The Greatest Keyboard Ever Made

HughPickens.com writes Adi Robertson argues that IBM's Model M keyboard, soon to turn 30 is still the only keyboard worth using for many people. Introduced in 1985 as part of the IBM 3161 terminal, the Model M was initially called the "IBM Enhanced Keyboard." A PC-compatible version appeared the following spring, and it officially became standard with the IBM Personal System / 2 in 1987. The layout of the Model M has been around so long that today it's simply taken for granted, but the keyboard's descendants have jettisoned one of the Model M's most iconic features — "buckling springs," designed to provide auditory and tactile feedback to the keyboard operator. "Model M owners sometimes ruefully post stories of spouses and coworkers who can't stand the incessant chatter. But fans say the springs' resistance and their audible "click" make it clear when a keypress is registered, reducing errors," writes Robertson. "Maybe more importantly, typing on the Model M is a special, tangible experience. Much like on a typewriter, the sharp click gives every letter a physical presence."

According to Robertson, the Model M is an artifact from a time when high-end computing was still the province of industry, not pleasure. But while today's manufacturers have long since abandoned the concept of durability and longevity, refurbished Model Ms are still available from aficionados like Brandon Ermita, a Princeton University IT manager who recovers them from supply depots and recycling centers and sells them through his site, ClickyKeyboards. "For the very few that still appreciate the tactile feel of a typewriter-based computer keyboard and can still appreciate the simplicity of black letters on white keys, one can still seek out and own an original IBM model M keyboard — a little piece of early computing history," says Ermita. As one Reddit user recently commented, "Those bastards are the ORIGINAL gaming keyboards. No matter how much you abuse it, you'll die before it does.""

Comments

I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Anonymous Coward]

On a side note, Beta still sucks too.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[jvp]

I had about 7 or 8 of them in unopened boxes before I finally decided to recycle them a month or two ago. Most from back in the mid-late 90s. If they'd just had USB connectors on keyboards way back then... :-) (The PS/2 - USB adapters are all trash). I do completely agree with the post though: the M is simply the best, by far. I have USB versions of them (done by Unicomp/PCKeyboard.com) on all of my Macs, and my gaming rig. It gives my co-workers yet another reason to dislike me, but, eh. I loves me some M.

"Say what? I can't hear you over the massive awesomeness of my keyboard!"

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[HughPickens.com]

Vintage IBM ps/2 keyboards pull up to 100x more current compared to modern keyboards. There is a special USB converter available that can handle the current:

http://www.clickykeyboards.com...

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[jvp]

There is a special USB converter available that can handle the current:

http://www.clickykeyboards.com...

Yep, I know. But the results on both WIndows and Macs are, at best: mixed. Unicomp's USB versions are identical from a mechanical perspective, and are already set up with the USB port from the factory. They even have Mac-specific versions (if you're so inclined) with the appropriate key layout and labels.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Ed Avis]

Recycle them? Noooo! Please tell us you at least gave them to a thrift store or sold them on Ebay. FWIW, the recommended PS/2 to USB adaptor is called the 'blue cube' and works well with the Model M. There's also Soarer's Converter which you can build yourself with a Teensy programmable microcontroller, and handles a wide range of old keyboards including the M.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[iggymanz]

I purposely buy motherboards with ps/2 port for my black 122 key model M. Hope that's still possible as next year my four year upgrade cycle (I buy a "barebones") comes around

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[IndustrialComplex]

I hate to say I had a box of about a dozen of them that I sent off to a recycling center. They sat in that box for about 7 years before I got fed up with having them gather dust in my garage. I still feel a bit bad about it, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of selling them in days when ebay was just getting started. Craigslist didn't exist back then as far as I know.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[geekoid]

They are USELESS to most people, and in fact my damage a computer with the amount of current they draw.

"There's also Soarer's Converter which you can build yourself with a Teensy programmable microcontroller, and handles a wide range of old keyboards including the M."
yeah, just what people going to a thrift store looking for a 50 cent keyboard will want to do.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Anonymous Coward]

You could have sold them for hundreds of dollars each on eBay...

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[budgenator]

My favorite keyboard has those tactile switches, it came with my first store-bought computer, a 8MHz AT clone, pre-Windows 3.1, i think it had DOS 5.? on it. It's just starting to glitch after 22 years.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Anonymous Coward]

No, please recycle them. ALL of them.

I hate those keyboards, not only using them but even sitting in the same room with some idiot who insists on using one of them.

They're insanely noisy. That noise pollution makes anything short of a factory floor a hostile work environment, and even contributes to the hostility of a factory floor.

Melt them down.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Anonymous Coward]

No, you did the world a favor by ridding it of a dozen of those clickity fuckers. You will be honored with a moment of silence.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Cinder6]

Chances are that most people looking to buy a Model M aren't "most people". I've never heard of one damaging a modern computer.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Bigbutt]

What?? I've been using my Model M's on numerous computers since I got the one back in 1989 and a second one in 2005. No problem with any of them. I've had more trouble with power issues which had me use UPSs on my systems for the past 10 years.

[John]

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Anonymous Coward]

Christ, that was stupid. Those keyboards might have paid your rent or mortgage for a couple of months if you'd put them on eBay.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[nukenerd]

What are you complaining about? I once used an IBM keyboard to a mainframe (different from the Model M) and it actually had a little speaker inside it to make a clicking sound each time a key was pressed. It was to satisfy people who had come from mechanical typewriters.

You could turn the speaker off (I did) and then it just made the Model M sound. Same technology I suppose.

I find the sound of keyboards soothing, in fact worryingly somnolent.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[mikecase]

What are you talking about? I've been typing on salvaged Model M keyboards for over 15 years using Windows and Linux. In fact I'm typing this on my favorite Model M SSK from 1992. For the last 8 years I've used a PS/2->USB adapter. There are a few adapter models known to work well with the Model M, I've tried several of these and have yet to find one that doesn't work.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[hurfy]

Sure, as long as you don't swing it at the modern computer ;)

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[hurfy]

Looks like it takes a lot of work for them to get an old keyboard on a modern system. Probably kills my hope of someday getting my old minicomputer keyboard to work on anything :( Someday I will figure out if a microcomputer can translate it somehow. Especially as it would crush the Model M in a fight :)

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[jmccue]

Interesting, years ago I had an old keyboard made by Wang (724) which I thought/think is the best. I decided to use it on a PIII and with in 1 month the motherboard went. I suspected it may have been the keyboard but could not prove it. So I think what you said about the 'M' power could very well happen.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[ksheff]

Hopefully, the ClickyKeyboards guy rescued them.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[brwski]

Check out geekhack and Deskthority. You might be surprised.

Re:I love Model Ms. I still have two of them.

[Ed Avis]

I have never heard of a Model M keyboard damaging a computer when plugged into the PS/2 keyboard port. After all, the PS/2 keyboard port is specifically designed for PS/2 keyboards, and the Model M is like the reference implementation. When driven over USB using an adaptor, it is true that a Model M will require more current than a newer keyboard, but still within the USB spec.

Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

Still makes a buckling spring keyboard. Might be worth checking out if you want to purchase one.

http://www.pckeyboard.com/

Re:Unicomp

[symbolset]

This is actually the same keyboard, made in the same factory by the same people. The molds are the same. This is the Model M. Sadly, no Bluetooth version though.

Re:Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

It is not 100% identical. The build quality is slightly inferior. Place a Unicomp next to a white or silver badge Model M and you will notice a difference upon use.

Not to say Unicomp is bad, by any stretch of the imagination. But we all know as products mature they trend toward using cheaper materials, and this is no exception.

Re:Unicomp

[Just Some Guy]

I came here to say this. I bought a Unicomp for its USB goodness and extra keys, expecting to get a newer Model M. The keys were nice but it weighed maybe 2/3 as much as the original. Worse - and this is the real travesty - I was able to flex it by twisting either end. God himself couldn't twist a real Model M with his bare hands. He might not be able to create an unmovable boulder, but Big Blue made a keyboard He couldn't break.

Re:Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

They don't offer the proper Spacesaver (tenkeyless as some call them these days), so their products are not viable to me.

I have plenty of standard ModelM already, some of them NOS (New Old Stock).

I salvaged two classic Spacesavers and they're my treasures forever, or until I die.

Re:Unicomp

[gnupun]

I don't get what all the hype is about. I bought a used model M from ebay, and the keys were much harder to press than a cheap squishy keyboard. It was also quite loud. Disappointed...

Re:Unicomp

[rewindustry]

i break model Ms regularly. the pins inside the case cannot take a great deal of lateral shock - the plastic feels nice, but it's not very strong, and it degrades.

unicomps do not feel quite as nice, i admit, but the important bits are there, and i can type without killing myself on it, and as far as i can tell it's a better plastic, as in more flexible, better impact resistance, less likely to degrade.

unfortunately only time will tell...

Re:Unicomp

[svalery]

bluetooth? could you imagine what kind of batteries your would have to use? i'm thinking at least 6 D cells.

Re:Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

I was an Unicomp keyboard user, and the quality is nowhere near the original. My keyboard broke after two years of heavy use as the plastic membrane they use under the springs is of low quality and degrades fast. The touch is good, but the product doesn't compare.

Re:Unicomp

[Dogtanian]

I don't get what all the hype is about. I bought a used model M from ebay, and the keys were much harder to press than a cheap squishy keyboard.

I briefly used what I realise (in retrospect) was a Model M keyboard at a job I had in the late-90s. At the time I found the fact the resistance was half way down and very obviously "click switchy" (i.e. requires relatively high amount of pressure to get through, then suddenly breaks) to be strange and unnatural. I'm no millennial membrane-weaned weenie; I'd been using computers since the 80s, most of which had mechanical keyboards back then, and while some had been mediocre, some I really liked. They all went "tap" at the bottom, unlike this weird and unsatisfactory action. I have to say that Model M did nothing for me, and I'd no desire to return to it.

When I bought a Cherry mechanical keyboard for myself, I intentionally avoided the ones with the Model M style force gradients in favour of the ones that go "tap" at the bottom.

I've said it before here, and I'll say it again- the people who like Model Ms seem to *really* like them, but I'm convinced that the majority of people who didn't grow up using that keyboard or anything like it would- at best- find it an acquired taste, and probably be happier with one of the better membrane jobs (sacrilege!) or a mechanical keyboard with a more regular action.

I also think that membrane keyboards nowadays aren't that bad. Maybe I'm just used to them, but while I've come across some truly horrible examples at the dirt-cheap end, I've also come across some that were quite pleasant to use (and oddly, were also dirt-cheap models). Still not quite as good as the best- in my judgement- mechanical keyboards, but much better than the mechanical keyboards on some 80s home computers.

