Review of the Model M-Inspired Unicomp Customizer Keyboard

ThousandStars writes "I wrote a review of the Unicomp Customizer Keyboard, which is a modern version of the IBM and then Lexmark Model M much beloved by nerds and hackers. The pros of the Customizer: it's sturdy, remarkably similar to the Model M, has great tech support, and uses a USB interface. Oh, and it's Mac-friendly. The cons: at $69 it's somewhat expensive, and its noise won't be music to your cubemate's ears." Note: this is one of the very, very few buckling-spring keyboards you can get new these days, instead of prowling through thrift stores, eBay, and university dumpsters.

Comments

I didn't realise that they had a name...

[fictionpuss]

...and an internet fan-base, I guess that explains why I haven't been able to find a $2-3 replacement clicky keyboard in a charity shop over the last few years. Sometimes internet, you really suck.

Re:I didn't realise that they had a name...

[wordsnyc]

There was a guy on eBay about six months ago who had a whole buncha Model Ms new in the box for sale. I bought two for $28 bucks apiece.

But still, when my wife gets me to go to a thrift store, I still make a beeline for the pile of keyboards in the back.

Geezer alert!

[sm62704]

At $69 it's somewhat expensive

Yet you are comparing it to the IBM model M. When that model was out over 20 years ago. A cheap keyboard was over a hundred bucks back then.

Tell me again how we should be glad gas prices are low "after inflation?"

Of course, that hundred dollar keyboard was connected to a four thousand dollar PC with a color monitor (green). It had no mouse. It held less than 1 meg of memory and ran at less than 16 mhz (the 286 five years later; the 8088 was 4 mhz, a thousand times slower than today's CPUs).

I paid $70 for my keyboard/mouse combo. Of course, they're wireless and the mouse has no ball.

Re:Geezer alert!

[Brian Gordon]

No wires or ball? You got ripped off buddy.

Re:Geezer alert!

[badasscat]

Yet you are comparing it to the IBM model M. When that model was out over 20 years ago [wikipedia.org]. A cheap keyboard was over a hundred bucks back then.

Ha! I recall the Model M selling for $249. (btw, they weren't really referred to as "Model M's" back then, they were just IBM keyboards. They only had one...)

$69 is not bad if this keyboard is really as good as a Model M. Of course, I bought my Model M new in the box for $15 on Ebay a few years ago, so that's probably still a better deal. And with a real Model M, you get key caps that pop off so you can remap them how you want or just clean them more easily.

*And* with a Model M you don't have to deal with those stupid Windows keys. That's honestly one of my favorite features about the Model M.

Re:Geezer alert!

[FooAtWFU]

Tell me again how we should be glad gas prices are low "after inflation?" Offtopicish, but care for a graph?

(They're actually nearing inflation-adjusted highs not seen since a brief stint in 1981, and before that, the 1910s. But there is always something a little funny when you inflation-adjust the price of something which is, itself, a component of most inflation indicies. (And they say that the CPI overstates inflation, too...)

Re:Geezer alert!

[Briareos]

Well, the Customizer's keys are easy to pop off as well... haven't you RTFA?

*looks at site URL*

Of course you haven't - what was I dr^wthinking?

As for the superfluous Windows keys - they've got that covered, too...

(Typing this on an PS/2 IBM keyboard that says it was manufactured somewhere in 98... still nice...)

np: Autechre - Tkakanren (Quaristice.Quadrange.ep.ae)

Re:Geezer alert!

[dosius]

The actual tech of the keyboard *is* Model M. Unicomp is a spinoff of Lexmark, which got the tech when they spun off IBM.

-uso.

Re:Geezer alert!

[Rob T Firefly]

I'm just going to go ahead and pre-emptively get off your lawn.

Re:Geezer alert!

[woobieman29]

One other cool thing about Unicomp is that they will repair the older IBM/Lexmark keyboards. This may not be interesting if you use a standard model M and can find a replacement but I have a Lexmark M15 split/tenting ergo keyboard that I LOVE and Unicomp was able to resuscitate the ole' girl a couple of years ago when I broke it. Mine has a birthdate of November 29 1995 and at that time cost over $300 (not sure of the exact price, Remedy bought it for me when I worked there in the '90s). Best. Keyboard. Ever.

Re:Geezer alert!

[Snover]

"Deal with"? I personally couldn't live without having a global hotkey to control background apps (like Amarok) and a compose key. Can you explain why having fewer keys is better in your opinion? I'm very curious to understand, since I use mine constantly, and the only thing I can figure is that people are so blinded with anti-Microsoft rage that there's a little Windows logo on their keyboard that they'd rather go without the added functionality than have to see a silly logo.

Re:Geezer alert!

[sm62704]

My entire point was that "adjusted for inflation" is entirely meaningless, especially when you are measuring the price of something that is iteself the primary cause of said inflation. Don't measure gas prices against inflation, measure it against the minimum wage an employer can legally pay. You'll find that even three dollars a gallon is the highest a minimum wage worker has ever paid for gasoline, let alone the $4.03 I paid this morning.

Re:Geezer alert!

[sm62704]

Damn, and I thought you were going to offer to mow it for me!

Re:Geezer alert!

[bhtooefr]

Harris also had a 25 MHz model, as mentioned in that wiki article. 16 was the fastest that Intel made, however, but they didn't stop the second source manufacturers from going faster.

I do recall something saying that the 286 project was actually started AFTER the 386, because the 386 wasn't ready for the market in time. The end result of that was that the 286 was a more modern (but 16-bit) design than the 32-bit 386, and was quicker at a given clock speed - I've heard of cases where the 286-25 was actually faster than an AMD 386DX-40.

Hear Much?

[Azarael]

After 22 years of loud clicking, I wonder if you'll sustain any hearing damage.. A sturdy keyboard is a great thing, but at least put in some rubber or something to muffle the sound.

Re:Hear Much?

[snowraver1]

The clicking is the best part. When you are typing up a storm, the whole office better know it. When something is broken and everyone it waiting for you to fix it, and everyone hears "CLACKITY! CLICK! CLICK! CLACK! CLACK! THUNK(spacebar)! CLACK!" the only thought in thier head is "Man he must be doing something complicated".

Re:Hear Much?

[JPLemme]

I love my clicky keyboards. The problem is that when you surf the web ^H^H^H stop to think about work-related things everyone around you knows it because of the silence.

Re:Hear Much?

[Anonymous Coward]

As I sit here typing this I get to enjoy listening to a coworker's obnoxiously loud typing as her fingernails clack against the keys.

I'm totally getting this keyboard!

Re:Hear Much?

[fyoder]

When you are typing up a storm, the whole office better know it. And everyone they're on the phone with -- "Is it hailing there?"

Re:Hear Much?

[Khyber]

Considering each click registers at approximately 35dB I really doubt you'll sustain any hearing damage. Time to finish repairing the pins on the PS2 plug.

Re:Hear Much?

[ari_j]

I actually hacked a Selectric to speak USB for that purpose.

Re:Hear Much?

[Firehed]

Unfortunately you'll never be able to hear their congratulatory remarks after finishing the project using that keyboard, as your ear drums will have buckled faster than the springs in the keys.

Re:Hear Much?

[Just Some Guy]

And everyone they're on the phone with -- "Is it hailing there?"

*spews coffee over Model M keyboard*

These things are dishwashable, right? Right?

Re:Hear Much?

[Provocateur]

Thats when I slurp my coffee loudest so they know what I am doing in lieu of typing. Don't forget the obligatory 'Aaaaaaah....'

Re:Hear Much?

[fyoder]

These things are dishwashable, right? Right? Just disassemble, clean it up, then reassemble like this.

Re:Hear Much?

[somersault]

I ordered one of these keyboards, but after using it for 2 seconds at work, I realised it just wasn't going to happen. I'm loud enough even on this shiny soft apple keyboard without shaking everyone's hard-drives to death (not to mention having 'open' headphones so you can hear the music fairly well on the outside of them too >.> ). I have it at home ready to be used in my PS3, or on my laptop if I want to connect that to my TV.

Re:Hear Much?

[cp.tar]

And everyone they're on the phone with -- "Is it hailing there?"

*spews coffee over Model M keyboard*

These things are dishwashable, right? Right?

Nearly so.

One of my teachers in high school spilled coffee or coke (whatever; it was caffeinated, sugary and sticky) over her Model M and got all panicky about it.
I told her to soak it in water, turn it over for a day or two to dry and plug it back in. As good as new.

Damned indestructible. And as I said in my post above, a nice offensive weapon, too.

Re:Hear Much?

[Z34107]

I own an original model M - it came free with the IBM PS/1 and PS/2 machines I fished out of a dumpster. Trust me, they're not sustained-jet-engine-proximity loud. Not even idiot-with-iPod-and-earbuds loud.

You may laugh, but the clicking is the best part. It's caused by that whole "buckling spring" thing, which makes the keys extra responsive (the clicking noise is a side effect.) I can easily type 20-40 words per minute faster on my Das Keyboard II (not buckling spring, but similar design) and with better accuracy than on, say, the gummy $10 keyboards that came free with the lab computers. Ditto for my Model M - except that I miss the Windows key too much, so I only whip it out if I'm going to be typing a long paper or something.

Now, don't get me started on laptop keyboards...

Re:Hear Much?

[sirambrose]

Be careful with your keyboard -- the model M isn't quite indestructible. I worked in a day trading office with a customer who liked to smash his keyboards when a trade went sour. One hit would shatter the whole keyboard. After replacing several keyboards one month, I bought him a model M keyboard. The next day he lost a few thousand dollars and went nuts. He smashed the keyboard against the desk several times, but that only knocked a few key caps off. He finally managed to break it by leaning it against the wall and jumping on it, but it took several tries and about ten minutes.

Re:Hear Much?

[cp.tar]

Be careful with your keyboard -- the model M isn't quite indestructible.
<snip>
He finally managed to break it by leaning it against the wall and jumping on it, but it took several tries and about ten minutes.

You have to admire that man's willpower.

But as you said, it's not quite indestructible. A blowtorch and a pneumatic drill can help finish it off fairly quickly, too.

Re:Hear Much?

[bhtooefr]

From what I've heard, they can.

On one forum, I suggested that someone ask about it, and they were told that it would cost $40 more, and there would be no warranty on the keyboard, but they'd do it.

Re:Hear Much?

[bhtooefr]

Also, I know it's bad form to reply to myself, but you can do the spring greasing yourself.

I've closed down this forum, but it's still readable...

http://z13.invisionfree.com/OneTrueKeyboard/index.php?showtopic=34

Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[millwall]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow you down immensly.

In this group-think-world the reponsiveness of the Model M sounds great; but in reality, it fails miserably.

Please, stop the Model M fanboism.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[conureman]

"How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?"
All the time,what's the problem? I just prefer to know when I hit bottom as I type. I'm a pretty shitty typist, anyhow. YMMV.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[splutty]

Hmmm..

Interesting comment, however I completely and utterly disagree. Most modern keyboards (and I've gone through quite a lot), are simply not tactile and 'fast' enough. There are a number of keyboards (Looking at you, DELL), that I have serious problem with considering the speed I'm typing. More often then not, letters will be 'switched around', because I hit them in such fast succession. I've never had this problem with a Model-M, or with certain Cherry keyboards with microswitches (nor by the way, with this HP-KU keyboard, which comes with detachable numpad and card reader)

If you claim that a Model-M will slow people down, then I think you've either never typed on a tactile keyboard, or you're a slow typer to begin with. Of course I could be terribly wrong, and the positive effects of the Model-M surely vary for people, but in my experience I'm typing a LOT faster on my keyboard at home (which is an original Model-M/PS2) than on pretty much any other keyboard.

I think the main reason for that is twofold. First you never have to fully depress the key, plus aside from the 'noise' it also gives you a very tactile response, and even pushed the key back at you. This basically limits the amount of force and movement my fingers have to make to type anything, and for me at least, speeds my typing up enormously.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Hatta]

Um yeah, I used one until the PCB crapped out last year. Replaced it with a Das Keyboard, which also has buckling springs. It's a little less sturdy than the Model M though, I wish I had gotten the Unicomp model.

Maybe you just have weak hands?

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Bud Dickman]

I used a Model M daily. I type faster on it.

Shock! Gasp!

Different people work better with different models of keyboards.

"I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow ME down immensly."

Fixed that for you. Don't presume to speak for me.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

That runs contrary to most other's experience and ergonomic principles. The buckling spring keyboard offers 3 types of feedback - visual (character on a screen), tactile (when the electrical contact is made, the key "gives"), and auditory (the famed "click"). Rubber dome keyboards only really offer 1 of these - visual. The tactile and the audible are generated by the key hitting the bottom of the stroke and are dependent on the force with which the key is struck, so typists tend to continue the stroke until the key bangs into the stop, then return the finger. In a buckling spring, it is possible to type without ever making contact with the physical limit of key travel, so finger motion and shock is reduced.

In other words, you're a troll.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[maxume]

What's fast?

I don't type all that fast, but I am rarely held up my typing speed.

I just scored 62 wpm here:

http://play.typeracer.com/

I don't think that it enormously fast (looking at the high scores...), but it is fast enough for the vast majority of the work I do.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

A quibble - Das Keyboard does NOT use buckling springs. It uses a different type of keyswitch - I'd guess Alps or similar. The old Northgate keyboards, also a cult fave, were similar. Similar tactile feel, but less of everything - less noise, less force feedback. Some prefer them over the stiffer and louder IBM keyboards.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[WarwickRyan]

It took me a fair while to find a keyboard that I could type quickly and comfortably with. I've tried the Dells, the Model M, Saitek Eclipse, Microsoft Standard, Microsoft Natural and Logitech Wave.

Only one which is comfortable for writing and coding is, surprisingly, the Logitech Wave.

Don't get me on the subject of mice, though. There isn't a single ergonomic mouse on the market suitable for southpaws like myself :(

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Anonymous Coward]

I regularly use an old Model M at a console in a server room. I type faster and more accurately on that keyboard than any of the others I use around work.

Your comment leaves me wondering whether you've actually typed on a Model M.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[dedave]

I own a Unicom. Love it! And I can rock 80 wpm on a good keyboard. I can get maybe 60 on a bad one. Fast typists need good keyboards.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[peragrin]

As I type this I can feel the laptop keyboard as each finger hits the bottom of the laptop. i prefer it as it doesn't jar my hands while I type.

too each their own.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, I still have two working M's (this post courtesy of one of them) and wouldn't change them for anything, included the optimus maximus.
And yes, I type quite a lot.

As for being slowed down, well I happen to be also a keyboard player (I mean synthesizers) and prefer an unweighted touch to the traditional weighted piano keyboard. I will certainly play much better and faster on a unweighted keyboard than on a piano or weighted one, but I'll never dare to say that unweighted keyboards are much better than weighted ones to a classical pianist, even if I'm deeply convinced that it's true, because it's still important what we're used to and what we learned to play/type on.

So, you probably don't like the old model M because you didn't spend a lot of time using it.
If that's the case, please don't do it, or once you get used to it you'll spend the rest of your life wandering about flea markets and surplus stores for old model M's, spare parts and keycaps, etc.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[GeneralAntilles]

No it doesn't. The Das Keyboard has Alps switches (which are noticeably inferior to buckling spring).

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[DurendalMac]

I knew a tech who got one and loved it, but damn those things are loud. It's like a gigantic tailpipe for geeks.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can maintain roughly 105 WPM on either the laptop keyboard or the cheap Dell keyboard available to me at work, but it's more like 120 WPM on the Model M I use at home. In addition, my accuracy is better on the Model M. So yes, I have actually tried one, I am a very fast typist, and I am a faster typist on a Model M than on a typical modern keyboard.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Hatta]

I find low action keyboards to be more jarring to my hands. It's as if I hit a wall halfway through the stroke. With a mechanical keyboard like these, it's springy, so I never feel like I'm pounding on something. The key clicks and my fingers bounce right back up.

