard. It's the only keyboard I've ever owned which could be converted to Dvorak layout easily.

Regards,
Peter K.

Mike
--