Anyway, back to the Model M. Yes, it feels "expensive" and "well made" in that it's obviously mechanical, and heavy, but that doesn't make it that great to type on IMHO (any more than I'm going to deny that my membrane keyboard at work is okay, simply because it's cheap). Some people think they're really great, and that's fine, they're entitled to their opinion. However, given that the borderline fetishisation from a disproportionately vocal number of fanboys might give others the impression the Model M was the be all and end all, I'm quite happy in balancing things out by saying I don't think they were all that, to be honest.

Re:Unicomp

[Jarik C-Bol]

there is also http://www.daskeyboard.com/ which claims its modern keys replicate the feel of buckling spring boards, and are available in loud, and not so loud. They also have a model with no markings on the keys, for the true elitist.

Re:Unicomp

[Cinder6]

Higher actuation force and loudness are the primary reasons most Model M users like their keyboards. Sounds like it's just not for you. (Personally, the Model M isn't loud enough for me.)

Re: Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

Its extremely difficult and costly to source parts using esoteric materials. The plastics used in the 1980s are no longer used.

Unless you're the size of Apple, no manufacturer wants to take on that risk, even if Unicomp paid them a huge premium.

Probably they should think about making it out of aluminum. Would be cheaper than trying to recreate the harder, more brittle plastic of the 80s.

Re:Unicomp

[Bigbutt]

Interesting. Mine have been working for over 20 years without apparently degrading.

[John]

Re:Unicomp

[Bigbutt]

The odd part is when I use squshy keyboards, I seem to make more spelling errors. I like my Model Ms and get folks commenting on them when I have a snazzy computer setup and a keyboard from 1989 :)

[John]

Re: Unicomp

[Just Some Guy]

Joking aside, that's a perfectly valid point. If they'd made the things out of asbestos, I think most of us would agree that some other material might be appropriate for new models. But I do stand by my point: it's not "the same keyboard". It's very, very similar, sure, and a perfectly fine piece of hardware in its own right! It's not a Model M, though.

Re:Unicomp

[Just Some Guy]

I'm thinking of a Honda generator chugging away happily next to my desk. At least it wouldn't add much to the noise of my typing.

Re:Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

Agree.

I loathe them. Always have. However, I admit that's it's a personal preference. If I had to choose the best IBM keyboard, it would be the one on the 029 keypunch. (Get off my lawn!). Fairly short throw, but when the key activated, it did not just fall but was (or felt like) it was pulled down. The key layout and stuff was less good, and of course it was a card punch, so, not so useful. And noisy.

The other keyboards I loved though were from some early HP terminals, (not PCs, terminals) and Burroughs TD8xx. The HP ones had fairly massive (as in, weighty) keys, and the mass was what gave them their feel. That and the detector was a ferrite ring at the bottom of the stem that passed through a toroidal magnet, which added to the positive feel of having activated the key---resistance at first then a feeling of falling away past the activation threshold. This keyboard was silent but had tactile feedback. Also, the build quality was extraordinary. The key action was smooth as butter. They keyboard was also horrifyingly expensive. hundreds of dollars, in the late seventies.

The Burroughs keyboards were also well made (smooth, weighty), just not as nice as the HP, but a whole lot cheaper.

Re:Unicomp

[dtmos]

There's never a mod point around when you want to use it.

Re:Unicomp

[skids]

Yep as the TFA states:

But fans say the springs' resistance and their audible "click" make it clear when a keypress is registered, reducing errors

However, with modern software's 7 layer abstraction burrito and race conditions up the wazzu, that's only half the battle.

Re:Unicomp

[Bodhammer]

I just got a Logitech G710+ for home and DAS Pro 4 (Slilent) for work. Both have Cherry MX brown switches. They are not Model M clicky but they have a very good tactile feel and my office mates are not plotting my demise... Highly recommended! I had one with ALPS keys but it was very noisy.

Re:Unicomp

[gweihir]

I have a Cherry Keyboard with Cherry Blue. They are not quite up to the Model M, but once you are used to it, it is a decent replacement. Also nearly unbreakable. I have been using this one for about 14 years and also for gaming and I am not able to tell any difference in the WASD keys used in shooters. Not suitable for an office environment though, far too loud. The non-clicky Cherry switches are as durable mechanically, but you obviously get less mechanical feedback. Still a good choice.

Re:Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

My 1989 Model M has two piece key caps while my 2013 Unicomp has one piece key caps. Also not sure if it's wear or a difference in materials but the IBM has a softer feel to the key presses.

Re:Unicomp

[Sun]

Did you buy the full size or what they call the "space saver"?

I am typing this on the space saver, and I can, indeed, flex it (if I try hard enough) by a few millimeters. For me, the reduced weight is a plus, though.

If you consider that a minus, you should go with the "Classic" version. I doubt you'll see any difference, USB and extra keys aside.

Shachar

Re:Unicomp

[Sun]

Upon re-reading, I realize that parent might be joking. Still, it is important to note that Unicomp do, in fact, cater for the Model-M fanatics too.

Shachar

Re:Unicomp

[geirlk]

If it was only long enough, you could lever the world with it.

Re:Unicomp

[Jarik C-Bol]

Supposedly, the Cherry Red keys are the closest to the model M keys. Hopefully someone who has tried them can chime in.

Re:Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

Those are fine for typing and gaming, but then I haven't tried the model M. Would the old SGI or Sun workstation keyboards, or the back breakingly heavy Compaq keyboards of the old be near the M experience? The Red keyed keyboard I'm using currently is one of those lower-end mechanical gaming keyboards.

Just played with one

[NixieBunny]

My nephew showed up with a clean, original model M at robotics meting the other day. He might have gotten it from his dad, my twin brother, a fellow with way too many ancient IBM PCs. Like these.

Still being made...

[hubang]

http://www.pckeyboard.com/

I prefer a mechanical keyboard myself (although with Cherry Blues). The Apple Extended Keyboard 2 (with Alps switches) was pretty good too.

Re:Still being made...

[eric31415927]

I was about to post the same thing - but name the business as well - Unicomp

It's a good choice, especially if you want a foreign Moldel-M keyboard.

Re:Still being made...

[gbjbaanb]

The thing is, its more than the keys.
A good keyboard must have weight to it, so its solid and won't wriggle or bend. It must have a decent size so its not slightly cramped to save plastic, It must have decent legs to raise the typing angle up, and it should have a little runner to store your pencils without resting them on the top of the function keys.

Cherry keys are a good thing, but there's more to it than just those.

Myself, I use an ancient compaq keyboard that I'm sure will be classed as a deadly weapon if I ever have to beat off burglars with it. Best thing is it doesn't have those 2 crappy Windows keys either!

Re:Still being made...

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for the link, I had to scour local businesses a few years back to find some they were throwing out and worried my current one is on the last leg.

Re:Still being made...

[Anonymous Coward]

I really wish that Apple wasn't so bent of screwing everything up. While IBM once made a chicklet keyboard, they saw the error in their ways and went back to greatness. Apple, on the other hand, may have dabbled in nice keyboards but pushes its chicklet crap to the world ("world" meaning either Apple customers or customers of all the rest of the companies that imitate Apple).

Re:Still being made...

[Narrowband]

There are still good alternatives that have the keys and the feel and heft, even beyond the Unicomps. Deck keyboards with Cherry Blue switches, for example. Or maybe Razer (they have the switches, don't know about the weight). Or for Macs, the Matias keyboards.

Re:Still being made...

[cyberchondriac]

It's not just Apple, all the PC manufacturers are doing that now too. I hate those keyboards, the feel is lousy.

Re:Still being made...

[Narrowband]

Yes, but it was Apple that led the charge in choosing the IBM PC jr. as its ideal keyboard model to follow (chicklet keys, small, and wireless) for desktop PCs. They picked the right company's keyboard to follow, but completely the wrong model.

Re:Still being made...

[gbjbaanb]

Biggest problem for me is that I'm in the UK and the layout is different from the standard US-style keyboards (and far superior :) )

So Deck, Code and similar new manufacturers just don't cut it.

Re:Still being made...

[erikscott]

I've got a version 3 Das Keyboard. Loud, obnoxious, feels great. My co-workers have basically just decided to accept it.

Re:Still being made...

[JackAxe]

The Apple Extended Keyboard 2 was my favorite keyboards for years until Apple phased out the ADB port. Now days I'm really happy with my Corsair K90( Cherry Reds ) and newer K70( Cherry Blues ).

Re:Still being made...

[dj245]

Biggest problem for me is that I'm in the UK and the layout is different from the standard US-style keyboards (and far superior :) )

So Deck, Code and similar new manufacturers just don't cut it.

Have you not been on the Unicomp website? They will custom-build pretty much any keyboard you want, with or without windows keys, with a large choice of language layouts (UK included).

Re:Still being made...

[JackAxe]

I use Corsairs options on my current Mac and PC. You can use any Windows keyboard on a Mac now days. I use my Corsair K90 is on my MacBook Pro. The "windows-key" just becomes the "command-key" and the "alt-key" becomes the "option-key."

I won't touch any newer Razer product -- especially their keyboards -- with a 10-foot-pole, not until they "truly" make their bullshit-cloud-based-drivers optional where as absolutely no log-in or online connection is needed; the offline mode is a joke, since you're forced to log-in just to even setup the mouse on any computer. My past 3 mice were Razers and my latest one is a Naga 2013, which is why I have such a sour taste about Razer. It caused installation problems with my PC at first, and then boot hanging problems with my Mac when I tried it on that system.

Re:Still being made...

[Anonymous Coward]

Best thing is it doesn't have those 2 crappy Windows keys either!

This is part of why I have an ancient keyboard too. It just feels wrong to have all that extra crap there. I couldn't hit ctrl and alt without hitting something else. There's nothing worse than having random functions activated out of the blue. That's the same reason I deactivate mouse gestures.

Re:Still being made...

[DarkVader]

You're nuts.

While Apple's current keyboards kind of look like the old chicklet keyboards, they're nothing like them in feel.

They are absolutely the best feeling keyboards in history, bar none. Short keythrow, easy keypress, quiet, perfectly sized keys, so low to the desktop that you don't need any kind of wrist rest, they're just perfect. I doubt anyone, even Apple, could come up with a much better physical keyboard at this point, maybe they could make them completely silent and a bit more durable, but that's about it.

Re:Still being made...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you require that lack of flexibility, then you're typing wrong. My current cheapo Logitech keyboard flexes, but even when I put it on my lap it's not an issue.

What kind of a desk do you have where your only option is to rest the thing with only the left and right edges resting?

Re:Still being made...