A laptop with buckling springs would be a dream.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ThousandStars]

As a peer post says, "Interesting comment, however I completely and utterly disagree. " I'm not sure what typing on an "old beast" will do, but I'm the original submitter and obviously like the new Model Ms quite a bit. From my experience, I type faster and more accurately (he says as he scans this post for the typos someone is going to find and get an easy +5 Funny). Granted, this might be in part a placebo effect (oooo, I must type faster with a badass expensive keyboard!) or from familiarity, but in reality mine seems quite nice.

The only real attempt I've seen to quantify keyboard design and speed is here, and although the study is somewhat old, it seems to support the Model M fanbois.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[nitram_divad]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M? I've been using the same one for more than 14 years now (it's dated 6 Jan 94) and wouldn't trade it for the world. The feedback is the key to fast typing and I haven't met a keyboard since the Model M that even comes close to providing decent feedback. Newer keyboards simply slow me down.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Henry V .009]

Really? I just compared my Dell AT101W (a clicky model-M clone) to my laptop at TypingTest.com

The clicky keyboard wins at 80WPM versus 73WPM. Although the secretary was probably wondering what I was doing typing like that, since she can hear all the clicks.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Jamu]

I don't think I could go back to a keyboard that doesn't allow my wrists to be kept straight. Putting any undue stress on something as complicated as your wrist is just asking for trouble. The same goes for keys with a heavy action. A study keyboard is great but make sure your hands and wrists can outlive it. The best affordable keyboard I've found for myself is the Microsoft Natural 4000, which is a lot like the original one. The keys are also in the correct places unlike Microsoft's other "Natural" keyboards. No matter how great the keyboard is, it's you, that you should be considering first.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[CrankyFool]

I switched to the Unicomps when my last Model M died, about eight years ago. Since then, I've been using Unicomps consistently. I love them -- they feel certain, and comfortable. Coworkers also like the way they feel (though usually not enough to pay for one, or have work pay for one).

That said, for me, the only minor downside is something the original author mentions -- noise. They're quite noisy, and while it doesn't bother me, it does sometimes cause my cubicle's neighbors to comment (e.g. "I always know whether or not you're in your cubicle because I can hear your keyboard from 20 meters away"). Good news is, the only people in the vicinity work for me, so they can't really complain too loudly :). Also, people know if I'm typing while on the phone. That's OK for, say, work meetings where it's expected I'm taking notes, but if I'm having a heart-to-heart conversation with my wife and want to catch up on email at the same time, I usually have to switch to my laptop's keyboard so she won't hear me :)

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Nimey]

Wrong. I use an original 1988 Model M at home and a Unicomp Customizer at work, and I do type approx 10 WPM faster on a buckling-spring board versus a membrane board.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Hatta]

I've looked, but I haven't found any actual confirmation of that. Apparently the keyboard is made by Cherry, who makes the switches as well.

You're right though, the switches are noticeably different than the Model M's. Inferior is a matter of opinion, they're a little quieter which is OK by me. I'm mostly disappointed by the light construction of the case. Also the board isn't as curved as the Model M, so it's a bit less ergonomic.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[FishWithAHammer]

$69 for a keyboard isn't particularly expensive. True, keyboards around that price usually have whiz-bang features, but not always.

G11 Gaming Keyboard - $69 (And while I like the feel of it for gaming, it sucks to do real work on!)

Das Keyboard II - $79.99

For an outfit as small as Unicomp seems to be, a somewhat minor markup over what it'd cost from somebody else is pretty reasonable.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[InlawBiker]

If you're not terribly picky, a trick to getting a good clackity keyboard is to make friends with the I.T. guys. In our shop it used to be that every server came with a quality server keyboard and mouse. They immediately get thrown into a pile because the servers are all on KVM devices. Just go in and ask for one. They tend to be a lot nicer than the mushball keyboards the desktop PCs come with.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[greg1104]

I last typed on my of my dozen Model M keyboards over the weekend. Still as fast as ever. If you think it's slow, you probably never learned how to type correctly on an old-school keyboard, and I also have some words for you about my lawn.

I picked up one of the Unicomp keyboards a few years ago to compare. Not the same, a pale shadow of the original. Even the Model M went downhill in its later years. The "Manufactured for IBM by Lexmark" models I have from 93 and 94 are slightly off from the original design but are still quite nice. Their 95 and 96 models are obviously inferior and it's just been a downhill slide from there.

The bigger problem with the Model M isn't speed, I can still pound away as fast as ever on one. But I don't use them very much because my hands just aren't happy with typing using that much force anymore. Right now I've switched to the very lightweight touch of the Logitech diNovo Edge which has the least physically stressful design of any of the retail keyboards I've found. You'd have to get one of the multi-hundred dollar units from somebody like Kinesis to get any easier to type on.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Trixter]

I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow you down immensly.

You must be a terrible typist then. I type at 90wpm and the genius of the model M is not only the audible "click" feedback, but the tactile feedback you get from the buckling spring mechanism "popping" back at you. You have two pieces of feedback that tell you, through sound and touch, that your keypress has been registered.

This not only speeds me up, but reduces pain. For a challenge at a previous job, I offered to use a regular keyboard (rubber-dome variety) for a week. At the end of the week, my hands hurt from pressing too hard (because without the unconscious feedback I got from buckling-spring mechanisms, I wasn't as sure that my keypresses were registering).

The funny slogan of Model M enthusiasts is "type hard or go home" but the ironic thing is, you type less hard with a model M.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Larry_The_Canary]

There are some things in this world us lefties just have to learn to do right handed. Fire a rifle would be another one.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

He's not a troll because he didn't like the Model M. He's a troll because he generalized his bad experience to all users, and then accused anyone who disagreed with him of being a "fanboi" who never actually used the keyboard, thereby inviting negative reaction. That's pretty much the definition of a troll.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[raddan]

I am currently typing this on a Model M. Besides the Apple Extended II keyboard, this is the best keyboard out there. I'd gladly use my Apple keyboard, but the ADB-to-USB adapter does not allow the keyboard to work in pre-boot environments (BIOS), which is somewhat important to me. But I basically only prefer the Apple keyboard over the IBM due to the fact that the IBM is surprisingly loud.

I am somewhat of a forceful typist, and for me, the Model M is perfect. Each keypress is satisfying, and-- I think this part about the Model M is underrated-- the keyboard has a straightforward layout with full-sized keys, center detents, and the little nubs to help you find the home row. Maybe the difference between me and others (who hate the Model M) is that I learned how to touch-type on a Model M in my high-school keyboarding class in the early 90's. I find most modern keyboards to be pathetically mushy, and their mushiness gets worse over time. I've been typing on this particular Model M for several years, and it still feels great. My Apple Extended II keyboard is about 15 years old, and that one still feels great too (although it doesn't look so hot anymore due to the discoloration of the plastic).

Anyhow, this is not fanboism. Some people like different keyboards. I spend my whole day at a keyboard, I touch type, and the keyfeel is important to me. Maybe those things don't matter to you, or maybe keyboard preference is just one of those subjective things like your favorite color or favorite meal. Or are you one of those guys who rails against the "hamburger fanbois"?

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

IBM made an ergo model M, and Northgate made an ergo Unicomp.

Of course, both are now rare as hen's teeth and hideously expensive, but they do exist - see another post of mine with links.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ender-]

What's fast?

I don't type all that fast, but I am rarely held up my typing speed.

I just scored 62 wpm here:

http://play.typeracer.com/

I don't think that it enormously fast (looking at the high scores...), but it is fast enough for the vast majority of the work I do. Well, I've run a few races. The lowest speed I've gotten in any of the races was 96wpm, and at the moment I'm in the top 20 with 105wpm.

This is on an IBM Model M keyboard. I think they are plenty fast.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[BorgHunter]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

I have, for one. It's the keyboard attached to my desktop at home. I've noticed that I make fewer mistakes on the Model M than I do on the generic Dell keyboards at my university, and especially compared to my laptop's keyboard. The "click" isn't just random noise; that's aural and tactile response that you have successfully completed a keypress. With most other keyboards, I have to guess, and although I'm usually right, I am not always. I suppose the Model Ms aren't exactly for everyone, but they're perfect for me.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[crenshawsgc]

He says that 62 wpm is fast enough for the work he does. You counter with a wpm score which is much higher. What's the point? If you can think fast enough to productively code at 96 wpm, you've got a bigger epeen than just a high wpm score...

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[maxume]

I don't think I was trying to argue that the model M was slow, more that typing speed isn't something a whole lot of folks run into on a regular basis.

It's nice that you think they are plenty fast though.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Anonymous Monkey]

As a southpaw, i like the ability to mouse and wright at the same time. But then again, I work in accounting, and that need evolved out of needing to wright and use a 10 key at the same time.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ender-]

The clicky keyboard wins at 80WPM versus 73WPM. Although the secretary was probably wondering what I was doing typing like that, since she can hear all the clicks. No, the best part of typing with a clicky keyboard is that each keypress makes TWO clicks, so it sounds like you're typing twice as fast!

Add that to the fact that I do type approx 20-25% faster on a clicky keyboard and people walking by come into my cube wondering WTF I'm doing.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Khyber]

Better I know that the key has been fully pressed than having to waste time going back to insert a letter that didn't get inserted the first time due to soft-switch keyboards.

Also, slower? I do 150WPM on a model M with ACCURACY. I can't do that with ANY other keyboard.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[vux984]

There are some things in this world us lefties just have to learn to do right handed. Fire a rifle would be another one.

Actually, while there aren't any worthwhile ergo left mice, there is a reasonable selection of ambi-mice available. I use a Razer Copperhead myself and find it very comfortable. I've also used some the upper tier microsoft mice and found them alright, until they stopped putting detents in the wheel.

As for rifles... they do make plenty of left handed rifles, but learning to shoot right-handed would probably be a valuable skill, simply because you may have to use the equipment at hand, which will probably be right handed. I learned to golf RH for the same reason - my Dad wouldn't buy a set of left handed clubs to so I could hack around as a kid.

How does the military account for handedness? Or is everybody just right handed, (like everybody is straight)?

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[jollyreaper]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow you down immensly.

In this group-think-world the reponsiveness of the Model M sounds great; but in reality, it fails miserably. All the time. I love them. But I can also see how people would not like them. This is purely a matter of personal preference, like trackball vs. mouse. You know what's so great? You don't like it, you don't have to use it. The only possible complaint that could be made here is that these keyboards are louder than the mushy boards. But I think that's a fairly minor complaint unless you're working in a cube farm so close together that heavy breathing would be distracting.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[bendodge]

Tried to? I'm doing it right now!
I love it. The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have a super button.

(I confess, this is actually a Model M13, which has a Thinkpad-style mouse nub in the center. I got it for $3 at a thrift store and sprayed the gunk off of it, and it works almost perfectly. I say almost because I accidentally damaged the spring under the - key when I had it apart, and now there is no lovely click. It still works though. ----)

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ender-]

Sorry, I wasn't intending to try arguing against you. More against other posts which did argue that the clicky keyboards were slow.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Hatta]

As best as I can tell, my Logitech optical mice are symmetric and quite comfortable. What do you need?

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Niten]

No, it doesn't slow my typing down, and yes, I'm tying this on one right now.

I'm sorry that the Model M doesn't fit with your personal typing style (if you've even bothered to try it), but it's the height of hubris to take that to mean nobody else could possibly have a valid reason for preferring the keyboard, either.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ender-]

No, it wasn't clear in my post but I wasn't arguing against him.

As for coding. I don't code, so that's not an issue. I do think fast enough to SysAdmin at 96wpm, so it's a useful skill for my needs.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[TransEurope]

I Switches from the cheap Yahoo!-Keyboard for a few , which one i used for many years, to the stylish SGI 'Klingon Grey'. i bought a bunch of German and US-Int versions, should be anough for many years. They look great, have no senseless multimedia buttons, no Win95-keys and they make a a hearable sound when you type, not as loud as the Model M, but enough. And they are cheap too, you cann buy new ones at ebay for ten to 20 or at some SGI-resellers for about 25. I think i have found my keybord, and i stay as long with it as long as i can.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[TransEurope]

Ah, OK, the Euro-signs i wrote are gone. Read a EUR behind of every number.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[CharlieG]

Have I tried one? Yep, typing on it right now. And have one on 2 PCs at home. I'm MUCH slower on other keyboards

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Rearden82]

I use a Unicomp Model M at work every day. I type significantly faster on it-- 130 wpm, compared to 110 wpm on the mushy piece of crap I had before. I also type more accurately since the keys actually provide feedback, and I find it to be very comfortable.

Keyboards, like pretty much any other tool, are highly subjective. If you like keyboards that feel like you're poking a bowl of stale oatmeal, more power to you. But don't pretend your personal preferences are universal facts.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[bendodge]

I might also point out that I do much better in FPS's with this this clicky keyboard than I do with a mushy.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ady1]

Anyone with decent paws should not be buying a mouse anyway... Go and look in the basement. Put your southpaws to some good use :P

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[zjbs14]

Yes, I do prefer the Alps-type switches over the buckling spring (as I type this from my 15-year-old Northgate OmniKey 101). I had a model M that I used off and on for a while (one of the old ones w/o the LED indicators). And I definitely prefer the feel and noise level of the Northgate.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[somersault]

wtf? My typing on m Unicomp keyboard was pretty fast even though it was just resting in my lap, faster than using my laptop keyboard anyway (was getting about 80wpm on the laptop, whereas at a desk I've get about 90-100, and had 120 once but that must have just been because I got a bunch of short words).

The typing action is great (maybe that's just because my fingers are beefed up from typing for the last 20 years of my life though). The only downside is the noise.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Tadrith]

I agree with this, personally.

Back in the day, I loved typing on them. They definitely have a very aesthetically pleasing feel to them. But as my typing got faster, I realized that I was becoming even faster on laptops because of the low profile keys; it sounds silly, but the little bit of time required to raise your fingers over the key height is significant.

I now use a low profile keyboard on my desktop, and I really couldn't go back to using the old style keyboard - the keys are simply way too deep.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[rhizome]

As I type this I can feel the laptop keyboard as each finger hits the bottom of the laptop. i prefer it as it doesn't jar my hands while I type.

Actually, the "hitting bottom" is the very definition of "jarring" w.r.t. keyboards. To translate this to another realm, cycling is much easier on your body than jogging even though your legs make almost identical motions in both activities.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ThousandStars]

For more on the issue of what science exists WRT keyboard design, check out this post.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

"As for rifles... they do make plenty of left handed rifles, but learning to shoot right-handed would probably be a valuable skill, simply because you may have to use the equipment at hand, which will probably be right handed. I learned to golf RH for the same reason - my Dad wouldn't buy a set of left handed clubs to so I could hack around as a kid.

How does the military account for handedness? Or is everybody just right handed, (like everybody is straight)?"

I have the opposite problem - I'm right handed, but due to a skeletal problem I must act lefthanded at anything that involves a 2-handed swing - baseball, hockey, golf. Once in high school the wrestling team challenged the field hockey team to a game (yes, we wore kilts and no, they didn't reciprocate). I get to the field and ask for a left handed stick and get told that there is no such thing. WTF? Then I get told that being left handed is an advantage in field hockey because of the method of manipulating the stick. "But I'm right handed. I just need a left handed stick!" Dumb looks. "Fine, whatever" and just chased teh ball flailing wildly until a fellow wrestler took a golf swing at the ball and hit me right in the small of my back. "And he's dowwwwwnnnnn".

As for the military, the M9 pistol is basically ambidextrous on major controls. The M4 carbine is semi-auto, so shooting left handed isn't that big of a deal, except for the charging lever.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[hawk]

>will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of
>these old beasts will slow you down immensly.

Sounds like insufficient experience, or a slow typist.