[JackAxe]

You're calling him nuts, then go on to express your 'radical' opinion about how Apple's created some kind of GOD keyboard, since according to you it has now equal. If you want my internet-opinion -- so you'll get it regardless -- you're the one that's coming off as nuts.

I personally dislike Apple's Chicklet keyboards. IMO, their keyboards are just as much shit when compared to a good mechanical-keyboard as any other chicklet-option. When I work remotely all day and need my Mac, I carry along one of my mechanical keyboards. Apple has not made a good keyboard or mouse since the nineties IMO. I completely agree with the parent post.

Re:Still being made...

[Cinder6]

Leopold and Filco make some very solid Cherry-based keyboards (and in Leopold's case, some Topre options). They come in ISO variants, IIRC.

Re:Still being made...

[Cinder6]

I disagree that they're the best-feeling keyboards, but they're certainly the nicest non-mechanical keyboards I've ever used. (I would personally hate a silent keyboard.)

Re:Still being made...

[Narrowband]

Corsairs are good too, but they have a shorter than average key throw that doesn't sit quite as well with my typing habits; my fingers always want to keep pressing even when the key is already all the way down. (I learned on the old Model M's we had in my high school AP Comp Sci class, back in the 80s when the IBM PS/2s were a new thing). Otherwise I agree it's a solid product, and we have one attached to an old iMac our son uses.

I didn't know about the Razer driver issue; the last Razer mouse and keyboard I had didn't need a driver installed at all; they seemed to work out fine of the box.

Das Keyboard is another option, with a good typing feel, and I use one of these at work, but I tend to rate it just a step down from the Decks, because the keycaps are printed on instead of two-color molded plastic.

Re:Still being made...

[drinkypoo]

Myself, I use an ancient compaq keyboard that I'm sure will be classed as a deadly weapon if I ever have to beat off burglars with it.

Hmm. I suggest you just hit them with it instead. You don't want to get done for sex crimes.

Re:Still being made...

[Trogre]

Wait, did you say legs? You mean those things that angle the keyboard towards you?

They force the wrists into an awfully extended position that shouldn't be maintained for any length of time. I'm pretty sure they're designed to help hunt and peck typists see the keys a little better.

I often break them off before deploying new keyboards.

Other than that, I agree with your post wholeheartedly!

Re:Still being made...

[epine]

I've had an Erase-ease Keyboard For Compaq Computers for a long time now.

Surprisingly, almost without me noticing it, it's become my silent workhorse. It's fairly heavy and stiff, with just enough key feel for the speed I type. It has nice key surface sculpting, too. Every couple of years I shake an entire meal out of the mechanism and give the key caps the car wash treatment. It still works great, but does get a bit sticky for a few days after being washed.

I had two of the old IBM keyboards around, but I simply type too fast to use one as my main keyboard. My typing oscillates between high speed ticking and a low frequency buzz. IBM keyboards are noisy and stiff and I began to wonder about the strain on my fingers, as well.

On this keyboard I've never actually forced myself to use the backspacebar key. I popped the the key cap off the right Windows key a long time ago. Miraculously, Firefox is now the bane of my typing existence, since any accidental strike of the right ALT key takes me into a modal menu-bar mode.

About six months ago I bound the Linux compose key to capslock and set it up to generate mdashes and ndashes and a whole bunch of HTML markup.

I have <blockquote> bound to caps-q-a and </blockquote> bound to caps-q-s. I have <nowiki> bound to caps-w-a and </nowiki> bound to caps-w-s. I guess it's obvious what software I use for taking notes. What a godsend to have a useful capslock key. Now if I could just shoot someone at the Mozilla Foundation for perpetrating the modal Alt key to activate the drop-down menubar, my keyboard life would be nirvana.

Yeah, maybe there's a Firefox setting to disable this. Can't be bothered just yet. Too many moving carpets. This I learned from Ubuntu. If you hate something, do nothing about it. If twelve months down the road some twenty-something GUI designer asshole hasn't already yanked the carpet out from underneath you consider investing three minutes of quality Google time in stone-from-shoe removal prowess. (My what sharp fangs you have, Grandma! All the better to service the tablet marketplace, my darling little Ms Underhood.)

For example, I use middle-click paste all the time, while also carrying a to-be-pasted item around in my regular paste buffer (and even more in my clippy tool). I'm sure I read something about some distro/desktop deciding to eliminate this from their next GUI iteration, right before I hit the emergency stasis field activation button and curled into a foetal ball.

What I desperately want is a middle-click erase-paste, in which the contents of the target area are vaporised prior to the paste operation (clearing out search boxes is especially annoying). I just noticed that the paste happens on button release. A long middle-button press could be a field erase operation. Then long-press/release would be paste-replace. That would be golden. All the methods I know to quickly delete a field involve first selecting the field, which really sucks when you're already carrying something in your X buffer.

Hard on the heals of my compose key triumph, I might give it a go at some point in the next six to nine months.

Re:Still being made...

[gbjbaanb]

Its not about the flexibility, its about the solidity. I want the keyboard to stay still, even if I knock it sideways or with the palm of my hand accidentally. A heavy keyboard sits there and takes it, a cheapo one bounces around slightly, its annoying.

I do have a build machine at work that sits on some drawers between desks, the keyboard is just too wide to sit nicely on the drawers so one end is always raised. A good keyboard would improve that situation, but its so little used directly that we live with it.

Wait a minute...

[bosef1]

So if these keyboards are so durable, why do you need to refurbish them?

I kid, I kid... I have an Model M at the office that I love to pieces.

Re:Wait a minute...

[Squidlips]

Because they get gummy and black with congealed hacker sweat--saw this at Brown where we had these glorious keyboard but they were filthy

Re:Wait a minute...

[gbjbaanb]

if they can be taken apart, you can put the mechanical bit in the dishwasher (detergent not really recommended). Do not put the electronics in though, some people say it works if you leave it to dry out, but I think it's probably not as guaranteed as they think.

I did it with the keyboard part of my old compaq, when I spilt beer on it (sticky keys... for sure). Came out squeaky clean.

Re:Wait a minute...

[The Grim Reefer]

So if these keyboards are so durable, why do you need to refurbish them?

Refurbish is a relative term. With normal keyboards they means pretty much replacing them. With a Model M it means running it through the dishwasher.

I have a box with a dozen or so of them, and four in use. Years ago, when I got them used from an office that was throwing them away, they were pretty dirty. So I ran them through the dishwasher and let them dry for a couple of days and they looked practically brand new.

I suppose if you bludgeoned someone to death with one you may need to replace a key or two. But the dishwasher should take care of the mess (on the keyboard at least). I suppose you can call that "refurbishing" them.

Re:Wait a minute...

[Spazmania]

The key caps pop off. The little plastic overlays, not the depressable keys themselves. Send them through the dishwasher in the small-items tray. With detergent. Viola! Fresh clean keyboard.

Re:Wait a minute...

[Spamalope]

Spray Krud cutter onto a paper towel, then wipe. If it's really dirty, unplug it; spray onto the keyboard; scrub with a brush and then wipe it down. I've got about a dozen Ms at work I keep for the touch typists, and it only takes a few moments to make them look new.

About every 5-10 years use a dry brush to get the dust bunnies out. You may need to pull the plastic cover off the keyboard, but usually the key tops can stay on.

The Model F is even better

[Ed Avis]

Model Ms are great. I have about a dozen of them. But the earlier Model F (based on capacitive switches underneath buckling spring) is even better. The Model F keyboard included with the original IBM PC excels in being heavy and clicky, but it has an awkward layout. The PC-AT introduced a much better layout, and the keyboard is electrically compatible with the later PS/2 plug (you just need a $2 adaptor). I am typing on a PC-AT keyboard now.

Re:The Model F is even better

[Cinder6]

Came here to say this. The Model M is great because it's an inexpensive mechanical keyboard, but the Model F trumps it. And what trumps that are IBM's beamspring offerings. I'm typing this on a Displaywriter Keyboard I modified to output via USB. It's not the easiest solution for a nice keyboard, but on the plus side, it's fully programmable, has doubleshot keys, and is the closest I've been able to find to the feel of a Selectric. (On the downside, it's nonstandard, gigantic, and expensive.)

Re:The Model F is even better

[Anonymous Coward]

OK, one better still: the 138 key version of the Model F that was originally for the IBM 3270 terminal. Function keys on the left, plus another big set up top, arrows in a full diamond pattern (not the squashed diamond of the Model M) and of course the numeric keypad off to the right.

Re:The Model F is even better

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a chance to use a Model F a couple of years ago, after a VERY long time away from them. It was actually shocking to me the light touch on the keys. I had completely forgotten that the Model M increased key resistance significantly.

Nevertheless I cannot agree. The Model F keyboard uses a layout that is archaic. The PC-AT I remember less well, but I believe that was the one that had the large reverse L-shaped Enter key?

Anyhow I have 2 Model M keyboards from the mid 90's. Indestructible, and they have outlived several newer keyboards.

Re:The Model F is even better

[Unequivocal]

Nice hack. I think I've typed on one of those way back when, but I can't remember what for. IIRC, that model has a lighter action than the model M? Still clicky but not that crazy machine crack like the M? Do I remember that right? Pretty cool you've made it last..

Re:The Model F is even better

[michaelmalak]

The layout of the 88-key Model F is more functional, although less attractive. The function keys on the side are much more useful, and even the Microsoft Windows function key assignments reflect that to this day (and most Linux desktop GUIs that I've tried, too, actually). Ctrl-F4 closes a window while Ctrl-F6 cycles through the multiple documents in an application (originally MDI documents, later extended to multi-SDI controlled by a single application). F4 and F6 are adjacent to each other when the function keys are on the side (one column for odd-numbered function keys and the other column for the even-numbered, with the even-numbered being more convenient being closer to the Ctrl and Shift keys).

The whole switch to the 101 "Enhanced" keyboard like the Model M is because IBM wanted to standardize keyboards across its entire product line: PC, workstation and mainframe. Workstation and mainframe had function keys across the top, and it looked cooler, so we've been stuck with only "Enhanced" keyboards for nearly 30 years now.

Yes, the Model F and Model M are clicky, but I've gotten over the nostalgia of it. They're clicky because they click on both the downstroke and the upstroke, so they make it sound like you're typing twice as fast as you really are. I now consider it as fake as wearing elevator shoes or a toupee.

Re:The Model F is even better

[Ed Avis]

Do you mean the 122-key Model F 'aircraft carrier' (I have a couple of those, but they require Soarer's Converter) or something else? I haven't heard of a 138-key version.

Re:The Model F is even better

[Ed Avis]

Yup, the PC-AT keyboard has the one true enter key in the large reverse L shape. After that things went downhill: the US layout for the Model M chopped off the top part and made Enter a thin horizontal line like Shift, and the international or ISO layout (which I normally use) chopped off the left hand part and left Enter as a rectangle: better than the US version, but still too small for one of the most frequently used keys on the board.

The biggest annoyance with the AT keyboard is the lack of F11 and F12 keys, if your applications use those (e.g. to step into statements in a debugger). The Esc key being on the numeric keypad is also odd but you get used to that.

There's also the 122-key Model F 'aircraft carrier', which has a much more modern layout, close to the international Model M layout.

But if you do prefer the US Model M layout (de gustibus non est disputandum, after all), then here's a way to modify the PC-AT keyboard: http://geekhack.org/index.php?...

I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

The sound of typing on them aggravates me, worse than nails on chalkboard.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[ColdWetDog]

The sound of typing on them aggravates me, worse than nails on chalkboard.

You should never, ever say that. It only encourages them.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Verdatum]

The best was when there were entire computer labs of Model Ms...such gorgeous cacophany

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[MouseTheLuckyDog]

Or offices with dozens of typewriters which the sound was based on. People use to work in those offices all the time. Get over it.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why should he have to get over it? He said the cacophony was "gorgeous" which means he actually liked it.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[jeffmflanagan]

We also used to have dumbass smokers polluting the air in our offices back then. Air quality has improved, and noise level has decreased. That's progress; Get over it.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

He was referring to the original guy, not Verdatum.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

>People use to work in those offices all the time.
And now we don't. Keyboards are quieter today and thus better. Get with the times, grandpa.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Noah Haders]

it also used to be acceptable to smoke, drink and womanize at work. when my secretary complains about me doing those things should I tell her to "get over it"?

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[axl917]

The best was when there were entire computer labs of Model Ms...such gorgeous cacophany

Add to that a computer lab full of tractor-feed printers, it's a wonder that anyone from those days can hear a thing anymore.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, and to go fix you a sandwich.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes you should.

Smoking: having a secretary implies you have your own office. Open the windows. Equivalent to eating a curry in your office.
Drinking: if you are doing your job competently I don't see who's business it is if you are drunk
Womanising: womanising is not sexual harassment. I know some companies have tried to ban having a relationship with a colleague but seriously, they should get over themselves.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorta...
IBM made the Selectric typewriter, which has a similar sound to the M
But they also made the keypunches -- which in addition to the keypress, whacked a hole through cardstock... If you think a room full of model Ms is loud....

So the early keyboards on the terminals, which were mainly used by people who were used to keypunches needed the tactile and auditory feedback that the users expected.

The 5250 terminals, used by system/34, system/36, and system/38 'mid-range' computers had a 'clacker' in the keyboard, which would fire on every keypress. The clacker doubled as the bell and attention indicator. With a minor hardware modification, the clacker could be quieted...

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Verdatum]

Yikes, I can't imagine that. My school was smart enough to keep the noisy printers off in a separate room where they couldn't really be heard. Unfortunately, dumb enough that when I say "separate room" I usually also mean "separate building...half a mile away...uphill."

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course not! You tell her to suck your cock or shes fired.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

The sound of typing on them aggravates me, worse than nails on chalkboard.

You should never, ever say that. It only encourages them.

I love the sound of them. but the sound of dome-switch keyboards drives me mad.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[axl917]

Lucky you. We had em in the room, 1 per every 4 computers. At least printing problems were rather easier to address; most everything was either "you fed the paper in wrong" or "you didn't flip the ABCD switch to you computer's parallel port".

I'd love to time-warp away from ipad, etc...support.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Verdatum]

I can't even imagine an A/B, let alone C or D switch in a computer lab. I've always thought of them as either a home PC make-do, or something you use when you want to solve the weird sort of "why on earth would anyone want to do that?" sort of problems.

Re:I hate those fucking keyboards.

[Anonymous Coward]

yes.

tell the hoe to harden the fuck up and get back on her knees, the plumning isn't going to fix itself.

women

M15 was the best

[Anonymous Coward]

The model M is good, but the finest keyboard ever made was the IBM M15 options keyboard.

I don't know why someone hasn't cloned this; I'd pay a few hundred dollars to have one again.

Re:M15 was the best

[Nimey]

http://deskthority.net/wiki/IB...

The M15 was the subject of a patent dispute from Mark Goldstein, founder of the Goldtouch company, over the design of the adjustable ball joint, and was settled by a subsequent licensing agreement. In late 1995, Lexmark sold off certain designs and tooling relating to buckling spring keyboards, including the tooling necessary to make the M15, to Maxiswitch. Maxiswitch never produced any M15 keyboards themselves, and attempts to reacquire the tooling by interested parties have proved unsuccessful.

Function Keys

[Anonymous Coward]

I want my functions keys down the left side! Not across the top.

So I can use them with just my left hand!

</rant>

Re:Function Keys

[danudwary]

Have a look at the Corsair mechanical keyboards. They have a bank of programmable keys down the left side. Great for game or programming macros.

Re:Function Keys

[Anonymous Coward]

Well get a Northgate Omnikey then.

Re:Function Keys

[Anonymous Coward]

My Logitech G15 has those too. This is one of the best keyboards I have ever used.

I typed my thesis on a model M

[damn_registrars]

Unsurprisingly, none of my colleagues wanted to be in the office with me while I was doing that. They bought me a "modern" IBM keyboard with a touchpad, USB ports, etc earlier while I was in grad school but it wasn't the same - and it died before thesis writing began - so I ended up going back to a model M when it came time to really truly be productive.

I now have two model M's with trackpoint, and USB adapters for both. They work on everything, including killing varmints or zombies.

northgate omnikey/102 as well

[i.r.id10t]

Love my model M, love my Northgate OmniKey/102 as well

Re:northgate omnikey/102 as well

[Anonymous Coward]

Omnikey for the win!

I bought one that was in almost new condition about 6 months ago to replace the one that I'd been using for the better part of two decades that was in pretty sad shape.

And no, I didn't throw the old one away. I plan on getting it repaired eventually soon here.

Re:northgate omnikey/102 as well

[hondo77]

With the control key next to the "A" key, "Where God and IBM intended".

Re:northgate omnikey/102 as well

[Anonymous Coward]

That's where the caps lock key goes. I know, you started out with computers that didn't do lower case, but now they do, and we have all had lower case on our computers for well over 30 years now.

The only reason the control key ever went there was that it was an easy placement for a keyboard that was never designed for a computer in the first place. Now that typewriters don't really exist, ALL keyboards are made for computers, and caps lock goes back where it was always supposed to be.

Re:northgate omnikey/102 as well

[Spazmania]

Loved my omnikeys. Till they broke. Both of them. After 3 or 4 years. My model M's are nearly indestructable.

Re:northgate omnikey/102 as well

[hondo77]

No. I use the control key WAY more than I use the caps lock key. I need the control key to be handy, not caps lock.

P.S. I've had lowercase since I started using computers in the age of dinosaurs.

Model M still neing manufactured

[Anonymous Coward]

Made by Unicomp. Pckeykoard.com. Disclaimer: just a very satisfied customer.

Kinesis

[Yakasha]

The clack isn't the same in the Kinesis Freestyle 2, so not nearly as satisfying, but it is there.

And since my tendinitis isn't anymore... it is a trade up. Sorry M. :(

Re:Kinesis

[Lotana]

I would love to have a Kinesis Advantage with durability and buckling springs of Model M.

Advantage got such a good layout, but the rubber function keys are just garbage!!!

Re:Kinesis

[Yakasha]

I would love to have a Kinesis Advantage with durability and buckling springs of Model M.

Advantage got such a good layout, but the rubber function keys are just garbage!!!

Absolutely agreed. I had an Advantage before my Freestyle. I don't think mine had rubber function keys, but like the freestyle, if it just had slightly better klacking I think it would be perfect for me.

Great feel but poor ergo ...

[Wrath0fb0b]

Straight keyboards are really poor ergonomically, but I do love the mechanical feel of these old IBM models (and their newer imitators).

Might as well use this as an impromptu Ask Slashdot: are there any ergonomic one-piece mechanical wireless keyboards out there? I periodically Google for it (to replace an old Logitech one that's nearing EOL after a decade or so) but have never been able to find anything suitable.

Re:Great feel but poor ergo ...

[Average]

How 'ergo' you looking for?

Kinesis, who makes the Advantage series (crazy bowl shaped keyboard that I'm typing on right now and love to pieces) also makes the Freestyle (two halves), and they make the latter in a Bluetooth configuration. Amusingly, a wireless keyboard with a wire (between the two halves).

https://www.kinesis-ergo.com/s...

Re:Great feel but poor ergo ...

[Lodragandraoidh]

IBM also made an ergonomic buckling spring keyboard: the model M15 -

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/12675/subcatid/0/id/125888

Why won't anyone make a copy of that? (nudge-nudge Unicomp!)

Re:Great feel but poor ergo ...

[Curunir_wolf]

Kinesis, who makes the Advantage series (crazy bowl shaped keyboard that I'm typing on right now and love to pieces) also makes the Freestyle (two halves), and they make the latter in a Bluetooth configuration. Amusingly, a wireless keyboard with a wire (between the two halves).

No good for me - I gotta have a number pad. Okay - I see they have an add-on keypad available, but it looks like the tilt stands are all add-on options too. So that makes the Freestyle a little to pricey. Not sure from the description about the keys, either. I'll probably just have to stick with getting another ErgoMagic keyboard when my current one wears out.

Re:Great feel but poor ergo ...

[Lotana]

Good to see that I am not alone in my admiration of Advantage series. Love the keyboard, except for those horrible rubber function keys.

If you are not a touch-typist do not get an Advantage keyboard. You will suffer gretly as that keyboard angles and layout will make your hunt-and-peck extraordinarily more difficult. Also Advantage is quite an expensive options with $300 pricetag. Adaptation period is at least two weeks as well. Also it is only manufactured in the USA and Kinesis does not provide shipping to other countries, so you may pay even more to get one from a reseller (Here in Australia I paid $400 for mine).

I would reccomend Microsoft Natural series if you want a split layout without the extremety and not breaking the budget.

All that negativity being said, once you get comfortable with Kinesis Advantage, it is just a pure joy to use (Except function keys :-P). If you have RSI definitely give it a try, pricetag be damned. If you possibly can, go to a shop that stocks it and try it out. You will either fall madly in love with it or decide it is too extreme.

Re:Great feel but poor ergo ...

[kangasloth]

You have described the Truy Ergonomic keyboard. Really, that's the brand name they picked. Not buckling spring, but still mechanical keys, noise optional (Cherry MX Blue or Brown). Not cheap at $250, but the most appealing design I've seen yet.