Yes, I've used them for years. I can blithely pound away without the slowdowns of flimsey or non-tactile keys.

hawk, who used to type over 100 wpm on manuals

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[cp.tar]

Das Keyboard 2 allegedly uses buckling spring technology.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Technician]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

I use one all the time and hate it when I have to use another keyboard. So many keyboards have stuck an extra key in between the CTL and ALT keys. I keep having to close the pop-up menu that keeps jumping in my face when I have to use another keyboard it really slows me down.

My Model M is the keyboard I use on my Core 2 Duo Ubuntu machine. There is no need for the Windows key.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Millenniumman]

I find that I type much faster on the buckling spring Matais Tacticle Pro, and that typing on it made me faster at typing on normal keyboards.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[vux984]

As for the military, the M9 pistol is basically ambidextrous on major controls. The M4 carbine is semi-auto, so shooting left handed isn't that big of a deal, except for the charging lever.

My understanding was that the biggest issue with left handed shooting of right handed weapons was the shell casings. On a rifle, the casings eject right across your face. Pistols would be a similiar issue, with the casings ejecting towards the shooters body.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Rastl]

I've been typing on IBM model M keyboards for far longer than I'm going to admit. And I love the responsiveness of the keys.

If I try using one of those tactile beasts I lose about ten words per minute in my typing but gain them in cuss words per minute.

My guess is that since I learned to type on electric typewriters I'm more used to the way the keys respond than to the newer keyboards. They've never felt 'right' to me.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[OldeTimeGeek]

It's not slower, it just takes a bit more strength to press a key. A really, really small amount of strength. I've got both a Northgate OmniKey and a Dull membrane keyboard here and I defintely do better on the Northgate. Guess it has to do with the feedback (or lack of thereof on the Dell).

The date on my Northgate at home (which I bought new) is 1988 and I have a problem with neither speed (avg. 105 wpm) nor carpal tunnel - probably because it does take a bit more energy to press the keys...

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

For the rifles, my understanding is that it is irritating, but not dangerous. As for the pistols, huh? If you are holding it so that the cartridge casings are hitting your body you are doing it wrong - the stance for left handed and right handed shooting doesn't put the pistol at a substantially different location with regard to the rest of your body.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[marimbaman]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow you down immensly.

Maybe your fingers are weak.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[RelentlessWeevilHowl]

There isn't?

http://www.contourdesign.com/pmo/index.htm

Three different left-hand sizes.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[geminidomino]

Yes, because the lack of speed is a failing of the keyboard, not of yourself.

I got a brand new one two years ago for my birthday (thanks, Pop!) and I am far faster on it (easily a 25 wpm increase), and generally happier, too. The Click makes the endorphins go or something. :)

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Jonathan_S]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

Sure, I type on one daily. It's a fairly new one (mnf 1995), the one I use at home is older. I just wish they'd made one with all the Mac keys so I could use it properly with my powermac as well. (Sure I use it anyway and just remap option onto the control key. But now I can't easily ^C break when I'm sshed into another box)

Why would you assume that people rave about a keyboard that they don't use?

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[RobertM1968]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?

I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow you down immensly.

In this group-think-world the reponsiveness of the Model M sounds great; but in reality, it fails miserably.

I am curious what recent experience you are refering to?

I've been using computers for 28 years now. I am currently typing on a Model M13 (Model M with trackpoint). I type 40-60wpm on a normal keyboard - or about 80wpm on a Model M/M13. I've tried and used over 100 different keyboards - and still prefer a Model M to all of them. And the beauty is, I only have to buy a Model M once for each machine I own... replace the machine when it dies or is obsoleted... keep the Model M for the next computer. The oldest I use is 22 years old.

Perhaps you didnt give your enough time? The key spacing, key slope and key size is different than most other keyboards. I find it more comfortable (but then again, IBM did spend decades (yes, decades) researching and designing the Model M and it's PC/XT/Selectric predecessors.

Besides that fact, it is impossible to type faster on a membrane keyboard. Why? The simple mechanics of it. The buckling spring switches in an IBM can register more clicks per second than a membrane switch. And last at least 20 million clicks each. And, they dont change feel until total failure... while a membrane switch responds slower with age (ie: cant type as fast without errors, and also might start repeating characters as it starts to fail). Other than mechanical damage (ie: someone screws with one of the springs in the switch, etc), a Model M key will work the same, respond the same, accept keystrokes at the same speed on day one, and 22 years later... straight up to total failure... (ie: it works - or it doesnt). Again, keep in mind the switch failure life is over 20 million presses each. Membrane keyboards are usually rated in the hundreds of thousand to 1 million range. And (unlike the IBM keyswitches in the Model M) membrane keyswitch performance and reliability degrades from day one, each and every key press.

Please, stop the Model M fanboism.

Perhaps you just dont like fanboism - even when (as in this case) it is warranted.

Perhaps you should have just said you type slower on a Model M. Do you think they'd still be sought after (at far more $$$ than today's keyboards) and STILL be winning "Best keyboard ever" reviews years after they stopped being produced in number if others didnt truly think they were the best?

As an occassional gamer, I also like the M13s for certain types of games... makes it easy to use the keys for certain things, and the Trackpoint for joystick like things (with it's force sensing speed/feedback).

The only thing I think I would prefer to that (for gaming) is a touchscreen... you figure that one out... ;-)

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[east coast]

You're dead wrong...

*Typed on a Modem M keyboard*

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[RobertM1968]

Scissor-switch "laptop" keyboards provide the same three feedback mechanisms, but provide a very different "feel".

No, they dont. They are still membrane switches. The Scissor Switch (keycap holder) has nothing to do with key registration (ie: making a letter appear on the screen), and most are slide switches (ie: one end of the scissor slides in both the keycap and the laptop side) meaning all feedback is provided by the membrane switch - which does not provide any feedback for when a letter actually appears - just for when the dome buckles.

Also, the click is cased by the "scissor switch" "legs" hitting their stops/retainers... not by a letter being actually generated.

The click on a buckling spring switch on the other hand does correspond with a letter being generated on the screen.

While you may prefer your keyboard design over a Model M, your theory on the feedback is incorrect as you can find on various sites that compare the technology. Or, you can take my word for it - I fix these things every day (laptops and such - not Model M's).

As for the previous poster... to each their own. My gripe with his statement is as a generalization, it is not possible to type faster on a membrane switch keyboard (matter of physics/mechanics). He may type faster on one - but that is not relevant to everyone's experience or the fact that there are typists who's typing speed exceeds the speed a membrane switch allows.

There are a few laptop keyboards I do like as much as the Model M - with one exception on most - size. Because of the lower/shorter key travel, they seem to have the same 3 feedback methods as a Model M, which also helps me with typing speed. I guess, in practice, your statement is right - if you add the word seem:

"Scissor-switch "laptop" keyboards seem to provide the same three feedback mechanisms..."

In addition, the smaller key travel does seem to help some people type faster...

Not nitpicking... just pointing out technically your statement is not accurate or even possible. Feel-wise, I'd agree (IF we are talking about the few good laptop keyboards out there, like some Apple ones and Thinkpad ones - and a few other rare ones).

Robert

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[dulridge]

That depends on what you learned to type on. I learned to type on a sand filled Olivetti manual typewriter (Working in a desert at the time, you got sand with everything) - it took 3 months of practice to strengthen my left little finger enough to type the letter "a". I beat keyboards to death with my fingers. Even Apple Extended II keyboards die by my finger though they live for longer than most.

And I tend to get quite a bit of ash into them as well being a smoker.

The only keyboards that survive me for more than 5 years are Model M's. Apple Extended II's were the only ones that lasted that long - cheap stuff could die in a couple of weeks. The last Extended II I bought cost me about $200 at the then prevailing exchange rate.

Now that I can buy Model M clones with USB interfaces, I have no reason other than weight to use anything else. The keyboard I carry weighs nearly as much as the laptop I attach it to - given the typical price of laptop keyboards and my fingers this makes a strange sort of sense. If weight is an issue, i carry one of the silicone rubber roll-up keyboards and a closed-cell foam pad to put under it as I still type rather too hard for the travel available on those things.

My last laptop had had more spent on keyboards for it than I originally paid for the thing after the 6 years it lived.

I can certainly type louder, if no faster on a buckling spring keyboard than on anything else. But they survive which no others do. They certainly do not slow me down. On any other keyboard I will be lucky to get 70wpm - and routinely get 80wpm on a Model M (according to highly dubious online tests - I doubt I can do a proper 40 wpm which I have a certificate somewhere saying I could do in 1985)

But then my typing style is more violent than most people's.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[dulridge]

I'm right handed but in the days when I went target shooting I shot left handed as my left eye was a lot better than my right. Shooting right handed I could see either the sights or the target, not both so I learned to shoot (badly) left-handed.

Most southpaws can do most things far better right handed than most right handers can do left handed stuff.

Nearly all southpaws I know have their mice set to right-handed use, I only know one person who has hers set to left-handed. I find it almost unusable.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[vux984]

Nearly all southpaws I know have their mice set to right-handed use, I only know one person who has hers set to left-handed. I find it almost unusable.

When you say have their mice set to "right handed use", what do you actually mean?

1) They have their mouse on the right hand side of the keyboard and use it right handed with their right hand. e.g. they might as well be right handed.

2) They have their mouse on the left side of the keyboard, use it with their left hand, but have the buttons setup 'normally'.

3) They have their mouse on the left side of the keyboard, use it with their left hand, and have the buttons 'reversed', so that the 'left mouse button is context-menu' and the 'right mouse button' is 'select'.

I am a '#2'. This comes from years of living with RH people and sharing mice. While I prefer to operate it with my LH on the left side of the keyboard, its AWAYS configured for RH use. This is how most LH people I know operate.

Most of us can also cope fine with using it with our right hand if it's not convenient to move it. (e.g. someone elses workstation.)

I am as hopeless with a mouse configured with the buttons 'reversed' as most RHers.

When I buy a mouse I look for an ergonomic design that's comfortable in either hand, and I favor wireless mice because its that much easier for the user to put it on whichever side of the keyboard they are most comfortable.

I personally don't care that there aren't many ergo-left designs available. I generally favor ambi-mice because half my family is RH.

I -do- find it frustrating that there are very few higher end mice with an ambidextrous design.

Putting a left hand onto an ergo-right mouse is just uncomfortable, regardless how the buttons might be programmed.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Lehk228]

i'm using a unicomp USB customizer right now, i can type faster with this and it doesn't wear out the same way, modern keyboards get sticky and start to resist off-center strikes as they age (or new out of the box for some shittier models) spring keyboards just get slightly softer over time and even that only really happens if you abuse it.

the only real issue i have found is that the tip right corner holds some sensitive circuitry that goes nuts if a GSM phone gets a call while placed there.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[DMUTPeregrine]

Most modern H&K weapons are ambidextrous and eject the casings out the bottom, for exactly that reason.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[NormalVisual]

It's not really dangerous, but 200 degree brass kinda sucks just the same if the ejector kicks it straight out instead of out and up and it hits you in the arm. My favorite is when the guy at the station to my left ejects a case and it gets stuck in between the arm of my glasses and my face - it takes at least a couple of seconds to safely put your own gun down and get the brass off your face, which is usually long enough to leave a nice mark and leave you swearing for a little while.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[dgsoftnz]

How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M? What one day came from my pile of old keyboards has now been used every day on my main computer for at least a year. It took only a few minutes of use before deciding to make the switch and I do not ever plan on switching back. At only 14 years of age my Model M should provide many more years of service. I do not know how many people here have used one, but I use one every day.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[David Gerard]

I'm very right-handed, but occasionally I get twinges in my right hand. Then I switch the mouse to the left for a few months and swap the buttons around. Keeps anyone else from using my PC comfortably ;-)

(This is at work. At home I use a laptop with a touchpad. Unfortunately, there's precisely one model of USB touchpad in the world, and I won't buy it without a chance to try it first.)

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

A friend of mine was a competitive pistol shooter, and one match the gut to his left had tuned the ejector to throw brass at the shooter on the right. My friend tends to get REALLY focussed, so he didn't notice until after the round and he saw the casing stuck to the inside of his right forearm.

The conversation he had with the other guy was not a pleasant one.

still heavy enough?

[i.r.id10t]

But are they still heavy and sturdy enough to "console" someone... repeatedly? Sometimes I channel the BOFH, and these cheap plastic Dell deals just don't hold up to the abuse...

Re:still heavy enough?

[washort]

Yeah, they've still got the same heft and bullet-stopping abilities as the original.

Re:still heavy enough?

[Nimey]

Yes. My Unicomp is /slightly/ lighter than a real IBM or Lexmark M, but it's still usable for melee combat and blocking lighter/slower bullets. There's a steel plate in the base.

Re:still heavy enough?

[Odinson]

I have owned one of these customizers for a couple of years so far and I can say yes. Even a woman of moderate build could fell two or three professional wrestlers with this thing. If they can lift it.

They should have know better than to mess with you when they heard your keystrokes sounding off like machine gun fire in the night. They are very spill resistant too, so you don't have to worry about how bloody they get. You can type a strongly worded letter mere seconds after an attack.

Now if they would just offer one with lit keys so you can see who you are pummeling in the pitch black without the aid of night vision goggles at an additional cost!

Re:still heavy enough?

[ThousandStars]

Alas, it's not quite that heavy, but given the choice of a modern Dell or Apple keyboard, I'll take the Customizer. But if you happen to be, say, helping someone move instead of "consoling" them, you might like the somewhat lighter modern version.

Re:still heavy enough?

[hawk]

>Even a woman of moderate build could fell two or three professional
>wrestlers with this thing. If they can lift it.

What happens if they can't lift it for her? (And for that matter, why would they? :)

hawk

Re:still heavy enough?

[i.r.id10t]

Nah, the lights would let the victim user see where you are and be able to defend...

Re:still heavy enough?

[Odinson]

They would lift it out of sympathy and awe for how obviously amazing she was for wielding such a powerful and heavy weapon. One of many properties of the 'customizer' (simply a side effect to it's primary attributes) is increasing the obviously wise genetically bonded symbiote's/typist's charisma ten fold. To help you visualize the simple act of holding the keyboard over her head, picture the pre-fight sequence of a hero on Dragonball Z combined with any scene where Neo flexes the programmed walls surrounding him, finally embellished with numerous shampoo commercials where a breeze comes out of nowhere and blows around her shiny tangle free hair.

Nothing can stop her and they know it. They simply know they must muster the strength to knock themselves out on the off chance she is feeling sinister, and decides to torture them with her perfect keyboard.

You thought I mistyped didn't you? Now you know why that is impossible!!!!!!

Re:still heavy enough?

[hawk]

If I state that I've never seen this Dragonball Z, and I"m not sure whether it's a game or a cartoon, to I have to tell you to get off my lawn? :)

hawk, longtime Model M afficianado

Re:still heavy enough?

[DMUTPeregrine]

It seems to be about 4.5 pounds. They can even be used in deadfall traps.

Re:still heavy enough?

[WobindWonderdog]

only if you're older than NINE THOUSAND!!!

It's a cartoon, with subsequent japanese overdramatisation etc.

Although there are probably game spinoffs, it's not like the Japanese to not take advantage of such merchandise.

too big

[russellh]

Cut off the numeric keypad and we'll talk. Till then, I can live with my happy hacker ..

Re:too big

[youthoftoday]

I have to disagree. I have a black Das Keyboard (you know, the one without markings). The numeric keyboard is a life-saver (somehow it's just not possible to touch-type the numbers above the keyboard)...

Re:too big

[Usquebaugh]

Agreed,

give me a HHK with buckling springs and powered hubs.

I'd buy one in a flash.

I have two of the Unicomps at the moment and I'm just waiting to take a band saw to one of them.

Re:too big

[sm62704]

Cut off the numeric keypad and we'll talk

I see you've never had to enter a long series of numbers into a database. Entering numbers from the number row above the letters is slow, cumbersome, and error-prone.

Re:too big

[Anonymous Coward]

I have to disagree. I have a black Das Keyboard (you know, the one without markings). The numeric keyboard is a life-saver (somehow it's just not possible to touch-type the numbers above the keyboard)... Flamebait? How is that Flamebait? Fricking mod on crack...

Re:too big

[Sponge Bath]

You should look at the Apple bluetooth wireless keyboard. It trims out the numeric keypad, is high quality, looks great, and the feel of the keys is a dream (though not the loud clicky feel this article is talking about). I've been using it on a Windows PC with no problems. It really saves desktop space and removes the need to stretch your arm far to the right to use the mouse. The only stumbling point might be that some editing keys have also been removed (home/end), but I've become used to key combination replacements.

Re:too big

[Ancil]

I see you've never had to enter a long series of numbers into a database. Entering numbers from the number row above the letters is slow, cumbersome, and error-prone.

I don't do enough data-entry to warrant a numeric keypad. Even if I did, I wouldn't want it glued to the right side of my keyboard, forcing me to reach 3 inches further every time I use the mouse.

The numeric keypad on standard keyboards is literally placed in the worst possible place for anyone except an accountant who doesn't use a mouse -- not surprising since most early computer users were accountants who didn't use a mouse.

For very little money, you can buy a detached numeric keypad which can be shoved out of the way whenever you're not using it. Speaking for myself, I prefer original IBM "Space Saver" keyboards. These are geniune Model M's with no numeric keypad -- they look like this. A few years back, I bought 5 of them for $200, so I'm pretty much set for life.

Re:too big

[OglinTatas]

I use the number pad so much that the telephone pad is upside down to me. Good thing all the numbers I call are on speed-dial, because I always get the number I'm punching in wrong the first time.

Re:too big

[russellh]

I see you've never had to enter a long series of numbers into a database. Entering numbers from the number row above the letters is slow, cumbersome, and error-prone.

I have several keyboards for different purposes, actually. In general I just can't stand reaching halfway across the room for the mouse.

Re:too big

[russellh]

I have to disagree. I have a black Das Keyboard (you know, the one without markings). The numeric keyboard is a life-saver (somehow it's just not possible to touch-type the numbers above the keyboard)...

I think that's funny. I love the idea of das keyboard, but I think it would be better if it had embossed braille.

Re:too big

[youthoftoday]

TBH I got it because I wanted a new keyboard and I wanted a good one. I bought it because of the blankness (obviously) but I wouldn't have considered it unless it had very nice action. Which it does. If you can touch-type, no braille necessary. It's really not at all difficult. But for some reason I can't get the numbers into my head. Which makes programming tricky (C++ is hungry for !%&*()- etc).

Re:too big

[oronet commander]

I beg to disagree. The new Apple keyboards are, IMHO, the worst ever produced and the very opposite of what Model M were. Interestingly enough, I use a Model M at work and suffer an Apple at home (donÂt want to throw it while it works...)

Re:too big

[russellh]

You should look at the Apple bluetooth wireless keyboard. It trims out the numeric keypad, is high quality, looks great, and the feel of the keys is a dream (though not the loud clicky feel this article is talking about).

Actually I'm using one as we type. It's great and I love it. I use it for writing text and stuff - I use several keyboards for different purposes. My HHK is for serious coding sessions - I note that it hasn't been used much lately :-( I also use some kind of generic full keyboard, and also have an older full sized mac bluetooth keyboard. I guess I like my keyboards.

Re:too big

[fyoder]

Occasionally clickykeyboards.com will have an 84 key Model M Space Saver in stock. Not today sadly.

Re:too big

[sm62704]

Personally I'd prefer that software (and OS) authors not rely so heavily on the mouse for every little thing. I should be able to use a computer without a mouse at all. My friend Mike complains about an ailment I share - "mouse elbow", which comes from a combination of being middle aged and constantly moving from keyboard to mouse.

For example, in about any app in any OS If I hit Ctrl-F it opens the File menu, but if I meant to hit Shift-F instead, I have to use the mouse to get the cursor back where it was. The logical way to program it would be if I hit Esc after Alt-F the cursor would return to its previous spot.

In a word processor this is especially egregious. The only required use for a mouse in a word processing document should be to move the cursor to a different spot in your text; faster than arrow keys.

We nerds should do better when we program. We do, after all, pride ourselves on logic.

Re:too big

[david@ecsd.com]

It's odd to me that your mouse pointer would auto-pop to the menu from keyboard commands. Is there a way to turn off that feature?

Personally I don't like my mouse pointer to move unless I tell it to.

Re:too big

[brainkiller]

IBM Model M Space Saver

http://www.dansdata.com/images/clicky2/spacesaver1280.jpg

I found mine brand new on e-bay

Re:too big

[Jherek Carnelian]

The pointer doesn't physically move, but the keyboard input focus moves.
Try it yourself - its inconsistent, some menus/apps will return focus if you hit escape, some will just do some other action.

Re:too big

[ahabswhale]

Try this: http://www.deckkeyboards.com/boards.php

Re:too big

[value_added]

The numeric keyboard is a life-saver (somehow it's just not possible to touch-type the numbers above the keyboard)...

Admittedly, learning to type is hard, and few today seem to think it's of any value, but typing numbers is no more difficult than typing anything else. Even the F keys in the top row are easy to type (as evidenced by the years of WP popularity and dominance).

On the other hand, if you are doing nothing but typing numbers for hours at end (data entry and accounting people traditionally do this), then, yes, the numeric side of the keyboard can be faster and more efficient. The requirements for speed and accuracy are the mostly the same, however: that you've learned to touch-type, and learned to touch-type using one hand in the same manner as you would do on a calculator.

The most useful class I ever took in 5 years of high school was typing. Seriously. The odd thing, though, when I see how poorly people type today (the over-reliance on spell-checkers to correct poor typing accuracy, the widespread complaints of RSI, the slow speeds, uncessary tension and stress, complaints about number keys, etc.) suggests to me that either no one learns to type, or that learning to type on a manual typewriter, despite being obsoleted, remains ideal.

Which brings us back to why so many prefer old-fashioned IBM keyboards. ;-)

Re:too big

[woobieman29]

The model M15 has the keypad detached as a separate unit. Really sweet in that you can get it out of the way and keep your mouse/trackball closer to your centerline. For me, M15 + Logitech Trackman Wheel = the perfect desktop environment.

Re:too big

[toddestan]

Well, different keyboards for different needs. I have a "happy hacker" keyboard on my home PC, and I like the extra deskspace I get from chopping 7-8" from the keyboard, and I don't need to enter enough numbers to miss the keypad. At work though, I have a full sized keyboard and I wouldn't give it up for anything as I use the keypad all the time.

Re:too big

[H0D_G]

Exactly. I have a Laptop with no numpad. first thing I bought for it, before even a network cable, was a USB keyboard. even a cheap and nasty one has a numpad, which is invaluable for data entry.

Re:too big

[russellh]

Which brings us back to why so many prefer old-fashioned IBM keyboards. ;-)

The sound makes it seem like you're getting more work done; they're harder to break, and breaking a keyboard is embarrassing unless you do it from sleeping on the keys too much; they last a really, really long time and who doesn't want to see the numbers wear off, like your karate blackbelt fraying to white. Also with all these curvy keyboards coming out with "multimedia" keys and other luser bullshit, a model M says: oldschool 101. I hear they come packaged with wide striped clip-on ties.

Re:too big

[DMUTPeregrine]

You really don't want to see the numbers wear off, and since the numbers are molded into the plastic of the keycaps they almost never do wear off. For a Black belt, having it fray to white shows two things: you've been a black belt for a long time, and you don't take good care of your belt. It shouldn't fray, ever. Fade, yes, but fraying is bad.

Re:too big

[russellh]

since the numbers are molded into the plastic of the keycaps they almost never do wear off

I'm sure I've seen it a few times

[blackbelt] It shouldn't fray, ever. Fade, yes, but fraying is bad.

noted.

Re:too big

[sm62704]

Is there a way to turn off that feature?

One man's "feature" is another an's design flaw. AFAIK you can only "turn off that feature" on OSS programs/OSes, and even then you have to modify and recompile.

Re:too big

[bhtooefr]

The black Model M13s (and the rare all-black Customizer 101/104 and SpaceSaver/EnduraPro 104) had lettering wear issues, but the plastic itself would have to badly wear - in fact, almost wear THROUGH - on either the beige Model M, or the black/silver Unicomp boards, for the lettering to go away.

It's certainly POSSIBLE, but my most heavily worn Model M just has a shiny spacebar - the other keys are fully intact.

I'll also note that I've never seen a Model M with keys worn through. I have seen my share of cheap rubber dome keyboards with worn through keys, though...

Re:too big

[bhtooefr]

My solution to having to reach 3 inches further to reach the mouse is not to lop off the numeric keypad, it's to put the mouse in the keyboard. /me hugs his EnduraPro 104

USB, pointing stick

[Ed Avis]

Unicomp also make keyboards with a 'nipple' pointing device in the middle like on Thinkpads. The Endurapro is buckling spring with pointing device and is available as USB. The only downside is that they can't ship the USB version outside the USA.

I'd like to get one but currently I have a good stock of Model Ms for my typing needs.

What I really want to use is the old PC or PC-XT keyboard - buckling spring but even heavier and better built than the Model M. However the electronics are different. I think I saw an adapter on sale for $100 somewhere but that's a bit steep.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[funkatron]

"Shipments of the USB model outside the USA are currently suspended awaiting government approval."

Wtf have they put in this thing?

Re:USB, pointing stick

[Hatta]

Oh my god. Now I *Have* to get the unicomp. I'll never take my hands off the keyboard again!

Re:USB, pointing stick

[mapsjanhere]

Now if they'd add an ergonomic version of their boards, I can't go back to a straight key alignment.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[InlawBiker]

I recently went on a keyboard hunt and ended up with an IBM Space Saver II. It's basically a compact Thinkpad keyboard with a trackpoint nubbin and mouse buttons on the bottom. There is no number pad and it's PS2 only, but I have an adapter and it works fine. Ubuntu recognizes the trackpoint too.

I found it on Ebay for about $30. If you do an ebay search for part number 37L0888 it should turn up. They are incredibly expensive to buy new.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[bendodge]

I'm using a 1984 Model M13. It's like the Model M, except it has the mouse nub you speak of. PS/2 too.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[Briareos]

Weapons grade Unobtainium.

np: Autechre - 90101-51-19 (Quaristice.Quadrange.ep.ae)

Re:USB, pointing stick

[Anonymous Coward]

Keep your Model M's (as incredibly nice as they are) I want someone to start manufacturing the old Focus 2001 KB. They were mechanical and clicky as well. Though they used these small switches rather than bucking springs and the put the | in the correct place to the right of the right shit key. I have several different models of these even a really odd one that placed a track ball where the inverted T cursor keys would be.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[Leto-II]

I was waiting for someone to bring up the Focus 2001. I've got one still going strong and I love it.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[poot_rootbeer]

What I really want to use is the old PC or PC-XT keyboard - buckling spring but even heavier and better built than the Model M. However the electronics are different. I think I saw an adapter on sale for $100 somewhere but that's a bit steep.

The Linux kernel can be compiled with a driver that supports communication with an XT-style keyboard over the parallel port. You'll have to jury-rig an adapter and maybe keep a USB keyboard handy in case you need to go into the BIOS (and maybe find a computer that still has a parallel port, depending), but it's a cheaper alternative than paying $100 for a microcontroller-based protocol translator device.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[woobieman29]

Using the word "Nipple" to describe the pointing stick device on these keyboards is crass and insensitive to our female readership. The proper descriptive term for this type of pointing device is "Clitoris". Please try to be more progressive in the future. Good Day.

Re:USB, pointing stick

[bhtooefr]

Somehow, I doubt it's a 1984 M13.

The IBM Corp (C) 1984 on the bottom doesn't mean that the keyboard was made in 1984, it means that it was copyrighted in 1984.

The first Model Ms came out in 1985. M13s came much, much later - 1993 or 1994, IIRC.

There's a date on the keyboard, that's not an expiration date, that's a manufacture date. ;)

Re:USB, pointing stick

[bhtooefr]

XKCD knows all.

http://xkcd.com/243/

I prefer Unicomp's Endurapro

[LinuxOnEveryDesktop]

I actually prefer Unicomp's Endurapro. Same buckling springs, but with an integrated mouse. Saves me from carpal tunnel.... well that and a reasonably ergonomic desk setup. Endurapro at work, endurapro at home :)

Re:I prefer Unicomp's Endurapro

[kotj.mf]

I'm thinking about getting one, but since I've purchased not one, but two Happy Hacking KBs over the past couple of years, I can't really justify it. What I really want is a three button, standalone trackpoint that'll sit right below the space bar on my HHKB. Trackballs just aren't cutting it.

Apparently, nobody makes a standalone pointing stick.

I'm desperate enough that I'm considering scooping up a few keyboards from trashed Thinkpads and figuring out how to solder them up to a USB controller.

Re:I prefer Unicomp's Endurapro

[LinuxOnEveryDesktop]

Apparently, nobody makes a standalone pointing stick.

I'm desperate enough that I'm considering scooping up a few keyboards from trashed Thinkpads and figuring out how to solder them up to a USB controller.


That might not be *so* hard. Used old Thinkpad parts are a dime a dozen these days, and easy to find on ebay.

I share your frustration - the Endurapro was actually pretty much the only keyboard I could find with integrated mouse when I bought it a few years back. Why isn't there more innovation in this space?

Re:I prefer Unicomp's Endurapro

[Lehk228]

Why isn't there more innovation in this space?

because most people don't even know how bad their $1.50 OEM keyboard is.

Re:I prefer Unicomp's Endurapro

[bhtooefr]

You could always buy an early IBM ScrollPoint mouse, and then hack the drivers so that axis 0 and 1 are ignored, and 2 and 3 take the place of 0 and 1... (and I think the ScrollPoint allows you to tap the stick for a middle-click...)

(The ScrollPoint is an ordinary mouse, with a TrackPoint serving as the scroller.)

Apparently, it is more than just an approximation

[mpapet]

There's a comment saying the Kentucky company is the latest owner of the IBM IP and manufacturing equipment for the keyboard. All of which still resides in Kentucky.

$69 is CHEAP for a decent keyboard. I'm one of those IT guys that's happy to give out the lame excuse for keyboards being shipped with PC's and horde the best of the older keyboards.

Our dev has a DASkeyboard. Very nice too. I'm not l33t enough to go decal-free at 3AM support calls though.

Offtopic:
This company is a *perfect* example of the economic potential for manufacturing in the U.S. It's a niche product, high quality, that won't have a market big enough for whatever low-wage empire to ever export the work.

My experience.

[srollyson]

I'm a relatively young guy, so my first experience with a buckling spring keyboard was when I bought one of these Unicomp Customizers a year ago. The responsiveness is terrific! It's hard to convey this in a way that doesn't seem like snake oil, but I feel like it's increased my typing speed and accuracy.

I think I've become spoiled, actually. When I use my laptops' membrane keyboard, it feels mushy in comparison.

Re:My experience.

[ThousandStars]

Incidentally, I'm 24, and I only learned about buckling spring keyboards from the curmudgeons wise mentors on /. and elsewhere. But when I actually began using these keyboards, I realized why they're revered in nerd circles. A more elegant weapon for a more civilized age, indeed.

Re:My experience.

[DMUTPeregrine]

I'm 21, same deal. When I get a laptop I'll be using a USB adapter and my model M. Sure, it's heavier, but those membrane keyboards are hell to type on compared to the M.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Stop complaining about price

[Octos]

Really. $70 for a keyboard is nothing. It's a tool you use every day for extended periods of time. If you're looking for a decent keyboard it's because you don't like the way the $3 crap-board feels. It costs three bucks for a reason. Quality tools that last are worth every penny.

If you really want to balk at price, I'll point you to my Kinesis Contour keyboard. It cost about $300. The key feel and ergos are great. I've used this board at work for about 9 years now and it's still going strong.