I did own a Kinesis Classic years ago. Crazy arrangement as Average mentions, very different. If you have RSI concerns, different is exactly what you want. I used to switch back and forth every once in a while, just to change up the motion. I can't say I ever really liked the bowl though, and I eventually gave it away (which I now regret). The real keys use the same Cherry Brown key switches as the unfortunately-named Truly Ergonomic. The rubber function "keys" are pure rubbish though.

I have one

[Charliemopps]

I have a Model M in the closet. It's old, yellowed and the plug wont work without at least 2 adapters in-line.

But, you can still get nice switched keyboards if you like them as much as I do. Look for "Cherry" switches or in my case I got reproductions because they were cheaper. There are various colors but basically it comes down to if you like the "clicking" sounds, the Cherry Reds are the loudest and the Cherry Blues are the quietest. I have the Blues and it still drives my wife nutz. You can get an all plastic keyboard for around $50... If you want it to be build like a tank link the IBMs were, expect to spend $80 or more. If you want actual Cherry switches they can go as high as $300.

I've got a keyboard with reproduction Cherry Blue switches and a steel back plate. I got it off Newegg for about $85 and it's fantastic. I was ordering a new keyboard about every 6 months until I got a mechanical one. Works great for games to.

Re:I have one

[mrchaotica]

I got a Monoprice.com-brand buckling-spring keyboard (with Cherry switches) for about $50 (on sale), and am very pleased with it. (It doesn't seem to be all-plastic either; it's at least as heavy as my old Tandy 1000 keyboard).

Re:I have one

[Anubis IV]

Cherry Reds are the loudest and the Cherry Blues are the quietest.

You have that completely backwards. Cherry MX Reds have a linear actuation (i.e. no tactile bump, no click, just a smooth press) that requires very little force, which makes sense, since they're aimed at the gaming market where being able to double-tap keys is important. They're probably the quietest keys in the entire Cherry MX line. The only sound they may even possibly be making is a banging that would occur if you're bottoming out with each key press, and you shouldn't be doing that unless you've picked up bad habits from years of using spongy, rubber dome keyboards. If you are bottoming out while typing, look into getting "landing pads", which are little pieces of foam that go around the switches and help to muffle the sound a bit.

In contrast, Cherry MX Blues (which are aimed primarily at typists) have a higher actuation force, along with a tactile and audible click. They're one of the loudest in the entire line of Cherry MX switches (if not the loudest), on par with the ones you'd hear in the Model M. If you want something a bit quieter while keeping the tactile sensation, get Cherry MX Browns, which go for more of a tactile bump instead of a click, meaning it's quite a bit quieter but still has most of the tactility. Again, you shouldn't be bottoming out while typing with mechanical keyboards (the biggest advantage of having the tactile feedback is so that you know when you've pressed a key and can move on, hence why the more tactile ones are aimed at typists), but if you are, landing pads will help with the racket you'd be making, though the goal should be to get to the point where you're not bottoming out any longer.

There are some other ones as well, such as Greens, Clears, Whites, Blacks, and Grays. They vary in terms of actuation force necessary, what sort of tactile sensation they provide, and where the release point is located in relation to the actuation point. But the Reds are most certainly one of the quietest, while the Blues are most certainly one of the loudest.

Re:I have one

[hey!]

Cherry browns are quieter than Cherry Blues. However this is far from silent. Browns are quite noisy in comparison to dome switch keyboards which are standard today. I bought a mechanical keyboard with Kailh brown switches because I thought I might use it in the library, but it's far too loud. From what I've seen the Cherry Browns are just as loud, but they have a slightly nicer sound.

The Cherry patents have run out and Kailh is making a less expensive knock-off that's appearing on some sub-$100 keyboards. I'm typing on a cheap Kailh brown keyboard now -- the nixeus moda. It's not bad. It takes me back to some of the early Macintosh keyboards -- chunky and simple. Because of the mechanical switches the keyboard is two inches thick. A wrist wrest is probably a good idea (remember those?).

After many years of typing on Thinkpad keyboards I've actually come to prefer the quietness and lesser key travel of a scissors switch to the old mechanical keyboards. I've gone back to mechanical however because those scissors switches just don't last long enough. Between six months and a year the switches start to fall apart.

To tell you the truth I find the noisiness of mechanical switches irritating. I have a very old Hewlett Packard AT clone keyboard in the attic, complete with giant DIN connector. I might give that a whirl; as I recall it felt almost as good as a model M but was much quieter. I think that might be close to my ideal keyboard, except that takes up a ton of space. I prefer a tenkeyless design.

Sturdy

[PPH]

A keyboard should be tough enough to beat a man to death with. And then use to write his obituary.

Re:Sturdy

[i.r.id10t]

As the BOFH says, you should be able to console someone by beating them about the head with your console

Re:Sturdy

[Noah Haders]

offtopic, flamebait, troll, etc. I dont' understand all the outrage at women and men who point out that gaming culture is very hostile to women. you don't get it - they're saying that there women and men who WANT to be gamers but are being shut out. they're not trying to take anything away from you, they're trying to open the door so more people can participate. this means more games will be made.

Re:Sturdy

[svalery]

and dont let it fall of the desk... even with steel toed shoes your might loose somthing

Re:Sturdy

[Anonymous Coward]

Because the people grumping about that are disgusting, smelly, basement dwelling, antisocial, psychopathic nerds who can't handle being in the same room with a woman without jizzing in their pants, who have never had sex with anyone but their own hand, and who aren't going to ever get within 20 feet of an actual female without her being disgusted enough that she has to leave the room out of utter revulsion.

They're afraid that if women get into gaming that they'll be pushed out by the rest of the male gaming nerds who are socially competent enough to have a chance at females treating them like humans rather than sewer rats.

In short, it's their own shortcomings and insecurities that cause their vitriol.

Re:Sturdy

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't sweat it. That's probably some 14 YO who just got banned from /b/ and has to post here now.

Re:Sturdy

[Anonymous Coward]

Well the pen is mightier than the sword as they say. But the keyboard is mightier than the pen. And the Model M is mightiest of all keyboards!

Re:Sturdy

[PPH]

the pen is mightier than the sword as they say.

Re:Sturdy

[dr_blurb]

A keyboard should be tough enough to beat a man to death with. And then use to write his obituary.

Wasn't the original quote something like:
"The only keyboard you can beat a user to death with, and then use it to delete his account?"

:-)

You can get for-real IBM Model-M like keyboards...

[Slartibartfast]

I've got one, and it's *the same* -- and I care, 'cause on a Model M, I can break 100 WPM -- from Unicomp, and, yes, with USB connectors. Some even have trackpoints (which is what I went with). AWESOMENESS DEFINED.

But I may be somewhat biased.

P.S. My co-workers hate 'em, 'cause it's so damn loud. So do consider them before purchasing for the workplace.

Banished to the Basement because of the noise

[debest]

Completely agree with the sentiment. My computer is required by law (the wife) to be as far away as possible if I use the Model M, hence in the basement it goes.

In case it ever dies (yeah right), I still have 4 more stockpiled as replacements.

I want one (Like Many)

[almostadnsguy]

It is interesting how lots of people want something, they want it built to last but all people sell is cheap garbage. This is the geek version of the Mom's who can't find clothes for their kids at Target. Lots of people want it, but manufacturers don't make what we want. Can anyone explain why? Isn't there a market for high quality things?

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[geekoid]

A) Lots of people don't want it.
B) The few people who do want it, won't pay for it.

You might move 100K units. Hell, maybe even 200K.

Considering that where $249 a pop in 1984, they would probably be 600 bucks today.
Yes, it was released in 1984, so ignore the idiots who claim to have had one since the 70s.
http://www.engadget.com/produc...

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[Anonymous Coward]

Not when people who know no better decide to trash talk it so much that it becomes a social norm.

Mitsubishi sells a 4 cylinder that makes 440 horsepower and 415 pounds of torque. It uses aluminum everywhere to come back down to the same weight as a 2 wheel drive Mustang. The motor is overbuilt and ready to handle over 600 horsepower without rebuilding. It has a limited slip front differential and 2 different hydro-electric differentials that are computer controlled able to pro-actively route power unlike conventional differentials that require wheel-slip before they activate. Mitsubishi at one point mentioned it costs about $60,000 to build and import yet they sell it for $34,900 and even then it hardly sells. Why? Americans who don't know any better convinced everyone that 4 cylinders suck. Even when a Mustang made 225 horsepower and Mitsubishi was getting 270hp from their 2.0 no one cared. They all bought the damn "Five-oh" and thought they had something.

All Americans see is a stupid 4 cylinder sedan with a big fat wing. They love to make fun of it. Then they go buy a Mustang GT that weighs more, handles worse, gets stuck in the snow, with an engine that makes similar power but with worse fuel economy......

Why? Because of how it sounds or looks which has zilch to do with performance. Then extrapolate that bias to mean it performs worse as well and suddenly it's a social norm in America (unless you live on the coast)

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[afidel]

Uh, Unicomp still makes the same keyboard, and even offers an updated USB model and they cost only $79 despite being made in the USA.

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[Noah Haders]

keyboards are literally free these days. Google has a new program where they give out free keyboards (nice BT ones!) in exchange for running keyloggers so they can track what people type and then run ads against it.

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[ArmoredDragon]

It is interesting how lots of people want something, they want it built to last but all people sell is cheap garbage. This is the geek version of the Mom's who can't find clothes for their kids at Target. Lots of people want it, but manufacturers don't make what we want. Can anyone explain why? Isn't there a market for high quality things?

Actually TFS makes a huge mistake in assuming that manufacturers no longer target quality. This just isn't true, there's even an entire industry and field of study that is very much alive and thriving today, just end users are never aware of it, which is actually by design. ISO9000, 9001, Six Sigma, Lean Principles, etc, are huge focuses of manufacturers everywhere.

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry, but ISO, Six Sigma, Leam, etc. have nothing to do with quality. They are designed to achieve consistency. Producing exactly what you want over and over, each item exactly like the last. It doesn't matter if that thing is quality or crap as long as it is consistent.

Re:I want one (Like Many)

[ArmoredDragon]

You're so wrong here that I can say with 100% certainty that you really have zero understanding of any of them (besides, you even misspelled one of them.)

Look at how Six Sigma works for example. Six Sigma is focused entirely on reducing defect rate. A defect is *anything* that causes the customer to not be satisfied. They'll continue to iterate on the design over and over again until the defect rate gets to a ridiculously low number (3.4 defective parts per million.) That means that if the product is consistently bad, then they'll change its design until its right.