If you still insist on being cheap, go prowl Goodwill or other thrift stores. I found a Lexmark BS board in near mint condition for $5.

Re:Stop complaining about price

[matthew.coulson]

I see your Kinesis and raise you a Fingerworks Touchstream ST. It was about £350 on purchase. At todays exchange rate that's nearabout $700.

Ridiculous price.

Re:Stop complaining about price

[pdwalker]

70, or even 700 bucks for a keyboard that will last you 20 years, even after repeated abuse is quite a bargain for the money.

My "lesser" Lexmark model m5-2 is now 15 years old and worth every damn penny I paid for it.

Love it to death.

I'm going to buy a couple more Model M's so my kids can enjoy them when they get older.

markrich

[markrich]

I have a keytronic lifetime series keyboard cost about $50 and a kensington expert mouse track track ball ($99). As much time as I spend behind the screen on the keyboard it's well worth the investment. Why an expensive keyboard, because it's all about touch. This keyboard has a consistent touch for all the keys unlike some dell keyboards that have that lazy key and that stiff key here or there. BTW why do they call ita keyboard, my son asked.. should it be called a button board? :-)

You should have bought more than one!

[freenix]

The model M is not immortal and any good nerd has at least three in the closet. I have only had one of these die on me and it was probably a wiring problem that I can fix but it was nice to have more waiting. They seem to be going for about $25 on ebay, so the internet has not let you down by letting people share their love. Perfect knowledge and many providers is a fair market so $25 is a fair price for a used keyboard. Finding a cache in a dumpster is like finding several hundred dollars on the street and you should save them all for yourself, your friends or just to sell them.

New keyboards like this are worth their price if you type a lot. It does feel good to type on and it will last forever. The only problem with the new ones, like the reviewer noticed, is the windows keys which decrease the size of Ctrl and Alt so that you might miss them.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[cp.tar]

I have one of the SpaceSavers from Unicomp, as they didn't have a 105-key Customizer at the time.
And since they couldn't offer me one with a Croatian layout, the nice people at Unicomp agreed to send me a blank one. So I got the best from both the Model M and Das Keyboard, and many looks of frustration from family members.

People look at me in a funny way when I tell them how much I paid for it (the shipping almost doubled the cost, too), but then, they do not type as much as I do.
OTOH, I find it funny that people are more than willing to cash out insane amounts of money for the bestest and fastest CPU or video card, but a keyboard? A random El Cheapo keyboard suits them just fine. Me, I like to hear when I've clicked a key, because I don't always even look at the screen when I type.

An added benefit is, of course, the fact that it can be used as an offensive weapon in case of dire emergency or family argument ;)

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[smclean]

Unicomp does have a 101 key model:

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.html

Personally, I just can't see spending $70 for something that you can find in thrift stores for much cheaper, or failing that, ebay for half the price. I guess there is the assurance that it functions properly..

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[RobertM1968]

While the Model M is not immortal, it is as close to immortal as any keyboard or piece of computer equipment ever was.

I have a few old Model M keyboards... still running. I bought my mother a computer 15 years ago or so, and gave her a (used) Model M with it. She has went through numerous computers, and still uses that same Model M (it turned 22 years old this past February). She wont give it away, she wont sell it, she wont part with it for any reason. Her computer dies, she gets a new one, chucks the keyboard that comes with it and plugs in the Model M. Doesn't bat an eye over replacing a computer every few years... doesn't have any intention of ever replacing her Model M and expects it to outlast her next few computers (which it probably will).

Interestingly, as her's is a lot older than the Model M's and M13s I have, the click is very unique in comparison. About as loud, but more metallic/click sounding.

I used to have a few dozen of them (bought a box full of them). I had one "test" keyboard, which we tried killing... we'd walk on it (ok, that's nothing for a Model M... but we had to try), we drove over it with an Isuzu Trooper (well, the guy driving hit the gas and it shot out from under the back wheel across the parking lot... minor scratches on the bottom)... we put it in front of a city bus' rear wheels and watched as the bus edged up on it waiting for a traffic light to change, and then drove off... still worked of course. Finally, we launched it off a 3 story roof... as far outwards as we could throw it (musta went a few hundred feet horizontal, in addition to the three story drop)... picking up the keycaps and such was not fun. Though we did manage to shatter the outer case (and couldnt find a few keycaps), it still worked. We took a small torch to the plastic... weird stuff, that plastic... it's surface bubbled and browned, but we would have had to hold the torch to it for quite a long time to melt through, so we gave up.

A sledge hammer managed to damage the plastic keycap plate enough in a few areas to stop some keys from working... but then again, most people dont run over their keyboards or hit them repeatedly with sledge hammers.

We did have a few in the box we bought that had some issues... most seemed to be screwed up springs from being jammed in with so many others (fallen off keycaps and bent, damaged or missing springs).

This is being typed on my Model M13 - a youngin by Model M standards (10 years old this June). Our other Model M is 16 years old, and our other Model M13s are 12-13 years old (2 beige, one black).

My fave is the Model M13 black or Model M in olive-grey (heh - find one of those... I'm trying ever since I missed out on buying one of 6 that were on sale a few years ago).

My only problem with the M13's is that the Trackpoints seem to "die" on them (they get pegged to a corner or side of the screen... sometimes fixable by re-gluing it to the keycap plate... sometimes not). Still trying to figure out where I can get new Trackpoint sticks to fix two of them...

As a side note, from what I understand, you can still get the UniComps without the Windows key. I prefer the standard Model M/M13 layout (no extra keys).

The standard 101 key Model M clones are at:
(white) http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.html
They dont seem to have the black ones for sale in 101 key layout anymore...

Funny thing is they sell their Model M clone with an optional "Enhanced" mushy switch option (ie: no clicky mechanical spring). I dont think they understand the meaning of the word enhanced.

I type 12 hours a day, every day... and will not use anything but a Model M/M13 unless absolutely necessary. Once you get used to the click (which does serve a purpose and increases typing speed), you find that you look at the keyboard or screen a lot less when typing, you make less mistakes, and you type faster. I can hit ov

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[DJStealth]

I think I killed a couple of these guys in a few years back by trying to clean them using a spray cleaner directly on the keys, rather than on a cloth first. When those old PS/2's booted up after that, I'd here it repeatedly beeping, and I'd know I'd need to grab another keyboard.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[RobertM1968]

I did that to one. the culprit was a loose spring. The air (used compressed air, with keycaps off) dislodged the spring from it's mount. It was a nightmare with the tools I had to get it re-mounted without bending the spring.

As for spraying things on the keycaps, I have never had a problem with that. I spilled coffee in one (a whole sugary cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee), and rinsed it (the keyboard) in the sink, let it dry for two days, and it kept working for years to come. Good thing too - it wasnt mine - it was a client's. That was one of the "newer" Lexmark models with a drainage channel though.

On the older ones without the drainage channel, it is possible too much cleaner/liquid can get under the keyboard plate or between the contact layers beneath the switches and cause problems. The best way to clean them is to remove the keycaps, soak them in hot soapy water, rinse, dry and relace (cleaning the debris on the keycap plate inbetween).

Sometimes, in your scenario, letting the keyboard dry a few days works... other times, rinsing the whole keyboard thoroughly (to remove any cleaner left dried in it) and letting it air dry thoroughly a few days will resolve the problem. Yours definitely seems to be a problem of a conductive liquid getting inbetween the contact plates below the switches - or possibly (but less likely) the liquid coming in contact with the PCB (usually located near the LEDs) and shorting something.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[noc007]

Sadly, I do own three. The main one I use I bought for $5 at the local thrift store and it still has 5-- in crayon on it next to the IBM logo. My colleagues rue the day I brought this noise-baby in. The brand new membrane one I was issued didn't last even a year.

I'm proud of the fact that my keyboard is older than my wife. Keyboard 1984, Wife 1986, Me 1981.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[elronxenu]

I've got a Unicomp keyboard with the inbuilt trackpoint. The trackpoint works, but the mouse movement is too slow to be useful. So I use a 2nd mouse.

Also the left and right mouse buttons (on the keyboard) stopped working.

When I first got the keyboard, the Esc key didn't work. How am I supposed to use vim like that? Fortunately it started working after I hit it about 1000 times. But it's a sad story to tell about Unicomp's quality control.

If this Model M dies, I've got several more around the house.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[DMUTPeregrine]

I like to FEEL when I've clicked a key, and not have to press so hard the key slams into the backplate. Thus, I love my Customizer. Also, they really will customize them. It's $10 extra, but mine is DSK layout with Capslock and LCtrl swapped, and Esc and ` swapped, IE Linux/UNIX layout. You can also get blank keys, international, and other layouts, and they make sure the hardware works so you don't have to change software settings (It's PS/2 though. Some PS/2->USB adapters don't work, as Model Ms draw a lot of current.)

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[DMUTPeregrine]

Unicomp is a small business, if you ask they'd probably sell you a new trackpoint stick.
As for typing speed, it is noticeable. I go from 80-90 up to about 120 when switching to my Model M. (My Model M is DSK, and I type a LOT. Normal, QWERTY keyboard I average about 75.)

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[RobertM1968]

Called them today... sadly, the trackpoints they use are different (FSRs) - which is also why elronxenu is noticing it reacts slowly. Either way, what they use now is not compatible, and they dont think they have any of the IBM/Lexmark design ones left.

Guess I'll keep looking on eBay for replacements, or keep using my M13 as a Model M.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[MsGeek]

Current personal fave keyboard: the one that came with the fruity iMacs, the Blue-and-White G3, and the Graphite G4. Compact, plenty of tactile feed back, and almost immortal. Remember, they were designed for use in a K-12 environment, and nobody is harder on a keyboard than a little kid.

I do miss the Model M, but alas they don't work gracefully with a Mac. The colorful iMac keyboard works for me.

BTW worst keyboard: the one on the MacBook. 1983 called, they want their chiclet keyboard back. :P

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[bhtooefr]

Hey, at least you don't have the Model M13 that I have. (Predecessor to the On The Stick 101 and EnduraPro 104.)

Let's see... tons of sticking keys, the right mouse button doesn't work... oh, and yeah, the buttons are wired backwards! (Left-clicking results in a right-click. REAL USEFUL HERE, LEXMARK!)

(My EnduraPro 104... only problem is that the right mouse button feels weird - for some reason, the buttons underneath came out of alignment. So, tomorrow, I'll call Unicomp, and ask them about it.)

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[bhtooefr]

The FSR sticks are very, very weird.

I'm typing on an EnduraPro 104 right now, and... there's a bit of play in the stick before it starts sensing your movement. Very disconcerting for someone used to a genuine (or even an Alps clone) TrackPoint.

But, I'll just say... be very wary of the refurbished M13s on eBay (and elsewhere.) Quality control on those is non-existent. You're better off trying to find one with a fried controller or something. Or, if you don't have a problem with shelling out $250 for a keyboard, then I do believe the FRU number for the black M13 is still available in IBM's replacement parts system.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[bhtooefr]

I do believe you're about to be disappointed...

The very, very first Model Ms known were made in 1985. The copyright might say 1984, but they weren't available until 1985.

If the IBM logo is anything other than a metal square with a black IBM logo on it, then it can't have possibly been a first-generation Model M.

If the logo is blue lettering, then it was most likely made in 1993 or later. (I've heard of a few blue ones in 1991.)

If the cable isn't detachable, and/or it has drainage holes, then it was definitely made in 1993 or later. (I have one of the somewhat rare keyboards with drainage holes AND the detachable cable, made by IBM. A keyboard I have that was made two months later was made by Lexmark, and therefore doesn't have the detachable cable.)

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[bhtooefr]

Ah, but if you don't mind key remapping and USB adapters, they WILL work gracefully with the Mac.

When I was using my 1391401 on my iBook (a keyboard that's HEAVIER than the laptop it's hooked to...) I had the Alt key mapped to Command, the Ctrl key mapped to Option/Alt, and the Caps Lock key mapped to Ctrl.

With my EnduraPro 104, I just switched around the Command and Option mappings, so that they're in the same place as they are on a Mac keyboard. (And, mine's native USB, so no need to run an adapter.)

(That said, a bunch of the PC keys have different functions on a Mac, or don't work at all.)

Mod Parent Waaay Down

[mpapet]

Our dev has a DASkeyboard that I test drove for a couple of hours. Great.

One of the things I like about the older keyboards is the finger precision required is actually a bit less than newer keyboards. That makes me much more productive when I'm tired.

I think maybe you and Marcel Proust might have quite a bit in common if you can't handle a Model M. Man Up!

Re:Mod Parent Waaay Down

[ThousandStars]

Mod Parent Waaay Down

I don't think one necessarily has to mod down someone just because the person disagrees with you (and he clearly disagrees with me, since I'm the original submitter!), and it's at least somewhat useful to have a second opinion, even one not backed up by much evidence. But since keyboards seem a fairly subjective issue anyway -- the only thing approaching research I've seen about them comes from here -- it's worth noting that not everyone will necessarily love the Customizer, although I'm obviously a fan.

Re:Mod Parent Waaay Down

[Beardo the Bearded]

I think /. should have a "+1, Wrong" rating for moderation.

That way, if you make a mistake, it gets modded up and people will have to learn from their mistakes.

Like "funny", it should have no effect on karma.

Re:Mod Parent Waaay Down

[mpapet]

Well said... The shouting down wasn't necessary.

Coincidence

[DarkDust]

I just ordered me a Unicomp keyboard yesterday (a SpaceSaver). And I expect to pay a bit more than just $69: I live in Germany, shipping and taxes will drive it up to about $100, I think.

I'm a programmer like so many of you, and I don't understand why most programmers don't care for their keyboards: it's the tool we work with all day. Ask any craftsman and he will tell you that tools are important. For example, I know that a lot of coiffeurs buy a scissor for a few hundred bucks after their apprenticeship. That's a crazy amount of money for a scissor, but this scissor lasts until they retire (if they care for it) and feels better than normal scissors. Same thing with cooks and knifes.

I hope the keyboard holds up to my expectations. I ordered a Model-M clone because I have an old Model-M like keyboard back from my 286 at home (still with the old AT connecter, had to get an AT-to-PS/2 converter) and I won't ever use any other keyboard at home except if it breaks: the feel of it so good, no rubber-dome keyboard can compete.

But I guess I have to get an office on my own soon, my colleague will kill me after a few days with the clicking keyboard :-)

A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[bvanheu]

I don't understand why keyboard manufacturer still put the Windows logo on the meta key (unless Microsoft give them money).

Can you point me out websites where i can buy a keyboard without 'Windows logo' ?

Anyway, only recently I found a use to this key (using it as meta with Awesome window manager. This don't interfere with 'alt' key in irssi !)

P.s. English isn't my first language !

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[dave420]

Are you that petty that the windows logo pisses you off? Jesus H tapdancing Christ.

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[JoshJ]

Compiz treats the "Windows" key as the Super key. I know Emacs tends to just let you use alt as meta; making it pointless to have an actual "meta" key set in the window manager.

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[AHumbleOpinion]

Unicomp also offers keyboards without the windows keys, models with control where caps lock is normally found too.

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[hercubus]

Are you that petty that the windows logo pisses you off? Jesus H tapdancing Christ.

that windows logo represents a lot of bad vibes. i don't think it's petty to dislike microsoft and want literally nothing to do with them - i think it shows good taste

i wish i could get one with a hammer and sickle -- press it once and keyboard types YOU

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[ThousandStars]

If you'd simply looked at the pckeyboard.com site linked to in the summary, you'd have found the original 101 key design without a Windows logo. I'm the original submitter, however, and as my review states, I need three keys for Macs, as the command key is the gateway to almost all shortcuts.

P.s. English isn't my first language !

Your English is no doubt better than my what-ever-you-speak-originally. Depending on your original language, Unicomp also has the Customizer 102/3 keyboard with German, Italian, and Spanish layouts, as well as UK English.

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[anothy]

sure: apple.com. they don't offer anything in the class of the Model M or similar being discussed here, but their current offerings are pretty nice. i'm not as fast or accurate on them, but the bluetooth model is one of the most compact i can find with full-sized keys, and they aren't as loud (i live with a few other folks who i doubt would appreciate the use of a Model M). no windows key, and you get the extra key for meta in whatever system you use.

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[dave420]

It's just two keys on a keyboard. If that's enough to get your panties in a bunch, may I suggest getting a hobby? :)

Re:A keyboard without 'windows logo' ?

[bhtooefr]

Call Unicomp, ask for a custom keyboard. They'll gladly give you whatever printing you want on those keys (for a certain quantity, and an additional price, though, IIRC.)

Alternately, ask for blank keys for there. I don't believe they charge for that.

Love my unicomp

[larry bagina]

I got one of those swanky wireless aluminum keyboards with my iMac and hated it -- tiny arrow keys, no numeric pad, and I kept hitting the function key instead of the control key at the bottom left. Plus, I absolutely hate laptop keyboards, and that's basically what it is. I bought a unicomp "EnduraPro" keyboard (with a built-in mouse/nipple), for times when the bluetooth on my mighty mouse screws up or the batteries go dead. I wish they had a command key and extended functions (adjust volume, brightness, etc), but I think it's a great choice. The only downside -- keyboards I use at work, etc, feel like shit :)

Blank clicky keyboard? Count me in

[k-zed]

I have had one of these for years. It's awesome beyond words.

Actually the original reason was that I wanted a keyboard with no letter decals on it (since I am a touch typist ever since I know myself). I looked around where I could get such a thing (we tried painting one ourselves, but the paint tended to attract dust, so it got.. hairy after a while; and what's worse, eventually it caused some kind of skin allergy); after a while, a friend recommended Unicomp, and to get a buckling spring keyboard at the same time.

It worked out tremendously. (Also, I live in Hungary, and they had to ship from the United States. Even this caused no problems.) The clicky feel and sound are perfect, and it is certainly a sturdy beast (the sheer weight generates respect). People around you will have to deal with the loudness, but I personally love even that.

Re:Blank clicky keyboard? Count me in

[zerOnIne]

Actually, you're thinking of DASKeyboard, which is separate from this.

Re:Blank clicky keyboard? Count me in

[DMUTPeregrine]

No, no, Unicomp Customizers are called that for a reason. If you want blank keys, you can get blank keys. It should be about $10 more.

Re:Apparently, it is more than just an approximati

[maxume]

Offtopic:

Manufacturing is alive and well in the United States. The job growth from manufacturing isn't particularly strong though, as there is tons of automation. One guy running a couple of CNC lathes is more productive than 4 guys running manual lathes, and so on. Or something like Hyundai, where the spend less per vehicle on welding, but have higher consistency, because they are fully automated.

USB vs. PS/2

[chiph]

If you're waffling between getting the USB version of the Customizer and the PS/2 (and intending to use it with a PS/2 to USB converter), get the USB model of the keyboard.

I have the PS/2 Unicomp, and it draws too much current for most USB converters, so you get irregular text entry and occasional lockups. This prevents me from using it with USB-only computers, like my Mac. :(

I would love it if Unicom put a two-port USB hub inside the keyboard, so I have a place to plug in the mouse and maybe a USB memory key.

Chip H.

Re:USB vs. PS/2

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a mod for the PS/2 keyboards to work with USB when power draw is too high. Basically, you solder two 4.7k ohm pull-up resistors on the keyboard's circuit board. These are connected to pull-up the clock and data lines.

If you're wary of modding the keyboard, you can build an adapter like so:
http://www.geocities.com/jszybowski/keyboard/Adapter.htm

Re:USB vs. PS/2

[KlomDark]

Where do you get pull-up resistors? Are they in the toddler section?

Re:USB vs. PS/2

[Maqueo]

clickykeyboardsc.om sells a ps/2 -> usb adapter that you can use, or even more convenient - Radioshack has one also - catalog # 26-723. I'm using both of these right now for two model M's. Cheapo adapters just don't cut it!

Re:USB vs. PS/2

[La Fortezza]

This USB=>PS/2 adapter will work with a Unicomp Model "M". I wish Unicomp would come out with a native USB Linux layout...

Re:USB vs. PS/2

[bhtooefr]

As I understand, their USB controller doesn't support remapping, whereas their PS/2 controller does, so they can't make alternate USB layouts (such as the Linux 101.)

Re:Apparently, it is more than just an approximati

[larry bagina]

I was happily surprised when I discovered my EnduraPro was US made.

The Interent giveth, and the Internet taketh away

[R2.0]

Another source for Model M's:
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/

And for Northgate Omnikey's
http://www.northgate-keyboard-repair.com/

So sayeth the Internet.

Re:not an M-series

[sm62704]

Oddly, the Windows key works just fine in KDE. Yes, the Windows key does in fact run Linux.

So maybe we should stop calling it a "windows" key?

Now the SysReq key, otoh, is a huge mistake, especially in Linux. Why copy Windows' lame Alt-tab to switch between apps? SysReq is far more logical and has no other use outside the mainframe world that I've ever seen in 25 years of computing. Have you ever used the SysReq key?

Gee... thanks!

[Migala77]

Here I was happily typing along, suddenly my keyboard stops working: slashdotted!! Thanks a lot ThousandStars!

Matias Tactile Pro

[ThousandStars]

Note: this is one of the very, very few buckling-spring keyboards you can get new these days, instead of prowling through thrift stores, eBay, and university dumpsters.

It's ThousandStars, the original submitter here. Note that you can also get a reborn Apple Extended II keyboard called the Matias Tactile Pro 2.0; I also reviewed it, but unfavorably, and it suffers from a number of deficiencies the Customizer doesn't. Even Mac users (I am one) are better off with the Customizer.

Just picked one up

[zerOnIne]

After a long time of waffling, I finally picked one of these up for my home use. I absolutely LOVE it. I've got a few old model-m's floating around, but I wanted something with the windows key, and USB was a definite plus. $70 was a bit expensive, but it's been worth it so far. Now I'm just trying to convince work to buy me one. If they don't soon, I'll probably just buy one on my own dime and bring it in.

1984 - Still clicking

[zoomshorts]

I happen to have 5 (five) of the Model M keyboards, NEW in the BOX !.
NO, they are not for sale. This one I am presently using was manufactured
in 1984. That is 24 years of service. If they ever remove the DIN connectors
from PC's, I'm building an adapter. LOL.

Eat your hearts out.

Re:1984 - Still clicking

[bhtooefr]

They removed the DIN-5 connectors about 10 or so years ago. But, before that happened, there were 11ty billion AT-to-PS/2 adapters (for both directions, PS/2 keyboard on an AT machine, and AT keyboard on a PS/2 machine) on the market.

As for the Mini-DIN-6 connectors, actually, the first legacy-free Wintel machines were about 9 or so years ago, IIRC. And, most laptops nowadays don't have them. But that's what PS/2-to-USB adapters, which are also extremely common, are for. ;)

IBM called those "space saver" keyboards

[Anonymous Coward]

According to http://www.clickykeyboard.com/buyersguide.htm/ they were more-specifically identified as model numbers 1391472, 1397681, 1370475, 1392464, 1392934,1395100.

I have one connected to my Mac Mini at home and two spares in case anything happens to that one.

Oh The Humanity

[the eric conspiracy]

I was introduced to the Model M keyboard one fine afternoon when leaving from work a dumpster outside a large insurance company building was FILLED with hundreds of Model M keyboards; evidently they were doing a hardware upgrade. Seeing the keyboards I grabbed one from the dumpster (I have no pride) to try out.

Overjoyed that I finally found a clicky keyboard like those I remembered from the early IBM days I returned the next day and picked up half a dozen more.

If I had only known I would have taken more.

I can't use them at work though - my cube farm neighbors complained when I brought one in.

But I do love the bucking spring design.

Re:Oh The Humanity

[Kenshin]

I can't use them at work though - my cube farm neighbors complained when I brought one in.

Clacking keyboards are probably one of the only things more annoying in an office than a loud coffee slurper and someone with an awful ringtone.

Re:Oh The Humanity

[the eric conspiracy]

The desire to be able to use a Model M at work has me working for a promotion so I can have my own office.

Re:Oh The Humanity

[trongey]

I can't use them at work though - my cube farm neighbors complained when I brought one in. They'll stop complaining if you get the angle just right when you hit them upside the head with your modern keyboard.

Ergonomic with Buckling Springs?

[HockeyPuck]

I currently use a MSFT Ergonomic keyboard, I love the ergonomic shape of it, however, I miss the tactile feel of the old IBM keyboards. Does anybody make an ergonomic keyboard with tactile feedback or buckle springs?

Re:Ergonomic with Buckling Springs?

[Bitmanhome]

One of the sites posted previously has an Omnikey Evolution that might be what you're looking for. Go there, and look for "Evolution". You apparently need to e-mail the guy for info and pricing.

Re:Ergonomic with Buckling Springs?

[RobertM1968]

IBM did... though they are extremely hard to find. clickykeyboards used to have a few, but someone(s) seems to have grabbed most of their stock on any Model M or variant keyboard.

How about the $189 Avant Stellar?

[Werrismys]

Link: http://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/stellar.htm It has only one modern feature: built-in macro capability and keycode swapping (no need to install software to program it).

Where to find your own Model M

[the eric conspiracy]

Model M keyboards turn up quite frequently on EBay.

Just use the search term 'clicky'.

Re:Where to find your own Model M

[54mc]

Great. I just ordered 2 thanks to this damn story.

Re: Logitech Wave

[DuctTape]

I had the predecessor to the Wave, or one of them, and while this was not ergonomic, it was solid (and not Microsoft). But unfortunately after a few months, the keys would "stick" if I hit them off-center. That is, I hit a key (usually a modifier key) off-center, and it would not go down without considerably more force. This happens to me a lot with the Dell keyboards, but those are so cheap you can get a new one every few months. Still, this was annoying enough so that I didn't get the Wave and went back to a Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000. Notebook-like key action, though the curve is too little for ergonomic benefit, and too much to just approach it with straight arms.

DT

Re:not an M-series

[FishWithAHammer]

You can call it a Super key if you really want to. KDE does.

Re:not an M-series

[harry666t]

SysRq can do some special magic under Linux. It's useful for kernel devs (: so yes, it has a purpose.

Buy the real thing.

[nonetheless]

You can also buy the real thing from Clickykeyboards. They sell never-opened IBM M model keyboards for roughly the same amount as Unicomp. I'm using a 1995 Model M from them now, and I absolutely love it.

Re:Apparently, it is more than just an approximati

[jonatha]

Offtopic:
This company is a *perfect* example of the economic potential for manufacturing in the U.S. It's a niche product, high quality, that won't have a market big enough for whatever low-wage empire to ever export the work. The address given on the website is a relatively small building, which according to the PVA's office is mostly warehouse (with a small office attached).

Manufacturing is most likely done in an ex-Lexmark plant somewhere in Mexico or the Far East....

Re: Stop complaining about complaining about price

[ThousandStars]

I don't think it's necessarily complaining about price to note that the price is somewhat higher than normal keyboards, and for someone on the margin of deciding whether to buy the keyboard the additional $50 might turn them off. You can see that my review says, "the price, at $69, is somewhat high, but I think the productivity improvement worth the extra cost [...]". Furthermore, although another poster observed that both the real and non-inflation-adjusted price of Model Ms and Customizers have dropped, it's also true that computers themselves have become less expensive. A $69 keyboard is a much larger percentage of a $1,000 keyboard than a $100 keyboard is of a $4,000 computer.

It's just how we compare prices: relatively rather than absolutely, even if an absolute metric would be more fair. Dan Ariely discusses this in his book, Predictably Irrational, which I think worth reading.

REAL Keyboard Nostalgia

[FurtiveGlancer]

How about the trusty Royal Manual, now there was a bulletpoof keyboard. Lacking in interface choices, though. Scanner only.

Other options

[moosesocks]

What other options are there for tactile feedback and/or buckling-spring keyboards?

Frankly, the grey-on-black colour scheme is hideous, and I've grown quite attached to the volume control keys and USB hub on modern keyboards.

A more compact design wouldn't be too much to ask either.

Surely there has to be some happy medium between the $5 dell keyboards and the heavier-than-a-brick Unicomps?

Re:not an M-series

[Timothy Brownawell]

I have it mapped as a hotkey for "open terminal window"...

It's a good, solid keyboard

[jollyreaper]

The buckling spring is what gives the keyboard a satisfying feel when typing. I'm very much not a fan of the mushy "quiet" keyboards. There's just such a satisfying feel when typing on something that feels like it could be attached to a typewriter. :)

The Model M's were the first keyboards I learned on and I was pleased as punch to find out people were still making them all these years later.

I don't know about this new version they have but the one I bought is here: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.html

Solid, durable, not likely to crap out on you. Not a slashvertisement but a testimonial.

Re:It's a good, solid keyboard

[jollyreaper]

You're the second person to post a link to that store. I cry foul! That's where the company sells their shit. *shrug*

Awesome, but not as good as the original

[Benski]

I had been using an old Model M (with the blue IBM logo) for the last 7-8 years. Bought a Unicomp recently to get windows keys and USB.

It's awesome.

but two nitpicks:
The IBM Model M had two layers of key covers on each key. A blank peice that inserts into the keyboard base, and a cap with the letter inked on it that goes over. The Unicomp has the letters printed on the bottom peice, and no cap. I find that this effects the weight enough to be noticably different. I ended up swapping the peices over to the new Unicomp. Everything fit dead-on except for the Alt and Spacebar keys, and obviously the windows keys which are not present on the original IBM.

Second, the Model M had a drainage system (for when I spill my coffee :) that is absent on the Unicomp.

Re:Awesome, but not as good as the original

[RobertM1968]

The older Model M's (the ones made by IBM) also had a very thick metal backplate. The Lexmark and MaxiSwitch ones had a noticeably thinner one.

Someone posted someplace else that the UniComp ones do not have the metal plate at all - though I dont know if that is true. I do know that if it does, it is probably the thinner Lexmark sized one (since that is who they bought the tech from).

The backplate makes a slightly noticeable difference in the feel of using the keyboard.

Also, something in the keyswitches changed marginally over time, resulting in a different feel to them. The original IBMs were more metallic-clicky, and the newer ones had a subtly different feel and sound.

Yours sounds like a rare IBM, or a Lexmark (and if it is an earlier one, might have a thicker plate).

Re:Awesome, but not as good as the original

[bhtooefr]

The early Lexmarks did have the 1/4" thick plate - I've got a 1991 grey logo, detachable cable IBM Model M, a 1993 blue logo, detachable cable, drainage hole-equipped IBM Model M, a 1993 blue logo, drainage hole-equipped Lexmark Model M, a 1995? Lexmark Model M13 (that was badly refurbished,) and a 2008 Unicomp EnduraPro 104.

I've not opened the M13, but all the others, I've taken a look inside, at least.

All of my Model Ms are 1/4" thick steel, the EnduraPro DOES have a steel plate, but it's 1/8" thick.

Lefty (and righty) ergo mouse that works

[hirschma]

Here's one that not only comes in lefty models, but you can choose from different sizes, too:

http://www.contourdesign.com/pmo/

I bought it because "normal" mice caused me pain, and because I must have a three button mouse (I'm guessing that I'm not the only one here).

I have the righty version, and it is pretty comfortable, much better than anything else currently on the market that resembles a standard mouse.

The most comfortable mouse of all time, bar none:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/wingmanmouse/

It was just amazing. I'd kill to get one in new condition - I never had any pain with it. Shame that Logitech killed it.

Re:Apparently, it is more than just an approximati

[larry bagina]

I'm pretty sure they're manufactured/assembled in Kentucky.

left-hand joystick?