Lean Principles means we iterate on the design of the production process until we get it right.

What part about changing the design says "consistent" to you? It's anything but consistent if it is going through changes. Again I'll state, you have NO understanding of any of these concepts.

Mechanical is best

[morgandelra]

I have a generic keyboard with Cherry browns at work and a Mattias quietkey pro with Alps at home. My wife threatened embed the cherry brown keyboard in my skull because of the noise, but she can tolerate the Matias.

Cherry?

[angel'o'sphere]

I have two Cherry keyboards. They look like a model M, but I guess there are differences. They are from 1993, and work perfectly.
Not bad is my Apple Extended keyboard (2?) from roughly 1990. I actually have an ADB bus to ISB adapter, perhaps I should try it at my laptops.

My 122 key model M

[iggymanz]

My 122 key variant of the model M (has 24 function keys!) has heavy backplate and weighs six pounds!

Using one right now...

[Retron]

...I bought one on eBay 7 years ago (with PS/2 connection) and I'm using it on the fourth PC I've owned since then, a brand-new Haswell-E build. It's still as clacky and tactile as it was back then. The only slight snag is no Windows key, but I don't really miss it.

22 years ago I first used a buckling-spring keyboard, the one that came with an IBM XT. That "Model F" keyboard was (and is, as I kept it) built like a tank and, if anything, it's even clackier than the Model M. Sadly it won't work without expensive adapters on a modern PC. The layout is odd by current standards (ctrl is where caps lock is and vice-versa).

That old XT keyboard gave me the taste for "clacky" keyboards and over the following decade I got thoroughly fed up with the spongy, lifeless keyboards that became the norm. I then found out about the Model M, looked into getting one from Unicomp but thanks to import duty, VAT and delivery the cost was over the equivalent of $170 - way too much to spend for me! So I snagged an old second hand IBM model M on eBay for a fraction of the price, cleaned it up and I've been using it ever since. Hopefully PS/2 keyboard ports will continue to stay on motherboards for many years yet!

Re:Using one right now...

[Pope]

$170 is cheap considering how much time we spend using them.

Built like a Battleship

[xanthos]

The steel construction of the Model M is a thing of beauty. And the weight keeps the cat from knocking it off my desk.

Re:Built like a Battleship

[Anonymous Coward]

The steel construction of the Model M is a thing of beauty. And the weight keeps the cat from knocking it off my desk.

Just be carefull not to knock it off the desk onto the cat.

Good, but not quite the best

[wganz]

Northgate's keyboard in the "Jerry Pournelle" format was the world's best keyboard.

SOme people like them

[geekoid]

and then made up all kinds of reasons that are nonsense on why they like them.

I liked mine, becasue every time there was an audible click, an angel died.

Re:SOme people like them

[bobaferret]

It's nice to think that a whole hosts of angles are ding as I write this reply on my oh so very audible Model M. It's the click that does it for me.

Re:SOme people like them

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

Hi, I work with Nerv, and I'd to hear more about your angel-killing keyboard. How do you manage to pierce their AT fields by typing?

Re:SOme people like them

[Noah Haders]

how do angles die? when something goes from being angled to being a straight line?

Re:SOme people like them

[bobaferret]

yes.... yes that's it exactly... oh well... was funny in my head...

Not my favorite gaming keyboard

[Anonymous Coward]

I picked up a 1989-vintage Model-M from eBay back in 2001. When I unboxed it, it was covered in dirt and grime, and when I took it apart for cleaning, I swear I dumped out a half a bag of cheetos crumbs. After popping the shell and keys in the dishwasher and carefully scrubbing everything that couldn't go in the washer, it looks good as new (well, the label on the back is a little worse for wear).

I love it for everything EXCEPT gaming - the hysteresis that's otherwise so wonderful when typing means I have to lift my finger completely after an action before putting it down again. I type just as much at home on my Model-M as I do at work on my standard dell-issued keyboard. The M was well-used when I got it, has outlasted four Dell keyboards, and shows absolutely no sign of wearing out anytime soon. I may have to put it out to pasture and pick up one of the more modern mechanical keyboards next time I upgrade, as motherboards with the PS2 connector are getting harder to come by.

Re:Not my favorite gaming keyboard

[Noah Haders]

I like typing on laptop keyboards. for me the ultimate keyboard is the modern apple keyboard, which is used on all their laptops and their BT keyboard. it's amazing, from 17" laptop to 11" laptop and they use the exact same keyboard.

Re:Not my favorite gaming keyboard

[UnknownSoldier]

Me too.

I much prefer the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard for gaming. --The thin original design before Logitech jumped the shark.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech...

Model M

[nerdyalien]

1. Model M keyboard
2. Lenovo ThinkPad X-series laptop
3. Microsoft Ergo series

Re:Model M

[afidel]

The X Series keyboard is so very wrong, the T Series keyboard is closer to the correct layout. For years I said I'd pay big cash for a T Series keyboard with trackpoint and Bluetooth to use for my HTPC, but now I don't need it as I have a nice wireless keyboard and a Logitech M570 wireless trackball, I just wish that Logitech had used standard bluetooth instead of their bastardized version so I could use it with things other than a PC.

Re:Model M

[Noah Haders]

I really like the Logitech wireless nub things for their keyboards and mice. Bluetooth ultimately does not work very well on PCs. the standards were never implemented quite correctly, perhaps because of using commodity parts. macs don't have this problem.

Really?

[Ralph Wiggam]

"manufacturers have long since abandoned the concept of durability and longevity"

Someone should tell my 15 year old Microsoft Natural keyboard. Even the $5 basic Dell keyboards are pretty durable. The only keyboards I can remember throwing out were because they were filthy, not because they were broken.

Re:Really?

[Just Some Guy]

Even the $5 basic Dell keyboards are pretty durable. The only keyboards I can remember throwing out were because they were filthy, not because they were broken.

My Model M has been through the dishwasher and laughs at your puny "pretty durable" keyboards.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a 15yr old MS Natural too.

What I was most impressed with is that it seems to be designed to be cleaned.
I opened mine up and found all the components except for the small circuit board, are
entirely washable. I clean mine once a year and don't want/need a new keyboard.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty much any keyboard could go through a dishwasher just fine, as long as you don't try plugging it in before it dries. Same with nearly every other component of a computer, aside from hard drives (those can work after, but they degrade pretty fast once the air-pressure seal things rupture a bit.

Re:Really?

[wiredlogic]

That's where the Model M shines. Pop the key caps and the top cover and run them through the dishwasher: Sparkly clean just like new.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Same experience here (although not with a Microsoft keyboard). At work the keyboards are cheap, but last. A run through the dishwasher now and then (I just take in my one from home for a couple of days while they dry) keeps them sanitary.

If the nubs wear out a tip is to get a strip of thin card and some superglue and a small screwdriver. Place strip of card on key, hold with screwdriver tip, soak with superglue. The screwdriver is pretty essential unless you want to be permanently attached to the key. The nubs are a bit bigger than the originals, but do the job.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

What I wish is that laptop keyboards were more standard and removable so I could sanitise those in the dishwasher. Prising keys off to clean them has led to keys malfunctioning when reattached. Dishwashing has never led to an issue.

Re:Really?

[Whorhay]

I've worn out one very cheap generic keyboard in the last twelve years, and replaced it with an almost equally cheap board that I replaced recently just because I could. The first functioned just fine until some specific keys started to not respond reliably, the spacebare even had a nice indent from where my left thumb always rested. I think that first keyboard cost $6 and lasted about as many years. The second was around $20 and I only just replaced after seven years of use because I just wanted something nicer. Now I use a Microsoft Sidewinder or something like that, the big features that I wanted out of it was anti ghosting and being spill proof so my toddler can't ruin it as readily.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I did this to the Natural too, big deal. Right now I use a Dell Sk-8135. Very underrated and not nearly as noisy and anachronic as the M.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

In typing this with a 16 year old Natural. When, or if it dies, a 25 year-old Compaq Deskpro keyboard is still waiting in a case. The short, twisted cable is a problem though, as it was designed to accompany an actual desktop computer.

ahh yes ...

[nblender]

I've used various incarnations of these... First one was on my original IBM PC (not XT) with the annoying layout... I liked it best. My dad had a 5120 with a nice big built-in version... Then later I installed 3161's and PC-RT's in Dental offices... Then got my own RT...

After the original PC one, they seemed to get more plasticy... Especially in the PS/2 days... Could just be my imagination though.

Good times ...

Now I just use whatever crap someone puts in front of me.

Re:I hate those fsking keyboards.

[RingDev]

True story. I worked with a dick that had access to dozens of these in an old storage room. We moved from offices to a cube farm and he would beat on that thing so that the entire office had to listen to him. Eventually, we took to hiding his keyboard in the wall panels on the cubes, but he would just get another one out of storage and send out angry emails, and the cycle would repeat.

-Rick

dell's

[thoper]

am i the only one who loves the dell sk 8135?!?!, perfect weight, perfect keys, usb ports. its PERFECT!

Re:dell's

[tibit]

No, you're not the only one. SK-8115 here. Perfect.

Model M

[BitcoinBenny]

I love the model M and all of it's variants. It just doesn't feel like work unless I'm using it.

Odes to the Model M

[mountainman]

This and other odes to the Model M are here: http://z13.invisionfree.com/OneTrueKeyboard/ar/t56.h

The Model M is my keyboard; I shall not want.
It maketh me sit in front of my computer;
it leadeth me to caress the still keys.
It restoreth my faith in manufacturing;
it leadeth me to collect every single variety.
Yea, though I sit at a desk in a cubicle at work,
I will fear no carpal-tunnel, for thou art with me; thy clicks they comfort me.
Thou prepardest a refuge for me in the presence of cheap keyboards;
thou anointest my fingers with feedback; my productivity runneth over.
Surely ergonomics and quality shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will use my Model M forever.

IBM ripped off Digital

[Anonymous Coward]

Nuts. IBM ripped off the design of digital's LK201 keyboard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LK201

Best Keyboard

[Anonymous Coward]

http://codekeyboards.com

That is all.

This post is being typed...

[dpilot]

... on a vintage Model-M keyboard purchased years ago at Flea@MIT. Someone had a bunch of unopened boxes of them, brand new 15-year-old keyboards. My only mistake was in not buying more than one. I've picked up a few more an various flea markets and hamfests, but none as good as that one...

That is, except for the 1987-vintage Model-M on my wife's computer upstairs that came an the XT-286.

Just use Cherry switches. Duh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like these people are in a time warp. They obviously are not high-performance hardware users or they would be familiar with keyboards that use Cherry switches.