[smellsofbikes]

I'm right-handed, mostly, but I strongly prefer to use left-hand joysticks (because I'm a pilot and am more used to flying left-hand.)
I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for good left-hand joysticks.
Saitek makes ambidextrous ones that can be switched to left-hand but they wear out in about a year.
Anyone have ideas or suggestions about durable leftie joysticks?

104 or 105 keys?

[Lord Byron II]

On the ordering page it gives a choice between 104 keys (US) and 105 keys (intl). What is the extra key that the international users get that we don't have?

MOD PARENT UP

[Anomalyst]

MOD PARENT UP informative

Maximum keys at once?

[dreemernj]

I didn't see anything about how many keys you can press at once?

It doesn't look like it's geared towards gamers, but as a person that plays fighting games on a keyboard I am always looking for something that has feedback, is solid, and lets me press at least 6 buttons at once without ghosting or blocking.

Right now I rely on a surprisingly capable logitech playstation 2 USB keyboard with a 6 button limit, but its keys are definately low quality, and a Razer Tarantula which allows 10 keys at once and has very little potential delay on the buttons, but its incredibly soft and spongy.

I've also tried a few of those so-called "gaming" keyboards from companies like Logitech. But they are complete trash. It amazes me when companies sell keyboards as "gaming" keyboards when you can't even play FPS games right on them because of blocking on the arrow keys and nearby buttons.

I'm hoping someone out there has tried this and knows how it reacts to numerous buttons at once.

Re:Maximum keys at once?

[RobertM1968]

I dunno if they changed their electronics, but I dont see why you couldnt press as many keys as you wanted (if they didnt). I've never had a problem doing so, and I almost exclusively use Model M's.

Re:Maximum keys at once?

[dreemernj]

The Razer is the only one I use that lets me press 10 at once. All the laptops I've had allowed 6 or 7 and the average cheap desktop keyboard allows 3 or 4. If model M's in general allowed you to press 10 at once and this did too, I'd be all over it O.O

Re:Maximum keys at once?

[bhtooefr]

I'm going to assume that your Razer is a PS/2 board? (I do believe USB has a limit of 6-key rollover max.)

Anyway, the Model M is a 2-key rollover board. (Key rollover is stated in terms of the worst combo.) I do know that the SDFJKL combination (important for brailling) is fully supported on the Model M, though. But, the QWEASD block (for gaming) is NOT fully supported.

That said, the Unicomp boards, at least the 104-key models, are also 2-key rollover, but with different blocking patterns. QWEASD is still not supported, and SDFJKL is no longer supported.

If you want real, honest buckling spring, with n-key-rollover, you need to look at the PC AT keyboard. (Unofficially, it's called the Model F, but the real Model F is the PC XT keyboard, which can't be used on a modern PC. The PC AT keyboard is in the same chassis, though, so it got the Model F designation from enthusiasts.) Unfortunately, it's only an 84 key layout.

If you just want tactile feedback, I believe Déck is going to start making a clicky version of their n-key-rollover 104-key gaming keyboard.

Re:Maximum keys at once?

[dreemernj]

Thanks for the info. The Razer is a USB keyboard. It can be used without special software and it will function as a standard USB keyboard with a 6 button limit. You can also install drivers on a comp and switch it to a different mode where it has a 10 button limit.

Re:not an M-series

[bigstrat2003]

No, we shouldn't stop calling it a Windows key... not until they take the Windows logo off it, at any rate.

Also, I use my Print Screen/SysReq key all the time. Don't you ever need to take screen shots?

Re:not an M-series

[ender-]

As another post mentioned, the SysReq key does have its uses in Linux. In my case I've used it on hosting servers. It's great to be able to kill processes, sync the HDs and reboot semi-gracefully when the console is otherwise locked hard.

Keyboard preferences

[Chris Tucker]

Myself, I use a 22 year old Apple Extended Keyboard, via the Griffin iMate ADB to USB adaptor, on my 1.42 Ghz G4 Dual Processor PowerMac, running Mac OS X 10.5.3.

I have had exactly ZERO problems with this arrangement.

After using the Extended for all these years, today's "modern" keyboards all feel like I'm poking at slab of Silly Putty.

As for the commentor who likes having volume control keys, well, my 22 year old keyboard has them as well. COMMAND-ARROW works in just about every app that has a sound function. Although, as I use a Mac, I have used USB Overdrive to map the volume control in ALL my media players to the scrollwheel in my mouse and to the Griffin PowerMate rotary controller. Also, tapping the PowerMate mutes in all my media applications.

My keyboard has 16 function keys, via Keyboard Maestro I have some of them programmed for use in individual applications.

So, for the cost of an ADB to USB interface found on eBay and some shareware fees, my ancient keyboard (which, by the way, works as perfectly as the day it shipped from the assembly line) has all the functionallity of these new "keyswitch"/"buckling spring" keyboards with their "media keys" and "eject keys" have two DVD drives in my Mac. F12 works the top drive, OPTION-F12 works the bottom drive. Those are my "eject keys".

I have 6 more Apple Extendeds in the closet, all from Goodwill/Salvation Army. All of them work perfectly.

As long as there are ADB to USB interfaces, I'll be using an Extended on the Macintosh.

And to all my nerd brothers and sisters still using "M" keyboards (and Extended/Extended II, of course), I stand in solidarity with you!

Re: Logitech Wave

[Gnavpot]

But unfortunately after a few months, the keys would "stick" if I hit them off-center. That is, I hit a key (usually a modifier key) off-center, and it would not go down without considerably more force.

I have thrown two cheap Logitech keyboards away after a few months for exactly this reason. I have typed on a somewhat expensive Logitech diNovo keyboard which also did this.

One might argue that this forces you to type more precisely which is probably a good thing - but I can't take it and have bought my last Logitech keyboard.

I even looked at the SpaceSaver model

[Provocateur]

somebody help me out here: what's the difference, aside from the color? What space are we saving, exactly?

Looks like it's wider than my desk...

Re:I even looked at the SpaceSaver model

[TeknoHog]

I have a SpaceSaver, it lacks the number pad, and includes a nipple mouse. So in a way, it's like a laptop keyboard, but the keys are the proper desktop kind. Though not clicky, which I guess many people in this discussion will not like ;)

Re:I even looked at the SpaceSaver model

[bhtooefr]

There's four different SpaceSavers that I can think of...

The original SpaceSaver, the Model M SpaceSaver, is a Model M with the numpad lopped off, and a numpad emulated like a laptop's, accessible via Shift-Scroll Lock. (Also, the chassis is slightly smaller.)

The second SpaceSaver is an average rubber dome keyboard, with the numpad lopped off, and a TrackPoint II (IIRC.) That's not a Model M at all, and that sounds like what you have.

There's also the Model M4, which is based on the ThinkPad keyboard. It's obviously not buckling spring, but for what it is, it's nice.

Finally, there's the Unicomp SpaceSaver, which is what I think the GP is talking about. It's a Customizer 104 in a smaller shell. Yes, it DOES save space, compared to a regular Model M, or a Customizer 101/104 (which are in the same shell as the original Model M.) Here's a post with a pic to compare them (at least I think the pic works still, photobucket's blocked here, so I can't see:) http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?p=2866#post2866

I'm typing this on a 1986 vintage Model M

[Control-Z]

And I love it. Love the clicky. And the keycaps pull off so instead of F1 F2 F3 F4 I have up arrow, F2, down arrow, F4. Keeps people off my computer. :)

I didn't even know it was 22 years old until this article prompted me to look.

Permanent marker

[SEMW]

Can you point me out websites where i can buy a keyboard without 'Windows logo' ? Might I suggest a permanent marker applied to the key in question, if it really offends your sensibilities that much, rather than buying a whole new keyboard?

Model M's are great, but...

[DuckWizard]

Where can I get a Space Cadet keyboard?

Good quiet keyboard?

[QuoteMstr]

I love my IBM model M (made 1993-05-21), but it's too loud to use at work. Right now, I'm using an old Dell rubber-membrane keyboard. I hate typing on it. Any suggestions on a keyboard with good tactile feedback but less of the BOFH clickyness?

(Unrelated note: the key sound of a Model M is the worst possible thing to hear when hung over. Something about the pitch makes every key a knife twisting in the brain.)

Re:Good quiet keyboard?

[bhtooefr]

An IBM Model M Soft Touch. ;) (NOT a Quiet Touch, that's just a rubber dome keyboard. A decent one, but it's still rubber dome.)

It was meant for RS/6000 workstations. IIRC, IBM's replacement parts system still recognizes the part number (8184692,) although I think it costs $180.

Alternately, I've been told that Unicomp can custom-make a greased spring keyboard for you, for an additional charge of $40. Downside is, there's no warranty on that.

Finally, you can just grease the springs yourself.

I've typed on the keyboard in that thread, and it's very quiet (for a Model M, anyway,) and the click IS somewhat softened, but it's still VERY nice.

I never liked those Windows keys...

[ClarisseMcClellan]

Undoubtedly the Model 'M' is the one to get, however, I have better memories of the keyboards that came with early SGI deskside computers. These were PS2 many years before the rest and you could plug the three button mouse into either side, again PS2. 'Alps' actually made the keyboard for SGI in 'granite' and it did not creak like Sun keyboards or click too much, as per the Model 'M'.
The defining feature for me was the lack of 'feet', i.e. the keyboard could not be tilted. At the time this made sense for a 'graphics' workstation.

Availability in Europe?

[evalf]

About a month ago I contacted the company to enquire about delivery costs in the UK. I was told it would range between 40 and 50$, almost as much as the keyboard itself. And then there's always the risk of having to pay import duty on it...

I've been searching the internet for a distributor in Europe which would hopefully allow to have a lower price, but I have not found any. Is there really no other way than paying the incredibly high postage fees to get one in Europe?

Re:Availability in Europe?

[bhtooefr]

If you don't need Windows keys, native USB support, or any other special features like that, you might be better off just getting a used Model M that was made for the European market, if the shipping and import duties are that high.

Click. Click. CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK. Click.

[fo0bar]

Just a few clarifications and personal experiences: First, Unicomp has been doing this for a good decade now, and are more of a direct descendant than "Model M-Inspired". Unicomp bought Lexmark's keyboard business which was bought from IBM. Lexmark's keyboard design was nearly identical to the IBM design, but with drainage channels and a tighter spring (sounds more like a "clink" than the Model M's "twang", but IMHO has the same feel). Unicomp left that design essentially unchanged, until adding optional changes like USB, the windows keys, smaller outer bezel, etc.

I have both a Model M (1391401) and a Unicomp Customizer (UNI0P46), and I love them both. However, I've had problems with the Model M going AT-PS/2-USB or just AT-PS/2 in some cases, so it sits in the closet, ready to return to action if needed. My main workstation has the Unicomp, with this adapter on recommendation by Clicky Keyboards. They no longer sell that model, but recommend this instead. Your average retail PS/2 to USB adapter will most likely not handle the draw from one of these keyboards, so you're better off ordering one of these directly.

Cherry keyboards

[akerasi]

Cherry keyboards with not-quite-so-loud-but-still-nicely-tactile mechanical keyswitches are great when you want a feel sometinhg like a Model M but don't want the noise. I use a Cherry G-1800LUMUS-0 myself, and find it to be wonderful for my typing needs. I looked at the Model M-alikes at Unicomp when searching for it, but decided I wanted something a little quieter... and happened to find one with the weird layout I grew up with (kind of squished, but still full-size keys). Cherry keyswitches come in both quiet and loud versions, this board has the quiet kind. The tactile response isn't quite as good as my Lexmark Model M, but it's close. I use it connected to my laptop all the time... it fits in my laptop backpack, which is nice too.

Re:Cherry keyboards

[QuoteMstr]

Nifty. Aside from being almost impossible to find, keyboards using Cherry keyswitches sound like just the thing. I can't find the G-1800LUMUS in Cherry's price list though. Does it use the "linear", "soft", or "click" tactile feel keyswitches?

Re:Cherry keyboards

[akerasi]

"linear". It's available at http://www.barcodesinc.com/cherry/g81-1800.htm and probably some other places. I bought mine through Amazon, but they're out of stock currently. To others looking for different Cherry keyboards, always look at those who sell POS terminal keyboards and the like; the POS folks love Cherry boards because they never die, but are cheaper than, say, an Avant Stellar. Over time, they're probably cheaper for commercial applications than a normal membrane keyboard, as they'll outlast 6 of them.

In defense of the Model M

[Just Some Guy]

Reposted from my blog:

There are few joys in life like using something that is the perfect expression of its intent. Each trade has its representative tools, and their common trait is quality, even if it's not obvious to the casual observer, and often counterintuitive. The best tools in a category are almost always the least flashy, and rarely the ones a new practitioner would choose.

The Model M keyboard is like that: it's loud, ugly, heavy, and utterly lacking modern niceties like buttons to change your sound volume or check your email. And yet, it has that transcendent feeling that's hard to explain, that sense of rightness where you realize that you're using the best that's ever been made, that every change since then has been superfluous and cosmetic. With time, the loud clacking becomes the background music of your work, the harmony that tells you that your thoughts have become words. Its beige boxiness yields to elegant simplicity and the realization that true beauty is born of function, not appearance. The sheer weight of the thing turns to solidity and the confidence that it will stay where you put it. The dearth of features becomes the singleminded dedication to the parts that really matter and a proud disregard of unneeded distractions.

A tool attains its peak when a craftsman forgets that he's using it because it has become an extension of himself. Thus the humble Model M has become the iconic favorite of hackers everywhere, an ode to the engineers who grasped for excellence and acheived it.

That's like me!

[GameboyRMH]

LOL that seriously sounds like me, on my cruddy Dell keyboard at work. It's nowhere near as loud as a model M but the office is dead quiet so the sound carries. The only thing is that 2 out of 3 times, when you hear the loud furious typing, I'm posting on Slashdot. But everyone thinks I'm doing some really complicated techie work so nobody comes over to look. It all works out well :)

Bah at model Ms

[DarkOx]

The original Northgate OmniKey line of keyboards are the best ever made. They were $130 or so for the larger ones(104 key) back in the day. If you never worked on one you should try you will never want to type on anything else ever again.

Re:Bah at model Ms

[ahabswhale]

Also happens to be one of the ugliest keyboards ever made.

Re:Bah at model Ms

[pdwalker]

You can still buy them:
http://cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/menu.htm

But what about the noise?

[sznupi]

Can't it get distracting especially while doing some creative writing?

I can agree about tactile feedback...but is there a keyboard that has it without the noise of A-10 firing its cannon? ;)

Re:But what about the noise?

[david@ecsd.com]

I've written a novel, and numerous short stories on my old Model M. It isn't like the klickety-klackity is going to make you deaf, but it does drive other people nuts...

Apple Extended Keyboard II

[commodoresloat]

AEK II was my favorite keyboard ever; I still have one of these in the closet for old times sake, but of course they never made a USB version. My second favorite is the current generation of wired Mac keyboards -- the thin silver things. Great tactile response but without the overly loud clickage.

Re:Apple Extended Keyboard II

[dulridge]

AEK II was my favorite keyboard ever; I still have one of these in the closet for old times sake, but of course they never made a USB version. My second favorite is the current generation of wired Mac keyboards -- the thin silver things. Great tactile response but without the overly loud clickage. And no travel at all - those things cause me serious pain

!Too loud for work

[CarpetShark]

There have been studies relating audible keypresses to productivity. So much so, that you can get programs that make the noise through your speakers, for keyboards that don't click. Supposedly, it increases not only your own productivity, but the productivity of those around you. I'm no model M fan, but i anyone in your office complains about clicks, you have a counter argument.

Re:!Too loud for work

[RobertM1968]

So much so that it was an option in various machine's BIOS's, and even in some keyboards. I've actually gotten a few Model Ms with the speaker still in them (though I suspect they weren't for PCs).

On a non-Model M setup, a computer/OS based clicky solution can indeed help with typing, especially since it overcomes the lack of accurate feedbacks for when a keypress is actually registered by the computer.

Re:!Too loud for work

[bhtooefr]

That's not what the speaker in the Model M was for.

The speaker-equipped Model Ms were for IBM RS/6000 machines, and I believe it served the same purpose as the PC speaker - the RS/6000 just had it mounted in the keyboard, instead of in the system unit. I believe they did that because the system unit would potentially be further away from the user.

Mac-power-user friendly?

[Brian Kendig]

How is the "Customizer 104/105" keyboard for a Mac power user?

Can the Windows and Alt keys be popped off and swapped (and the Windows logo erased!) to more closely match the Mac's Alt/Option and Command keys? Can Esc and Backquote be swapped, and Caps Lock and the left Control swapped, to more closely resemble the Linux keyboard?

(The key mappings, of course, can all be altered through System Preferences.)

Cheaper and less annoying alternative

[Phaid]

I love my KeyTronic E03600QLPS2B-C. I got it for 24 bucks new from Newegg. It doesn't have the annoying loud clacking of the IBM/Lexmark ones, but looks just as nice and has the same layout. The first IBM-type PC I ever used was an original PC model, and I never really cared that much for the keys. The first PC compatible I owned was an XT clone with a keyboard very much like this one. None of the other keyboards I've had since were nearly as good until I finally got this one.

You can get Keytronic's Lifetime Series for less

[rpbird]

and it's a very very nice keyboard for sustained typing. Plus, it has a lifetime guarantee, so if it breaks, you can get a replacement. I'm not just saying this, I use one, I'm typing on one right now!

Much better than the M IMHO, though I haven't typed on an M for longer than a lifetime of a healthy rat.

So think before you act, and find something that suits your hands. Comfort over fashion!

OT: Re:Geezer alert!

[zippthorne]

Well, we haven't drilled any new holes or built any new refineries since the model M came out, either. So yeah, the gas prices aren't so bad in that context.

But it's really not a matter of being glad about it or not. The fact is that complaining about the gas prices does very little good, and the proposals by many of the most ardent complainers will do nothing to alleviate those prices. Some of the proposed measures are practically guaranteed to make matters much, much worse, in fact.

Dvorak anybody

[aoeu]

I love the model M because it has a curved chassis. The keycaps are all removable and can be put in Dvorak fashion. I have some Northgates but the chassis is not curved, the keycaps, are and relocating then creates a monster that only an orthodontist would love. Also the cord is unbelievably cool.

The missing info...

[Zombie]

... the link.

And yes, there are models without Windoze keys. That would be requirement. And models with integrated trackpoints! Whee. And... wait for it... a Linux layout! With no Windows keys, and Ctrl where it's supposed to be (where Caps Lock is on a PC keyboard).

I still have an original loud clicker. Cost me £55 in 1999.

Re:How about the $189 Avant Stellar?

[RelentlessWeevilHowl]

And it comes with additional keycaps for when you swap your Control and Caps Lock keys in firmware. No stupid air gap like the Unicomp Customizer has.

And it has function keys down the left hand side.

I have four of them.

Spent half a year on one

[tknd]

Back in high school I took a typing class that was filled with IBM computers and these so called loud and clicky keyboards. Some keyboards were worn down really well while others had crusty chunks of dirt on them. Regardless you were a high schooler so you didn't care, type away!

Anyhow the class was noisy as hell. 30 to 35 students all in the same room typing. Talking in normal voice to the person next to you would barely get heard 5 feet away. When the class first started, the first clicking sounds quickly started up as everyone could tell it was "typing time". When the class ended, the ringing in your ears died and silence or the noise from voices was much better to hear.

You were given these books with word patterns that would teach you how to touch type correctly. There'd be patterns starting with one hand on the home row, then the other hand, the adding the G and H keys and so on until you started typing real words, sentences, then paragraphs. The class was pretty stupid to be honest.

But then I wondered what would happen if I typed so fast that I finished the book. What would my teacher do then? Let me sit around and do nothing? So I kept at it and typed as fast as I could to finish the book. And I did with about a month left in the class. I proudly walked up to the teacher and said "I'm finished with this book." And he said, "Is that so?" and I said "Yeah." And so he then go up out of his chair and walked to a file cabinet, and on top of the file cabinet were new thicker and denser books. He grabbed one of them and handed it to me and said, "Start working on this one then." I crawled back to my computer and my 100 or so words-per-minute quickly dropped to 10 to 20.

So to make a long story short, the model M keyboard does not prevent you from typing fast and will actually allow you to get assigned more typing work. For that reason I'm okay with keyboards slowing me down--it guarantees that I won't be stuck doing more work than I had hoped for.

Cleaning a Model M

[frisket]

My faithful Model M needs a thorough clean! Is there any company (in Europe, please) that can do this, or do I have to take it to bits myself and swab it with cottonbuds and solvent (and if so, which solvent is best?)

Re:Cleaning a Model M

[pebcak]

Do you have a dishwasher?

Re:Cleaning a Model M

[DMUTPeregrine]

Dishwasher isn't really a good idea. Water can get stuck inside and cause problems. Far better to disassemble the thing and do it manually.
That said, Model Ms aren't that hard to clean. The Care and Feeding of a Model M is a good article on this.

I have 2

[blinx_]

I own two Unicomp Customizer keyboards, I had been looking for a model M for some time and finally ordered two Unicomps. One for home and one for work. I absolutely lothe the cheap dell keyboards they provide us with and I figured even with shipping to Denmark, this is something that I spend so much time with, I want the best I can get. They are highly recommended, both as keyboards and self defence weapons :)

But what about for this office?

[Adam Hazzlebank]

k, I love these clicky keyboards but they piss off my work mates. Is there a good but slightly quieter keyboard I can get for the office?

One weird thing about Unicomp...

[Stormwatch]

Their site used to look like it hadn't been updated since the mid-90s. In fact, it was so amateurish, it didn't even have their logo... do they have one at all? Anyway, they took it down for remodeling, and redirected to their Yahoo store.

That was around 6 months ago.

And they STILL don't have a new site up.

Re:One weird thing about Unicomp...

[bhtooefr]

They actually do have a logo, you can see it in any of the keyboard pictures on their Yahoo store. And, I suspect the website is rather low on their priority list, if it's not REALLY affecting their sales all that much.

get one "das keyboard" style

[category_five]

I could never decide between the unicomp type M and the "das keyboard" http://www.daskeyboard.com/. The das keyboard has clickly keys but they aren't buckling springs. After seeing this article I called unicomp and they advised me I could get a black on black space saver with blank keys for a few bucks more, in other words a "das keyboard" style type M. Best of both worlds!

Re: Model M

[RobertM1968]

This needs to be modded up as +1 Excellent!

As a side note, two other reasons that the Model M is supposedly better at preventing finger and wrist strain is:

- IBM spent a long time studying keyboard and key slope (compare the gentle curve of the keys from top edge to bottom edge on a Model M to the flat or reversed slope on most other keyboards).

- The keys provide enough physical feedback that most people can comfortably rest their fingers on them without worrying about accidentally pressing a key from their finger weight (something else planned in the design). That minimizes finger fatigue, helps prevent accidental keystrokes (after typing a while and fingers get tired) and makes it easier on hands, wrists and fingers since they dont have to be moved off the home row to prevent accidental keypresses, and their users dont have to be holding their finger pressure off the keys to prevent accidental key presses.

Another beauty about the design, is for those (unlike the AC I'm replying to - and myself) who like mashing their keys down to the bottom, you still can - and better yet - without damaging or deteriorating the key switches. With a membrane switch, each mash damages the membrane just a tiny bit more.

If they ever come out with a split keyboard...

[analog_line]

...I'll try it out, but ever since I got my MS Natural Touch, any other keyboard makes my hands hurt after 10 minutes of typing. Buying that keyboard alone relieved the bulk of RSI pain I had typing. That and some hand exercises I worked out from looking at devices that were supposed to help people with carpal tunnel have probably saved my hands.

I hate MS as much as the next guy, but I have several Natural Touch keyboards waiting for when this one breaks. Probably the greatest thing MS has ever done.

+1 for the SpaceSaver

[Joce640k]

The Model M is huge - takes up acres of space.

SpaceSaver is the compact version, much more suited to the modern desktop. I'm typing this one one.

Two Words

[zobier]

Das Keyboard
I have the second version with variably weighted mechanical (clicky) key switches. It's very nice.

How to make your Model M do USB

[oblivious]

Here's a device from clickykeyboards.com that converts the PS/2 cable to USB. This is not a cheapo PS/2 to USB converter, this thing runs about $20, but is well worth it. I have been using my Model M for years, and ran into the first computers without PS/2 ports about 4 years ago. I struggled with the converters that were available, I got slow key repeats, slow typing, and the occasional wrong character. This thing is perfect, my Model M performance is great with USB now.

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.home/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/131781

My only regret is the cost, I'd like to buy 3 or 4 more...

Re:How to make your Model M do USB

[Maqueo]

Radioshack sells one for $15.99 - if you have one nearby you'll save on the shipping as well. Catalog # 26-723

Re:not an M-series

[Lehk228]

i've seen some keyboards with a tux printed on instead

Re:not an M-series

[DMUTPeregrine]

The process for that is to hold Alt+SysRQ and type REISUB.
ALT + SYSRQ + R gives back control of the keyboard
ALT + SYSRQ +E sends all processes but init the term singal
ALT + SYSRQ +I sends all processes but init the kill signal
ALT + SYSRQ +S issues a sync
ALT + SYSRQ +U mounts all filesystems ro to prevent a fsck at reboot
ALT + SYSRQ +B reboots the system

Re: Stop complaining about complaining about price

[DMUTPeregrine]

Of course, one should keep in mind the length of time a model M can last for. 20+ years is not unexpected. Upgrading computers every 5 years means it's $69 from four $1000 computers, a much better deal.

not "inspired by" the model M, it IS the model M

[bit0mike]

It's not "inspired by" the Model M, it IS the Model M. Brief history: the M was cooked up by IBM's typewriter/printer division in Lexington, KY; that's why it feels like an old Selectric. IBM spun that division off to create Lexmark. Lexmark made some M's with both their name and IBM's name, then sold it all to Unicomp so they could concentrate on gouging people on inkjet cartridges. :) Unicomp is also in Lexington, KY, and they ended up with all the inventory, spare parts, injection molds, design copyrights, some of the people, etc. The current Unicomp stuff all has a (c) 1984 date on the back just like the originals, but a manufacture date of 2008. There are some minor differences in size, keycaps, drainage, non-detachable cable, etc but the mechanics are the same.

Matias 508 - One/Two-Hand Automode Anyone ?

[pg--az]

For a few months I have owned a Matias 508. I was so intrigued by the idea of one-hand typing. On the plus side, it's so nice to have an ENTER key in place of "Caps Lock". And I am now totally used to "Space-bar-Tab" as backspace for the left hand. But on the other hand I find it impossible to type with two hands when the keyboard is in one-hand mode. I keep getting special "Matias typos" when I type a space and it interferes with the next character I type( with two hands ). So on the high-tech side a proximity sensor could sense your two hands. More cheaply a move of the mouse by a few pixels could cue it that you want one-hand, while a hit on the right-keys such as "JKLIOP" would cue it that you are using both hands, no need to do the spacebar-modal-thing and risk those typos. This is an obvious idea, but my guess is that the 508 was designed around existing parts. For example an even more obvious thing would be a light to tell you if the 508 is *IN* Matias-mode or not, but my guess is there is some off-the-shelf-chip which only handles the standard caps-scroll-num lights. Anyway with enough interest, if every slash-dotter preorders one, then they can afford to tool up and then I get my one-two-hand-Automode keyboard too.

Re:not an M-series

[sm62704]

I use the PrtScr key but not the SysReq key. On the older keyboards, you had to hold shift to print the screen, like you have to hold shift to print the & character. But again, PrtScr sent the screen directly to the printer instead of copying it for pasting in a graphics program like it does now.

The pause/break key was very useful back in the days of DOS batch files and still is with 'nix scripts.

I don't think I've ever hit the scroll lock key.

Das keyboard?

[MyrddinBach]

What about the Das keyboard from thinkgeek.com?

It's a lot like a model M as far as I can tell - I have one and it's great.

Of course, if you're a novice typist it might be a bit difficult for you as NONE of the keys are labeled -but I like it what way!

Re:Pointing stick on these keyboards == not so goo

[bhtooefr]

Try an IBM Model M13 manufactured before 1999.

It's the predecessor to the EnduraPro 104, built on the old Model M chassis.

(Although, there's some really crappy refurbished ones on the market, as I found out the hard way.)

The ones made before 1999 have a TrackPoint II (there was no TrackPoint I, IIRC,) which is the same technology as what's in your ThinkPad, although with less sophisticated control logic. (IIRC, the TrackPoint III added a bunch of features in firmware to make it work better, and the TrackPoint IV added the "Internet Scroll Bar" (read: middle button with some fancy drivers to make it scroll when held down and the mouse moved.)) In fact, the Model M13 wasn't intended to be a product originally, it was a prototype (to demonstrate the TrackPoint, that would eventually go into the ThinkPad, on any PC) that they decided to put in production - often sold as a ThinkPad accessory.

The ones made in 1999 and later were made by Unicomp, and have the same "force sensing resistor" technology as the current Unicomp pointing stick boards. It is very disconcerting when you're used to a real TrackPoint, but I've gotten used to it.

Re:Apparently, it is more than just an approximati

[bhtooefr]

Model Ms were made in Lexington, KY (the vast majority,) Ireland (most European Model Ms, and some 1998 and 1999 Model Ms,) and Mexico (some Model M13s.)

I'm not including the Model M6 or Model M6-1 - IIRC, those were made in Japan at some point in their runs, but they're ThinkPad keyboards, and are most definitely not Buckling Spring.

Re:Can you get an ergonomic version of this?

[bhtooefr]

There's the IBM Model M15, which is horribly rare. Part number is 13H6689. They've been known to go for over $700 on eBay...

I do recall that there's a place that has Northgate's ergo keyboard (with integrated touchpad) still available, if Alps switches will do the trick.

Re:I tried 3 of them.

[bhtooefr]

The Unicomp SpaceSaver/EnduraPro is not a resurrection of the IBM Model M2. Internally, I believe it's the same construction as a Customizer 104.

The Model M2 is flat, and doesn't have a steel backplate.

The SpaceSaver/EnduraPro has a curved steel backplate, just like a "real" Model M.

In fact, I think the internals from a regular Model M would fit into the SS/EP chassis - I would try it, but I'd have to break the warranty seal on it to get the keyboard internals out, and mine needs to go in for some warranty repair on the mouse buttons (mine's an EnduraPro.)

It's just a smaller, lighter plastic shell.

I think the keyboard would survive the attack, but the plastic shell would be heavily damaged, as opposed to the Model M, which would just have keys scattered everywhere, but would otherwise be fine.

Re:How about the $189 Avant Stellar?

[bhtooefr]

If you're buying a Customizer 101 PS/2, just pay the $59 or $69 or whatever it is for a Linux 101 ($10 more than the Customizer 101,) and it has the Caps Lock and Ctrl already reversed for you.

Unfortunately, you can't get customized layouts in USB, but Unicomp will sell you the keycaps, at least, so you can remap in software.

Re: Model M

[bhtooefr]

Tiny, tiny nitpick: The Model M is a membrane keyboard. Yes, even the ones with buckling springs. (But, because of the BS design, it still won't damage the membrane.)

Anyway, I'll agree with the opinion that the Lexmark and Unicomp boards are lower quality. However, I've actually grown to prefer my Unicomp board over my 1993 IBM Model M (and it's really an IBM, too - drainage holes and blue logo, but made by IBM, not Lexmark, and a detachable cable.) I brought the 1993 M out today, because I've had to RMA my EnduraPro for some mouse button issues. It's definitely a lot more solid, a lot heavier, and the keys fit much better, but I don't like typing on it quite as much as I remember... then again, Model Ms get better with use, and this one hasn't been used in months...