They are still being made, by Unicomp

[ttucker]

I am using a brand new Model M to type this message. Unicomp bought the rights and machinery to manufacture many IBM and Lexmark keyboards. You can buy them from the manufacturer here: http://www.pckeyboard.com/ . It is embarrassing that /. would advertise some shill refurb site without mentioning this great resource.

IBM Model M? No thank you .

[TechyImmigrant]

The control key is in the wrong place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H...

Re:IBM Model M? No thank you .

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you a Model F fan then?

Re:IBM Model M? No thank you .

[TechyImmigrant]

I might be, but I have a Happy Hacking keyboard, which suits me very well.

Had to give them up, finally.

[RatBastard]

I've been using Model M's (and their Unicomp descendants) since the days of the IBM PC XT. I finally gave them up last year as they are just too loud for my small house. I'm a night owl and my wife thinks 9:00PM is staying up late. She never complained, but I knew my keyboards were keeping her awake some nights. So I reluctantly switched to quieter keyboards two years ago.

Long live the Model M

[Anonymous Coward]

I am lucky enough to own one of these. It is, admittedly, the LOUDEST keyboard I have ever used, but it is also the keyboard that allows me to type the fastest.
And it us rugged as %&$ - this thing is more than twenty years old, which means it was around before I had my first computer, and it still works fine.
Also, the keys are still as readable as they were on the first day. Compare that to all those "modern" keyboards where the A and S keys are completely blank after just a year of daily use.

Microsoft Sculpt

[Hadlock]

I own a Model M, with a goofy RJ- to PS2 cable, old school. It's fun and clacky. I also have a Thinkpad which has it's own coveted keypress feel. However in my open office cubefarm plan it's noisy as shit. It also has zero ergonomics. I ended up buying a Microsoft Sculpt keyboard, which is sort of a sleek, complete redesign, of the Microsoft Natural keyboard. It has "modern" laptoppy feel keys that are actually quiet, and proper ergonomics. I'm thinking about getting one for the house, I was skeptical about wireless keyboards but I think that this is "the one" for me.

Re:Microsoft Sculpt

[Anonymous Coward]

However in my open office cubefarm plan it's noisy as shit.

Sounds like you have a card to play to get a real office instead of that open plan bullshit.

Re:Microsoft Sculpt

[Hadlock]

Yeah, everyone loves the passive agressive Dwight-type in the office.

Das Keyboard

[Anonymous Coward]

I use the blank-keyed 'Das Keyboard' which has the sound and feel and as a plus really helps get those last few keys you peek down at the keyboard to get.

http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/

http://www.daskeyboard.com/

Could purists see any difference between this and the 'original '?

It's a classic...

[terrywin]

They were a great keyboard! At work I'm still using an IBM compatible 5250 style keyboard that has great tactile feedback. I even bought one for my home PC -- it's 6-7 years old and still going strong :)

http://www.ioconnections.com/p...

Re:It's a classic...

[WheezyJoe]

Funny thing is, I always found the gaps between the keys problematic. If your fingers weren't right on the keys, you'd slip through or press two.

My favorite keyboard was the one that came with the IBM 6150 (aka, the IBM PC-RT). Soft keys but with great tactile feel, and completely programmable so you could easily swap the CTRL and CAPS LOCK keys. It was IBM's take on a silent keyboard but will all their (then) quality thrown in.

Got some serious WPM out of it, but I hold no hope for getting one working today :-\

Re:It's a classic...

[nabsltd]

Soft keys but with great tactile feel, and completely programmable so you could easily swap the CTRL and CAPS LOCK keys. It was IBM's take on a silent keyboard but will all their (then) quality thrown in.

Like most keyboards, it has the function keys at the top, and the inverted-T arrow keys. These are the two things I absolutely hate, and why I have Northgate keyboards, like the Omnikey Ultra and the Omnikey Plus. Unfortunately, there were multiple versions of both of these keyboards, and some have the inverted-T.

But, the programmable keys are nice, and the Model M needs that as it suffers from the Caps Lock key being next to "A". I use Caps Lock so infrequently that I programmed it to be the Windows key (which my Northgates don't have).

You will hold no other keyboard before me

[Anonymous Coward]

Model M is the keyboard, there is no other. (although the XT and AT keyboards are also nice)

The thing with old keyboards is

[TechyImmigrant]

they get dirty..

Here's mine:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/...

Re:The thing with old keyboards is

[Curunir_wolf]

dishwasher

Re:The thing with old keyboards is

[TechyImmigrant]

Yes. But I'd have to think ahead and take the keyboard home where my dishwasher is.

Re:You can get for-real IBM Model-M like keyboards

[Anonymous Coward]

I've got one, and it's *the same* -- and I care, 'cause on a Model M, I can break 100 WPM -- from Unicomp, and, yes, with USB connectors. Some even have trackpoints (which is what I went with). AWESOMENESS DEFINED.

But I may be somewhat biased.

P.S. My co-workers hate 'em, 'cause it's so damn loud. So do consider them before purchasing for the workplace.

I believe unicomp actually purchased the rights and some of manufacturing equipment from Lexmark to continue the design. So it is in fact the model M in everything but name

I don't like the IBM keyboards.

[Z00L00K]

And I have had - they feel not right.

My preference is the KeyTronic keyboards.

Re:I don't like the IBM keyboards.

[Amigan]

Specifically, the Ergonomic FlexPro. I'm typing from it now, 20yrs after buying it. It has a 5pin AT connector plugged into a pigtail (5pin -> PS2 connection) plugged into a PS2 -> USB connector.

No contest

[Doghouse13]

They are, simply, in a class of their own. I'm typing on one right now; I have another on my wife's machine; I have a couple of spares tucked away in a cupboard. Every machine I've built for about the last 15 years has used the same keyboards. 'Nuff said.

Oh enough with the idol worship

[Sycraft-fu]

Seriously. The best keyboard ever made? Not hardly. I can think of three massive issues:

1) Key activation force. You have to push quite hard to activate those key switches. That is unergonomic and contributes to developing RSI in many individuals. A good keyboard should have a light key activation.

2) Keyboard shape. The straight keyboard is not a good shape. Our hands don't naturally sit straight, neither should our keyboards. Again, this is an ergonomic issue, being your wrists like that can lead to RSI. A good ergonomic keyboard can be adjusted to match the position of the user.

3) The noise. Those springs are loud. Makes it very annoying to use in an office environment, and unsuitable for quite environments like a studio. A good keyboard has dampened keys that don't make noise.

Well, turns out you can get good keyboards like that. Matias, Kinesis, Maltron, all make really good keyboards. They solve the problems that the Model M, and others, have.

Even if you don't believe you'll ever suffer from RSI (and that's a bet I wouldn't make) you will probably find your typing speed increased by lighter keyswitches.

This Model M worship needs to stop. It is old technology, we have better tech and a better understanding of how to make good human interfaces devices these days.

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been typing for a few decades now. Not as long as some, but long enough to be able to tell when a keyboard is slowing me down. I used to swear by heavy mechanical keyboards, for all the reasons that people commonly quote. One wrinkle: my preferred ergonomics involve putting the keyboard in my lap; I have a good chair in my office, and the computer and the desk don't mingle.

What I discovered, when trying out different keyboards, is that many of the heavier ones don't have the stiffness for lap typing: they twist. I then tried a much, much lighter keyboard, with a lighter (but still mechanical) key stroke. After just a few days of typing on this new keyboard, I found myself typing noticeably faster, and with fewer errors.

I then turned around and bought four more Das Keyboard II's off of eBay, so that I don't have to worry about keyboards for another 30 years. Problem solved.

In some small way, this experience reminded me of something I read about Stevie Ray Vaughan being convinced to use a lighter gague set of guitar strings. Stevie was convinced that he needed heavy strings wound tight to get the sound he wanted; problem was, it took a serious toll on his fingers. He was eventually convinced to try out the lighter strings, got the sound he wanted, and never looked back.

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[Anonymous Coward]

Amen to that. The Model M is an outdated product for outdated people unable to adapt. Van Pelts with their blankets...

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[chispito]

1) Key activation force. You have to push quite hard to activate those key switches. That is unergonomic and contributes to developing RSI in many individuals. A good keyboard should have a light key activation.... (snip)

3) The noise. Those springs are loud. Makes it very annoying to use in an office environment, and unsuitable for quite environments like a studio. A good keyboard has dampened keys that don't make noise.

These are both arbitrary and it's not difficult to find people with preferences either way. I'm sure many skilled typists disagree with you on both counts.

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[antdude]

Yeah, my co(lleagu/worrker)s complained that I type too loud on my clicky keyboards. I even mentioned and made/created a poll on http://aqfl.net/node/5825 ... ;) They're not even Model Ms! I type better on clicky keyboards including Model M. I hate those soft ones like on lappies.

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[T.E.D.]

Complete agreement on this. I think a lot of folks are just wearing rose-colored goggles where the 80's are concerned. You have to remember that when these things were designed, the point of comparison for the designers was typewriters. Let's hit your three points yet again:

1. Key activation force. The newest IBM Selectrics (the popular state of the art at the time) required far less force to activate a key. They were almost comparable to a more modern keyboard, although the keys had much greater travel. However, that was the pinnacle of development. Old mechanical typewriters actually required you to physically push the buttons hard enough to activate the mechanical lever arms in the typewriter. There were still a great deal of these in circulation. So the Model M was sort of a compromised middle ground here.
2. Keyboard shape. There were actually a lot of curved typewriters out there, but most were rectangular. Personally, I believe this was probably because it allowed them to be shipped easier, which saved a few pennies in an incredibly competitive market. That's probably a fair driver behind cheap keyboards being rectangular today.
3. Noise. A typical typewriter made much more noise than a Model M. So for the day, it probably sounded quiet. Making it much quieter could really have unnerved an office worker used to typewriters.

Of course all of these design elements which made perfect sense in 1980 are pretty much obsolete now, at least in the upper mid to high end market.

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[drinkypoo]

Even if you don't believe you'll ever suffer from RSI (and that's a bet I wouldn't make) you will probably find your typing speed increased by lighter keyswitches.

Not me. I've never had typing speeds faster than Ye Olde Model M and close relatives, such as those delivered with the PS/2 systems or period RS/6ks. Or, for that matter, the IBM PC/RT. My first PC was an IBM PC-1, and I had the keyboard to go with it. I have big ignorant fat hands, I've been typing by far for most of my life and I still fat finger the keyboard regularly. The more-difficult keypress saves me from some spurious keystrokes.

Even so, I use the cheapest media keyboards I can get my hands on, usually used. This one has a couple of USB ports on it which are occasionally handy for plugging in a game controller when my accessible USB2 ports are charging stuff, and a volume knob (etc.) I believe I paid $5 at a yard sale, maybe as little as $3. I've destroyed a lot of keyboards with spills and drops. Better to stay cheap. It's also a lot quieter, as you say.

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[Anonymous Coward]

Chuck Norris uses a Model M. Cowering office workers fear both Chuck and his keyboard. 'Nuff said!

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[Anonymous Coward]

Sadly, newer != better
And get off my lawn!

captcha: objected

Re:Oh enough with the idol worship

[brwski]

>A good keyboard has dampened keys that don't make noise. Wrong beyond words.

formative years

[roc97007]

I spent my formative years in a DEC-dominated lab, so the office background sounds were the soft thok-thok-thok of VT100 keyboards rather than the clicky-clicky of the Model M. I did get a chance to use the M keyboard later, and agree it has the best tactile feel of any keyboard I've used before or sense.

As pointed out by others, the keyboard is a straight keyboard in days when most of us are using split keyboards, and the noise can be distracting. But when you spend most of your day as root, an audio indication that a key had been clicked, and the added force necessary to make it work, are actually positive things. Just my opinion.

Re:formative years

[operagost]

People here are complaining about the effort required to press Model M keys. Man, those VT-100s were brutal. You had to slam those keys, and you didn't even get much tactile feel for the effort.

Re:formative years

[sconeu]

Of course, those of us who learned to type on manual typewriters* always bang on the keys anyways. My wife always complained. But I learned on an ancient Royal Manual, which probably needed at least 5 pounds of force per key.

*(for you kiddies, those are keyboards with an integrated printer, and they don't need electricity)

Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

The only keyboards I can remember throwing out were because they were filthy, not because they were broken.

Had to toss one out just last year because I had worn the nubbies on the F and J keys smooth as a baby's bottom; couldn't find the home row by touch.

Some keyboards deal with this by having slightly deeper indentations instead of a little nubbies.

Bought any I could get my hands on..

[NormAtHome]

All gone now but I remember a time when I saw this vendor at one of the local computer show / flea markets who had them for $50 and I bought all six that he had, the last of them gave up the ghost a few years ago.

Modern buckling spring keyboards are being made

[tgibson]

M style, and for the Mac user.

Urge to kill... RISING

[Anonymous Coward]

"Model M owners sometimes ruefully post stories of spouses and coworkers who can't stand the incessant chatter."

Yeah, you better fucking rue that shit. I can't stand the sound of anybody typing, but mechanical keyboards are the worst!

Take away my headphones and loud music and I'm liable to cut a bitch.

Apple Extended II For Life

[xyankee]

I just bought one of these, brand new + sealed and everything. It's at least 15-20 years old and obviously works flawlessly with a USB-ADB adapter (Griffin iMate).

I always loved this keyboard when I was in middle school & high school and some Macs in the lab had them. The Apple Design keyboard that followed sucked, as did every Apple keyboard afterwards until they moved to the low-profile scissor switches.

I thought that the Extended II would boost my already fast typing speed (100+ WPM) but it hasn't—the extra throw of the switches (almost 3x that of my MacBook Pro) negates any benefits the nicer feedback is otherwise providing. It's better than the Matias TactilePro I had a few years ago (cheaper build quality than Apple's, and louder switches even though they're supposed to be the same).

I'm enjoying this Extended II and feel it was worth the $120 it cost me on eBay (cheaper than it was new when it came out!) but I do think the cult of mechanical keyboard junkies will eventually disappear as those people literally die out (or their keyboards, I suppose). Unless you grew up on a mechanical keyboard, I don't think any user accustomed to keyboards of the last 5 years (Apple ones, at least, since that's what I mostly use and they're quite good) will see any benefits to using one. They're louder, way bulkier, and can only be used when connected to a computer via this weird and ugly thing called a "cable."

For perspective, the 10 worst keyboards

[tgibson]

The 10 Worst PC Keyboards of All Time

I think not

[Alrescha]

If you think that the Modem M was the greatest keyboard ever made, then clearly you have never typed on the IBM 3278 keyboard from the late 70s / early 80s.

A.

Re:I think not

[MarkWegman]

I wish I could somehow magically find one of these (a colleague actually has one still) and connect it to a modern computer. At one point I thought I was fantasizing about how wonderful these were, went to my colleague's office and tried it again. It was everything I remembered and more.

God YES!

[Anonymous Coward]

I remember the day that I lost my keyboard. The 3161 will always stay in my mind. That and the Teletype model 34!

Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

I would like to give a good story about Unicomp. My Model M keyboard met my 3 year old. 3 year old knocked the keyboard tray down and the numeric pad 0 key broke. I knew about Unicomp and asked how much a replacement key would be. They shipped me one at no charge and just asked that I think of them the next time I need a keyboard. Class act

Matter of opinion

[Ravaldy]

I type 10 - 15 wpm more on a quality membrane keyboard. Before even comparing numbers I could tell I was going to type faster. As for the noise, it doesn't help me avoid mistakes since I actually look at what I'm type while I'm typing it.

My 2 cents

Re:Matter of opinion

[xyankee]

As for the noise, it doesn't help me avoid mistakes since I actually look at what I'm type while I'm typing it.

Apparently that's not helping you avoid mistakes either, though. :p

Re:Matter of opinion

[Ravaldy]

lol... too true.

That's me not just reviewing what I wrote. English isn't my first language so...

Re:Matter of opinion

[thegarbz]

I type 10 - 15 wpm more on a quality membrane keyboard.

This. Model M keyboards are an outdated waste. They take a lot of force to press and the keys have a lot of required travel. The best keyboards I find were the ones included in many laptops. Keys easy to press, they give way satisfyingly when they are pressed so you have good tactile feedback, but most importantly they are easy to type on.

I have settled on a Logitech Illuminated keyboard. They old style, back when buttons were still square rather than the stupid shapes they lay out keys these days.

Re:Matter of opinion

[PPalmgren]

I type faster on a membrane keyboard too, I think mainly because the keys are lower. I sit my wrist down on the wrist rest, and the height of mechanical keys tends to cause problems and miskeys for me. I have somewhat small hands, so maybe that's a factor. Arching my fingers a lot can cause me to miss the top row, and I don't rest my fingers on the home row like I should, I 'float' my hands above the keyboard and use muscle memory to do the key travels, with only my index fingers acting as guidepoints.

That said, I do find mechanical keyboards better for gaming. I bought one and was dissapointed with the typing aspect, but could actually tell the difference in the responsiveness over a membrane keyboard because the key registers prior to a full-press. Sound was a concern for me, so I bought one with rubber bumpers so its not unbearably loud.

Re:Matter of opinion

[Ravaldy]

I actually got a Logitech G55 (if I recall) and that is even better than my previous one. It's like saying those carbureted cars where so much better. Depends what you mean by better. It definitively wasn't better on fuel and didn't maximize my HP.

Re:Matter of opinion

[Anonymous Coward]

well what if i have you decide for me that touching my penis is a bad idea and my keyboard no longer needs to watch?

typed from a blackwidow2014

A yet better IBM keyboard

[MarkWegman]

The IBM PC keyboard is a very nice keyboard, but it was an attempt to make a cheaper keyboard which was almost as good as the keyboard on a 3270 terminal. You can see a picture of it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I... The feel was better than the buckling spring keys, though those were a close imitation. The keys on the 3270 were shaped a bit better. On "modern" aka "inferior" keyboards there's usually a bump on the "f" and "j" keys. On the 3270 keyboards the f and j keys actually had a deeper cup. Most people never knew it was there, because the deeper cup was not bothersome like the bumps are. But your hands "knew" when you were off the home keys so it solved the same problem as the bump. But, the 3270 keyboard was much more massive than the more modern ones as well as more expensive. It was much deeper so there could be more mechanisms below the keys and that enabled a better feel than the buckling spring. It also permitted the keys to be deeper and accommodate the cups for f and j. Typing on them felt better though. On the other hand the display on the 3270 and it's successor the 3279 (the color version) wasn't in the same league as what we have today.

IBM Model M Secret key-combination

[lanimreT]

A few years ago I stumbled on a hardware level easter egg of sorts for the Model M: 1) hold down both shift keys. 2) press and hold the v key. 3) release both shift keys. 4) release the v key. Your model M will print out a number that I suspect is a model number of its microprocessor. If you know more please post below. This is my keyboard's output: "1900312120d3d0001"

Re:IBM Model M Secret key-combination

[Nimey]

Doesn't do it on my gray-label 1391401. What's the model number on your baseplate sticker?

Re:IBM Model M Secret key-combination

[lanimreT]

Part Number: 1391401 ID: 2482318 Date 21OCT87 Plt Number: F2 Model: M

Re:IBM Model M Secret key-combination

[Kaenneth]

weird, when I do that, Windows 'boops' at me

Re:IBM Model M Secret key-combination

[lanimreT]

You might need to make sure you're somewhere that can take text input, otherwise, if it works, you'll just send a bunch of random characters to the std-in.

Re:IBM Model M Secret key-combination

[Nimey]

Huh. Mine's from 8 January 1988, ID 3340160, Plt Number J1.

I knew them well

[Anonymous Coward]

I remember the IBM 3161 terminal and its keyboards. I worked daily with three of them and developed the UNIX termcap definition for it. I much preferred the original IBM PC keyboard, though. The 3161 felt too mushy and plasticky for my liking and was difficult to type fast on.

I upgraded to a Unicomp.

[bussdriver]

get the model M and THEY STILL MAKE THEM IN THE USA-- http://www.unicomp.com/

I had apple extended since the early 90s up to around 2008 when it was just getting too dirty and I cleaned it then used the wrong sort of paint... (I just painted it to make it look newer; I don't need to see what the keys are.) So I looked for old keyboards and always remembered a fondness of the old noisy model M.

I like it better than the old apple one; despite it having some minor flaws due to it's PC bias (the function key for example.)

If you take apart the Apple Extended II keyboard it's amazing it lasts so long since everything I've owned that used membranes wore out over time. They did something with theirs because mine lasted until I ruined it. I was sick of having an adapter which needed a driver so I tried something "new" by getting a unicomp instead of finding another ADB keyboard.

I can't stand the laptop style touch keyboards, even the nice apple ones -- I don't want membranes and I like to push down or even rest my fingers on the keys without having them get pressed. I do realize technically that I'm having to work harder and move slower-- but I'm not playing games like I used to and my age lowers my response time anyhow so the difference of pressing a spring switch or a membrane is basically pointless... except the old NES controllers, I guess for that I would reject springs... I suppose my muscle memory is set for membranes with my thumbs and springs for my fingers?

Wireless? stupid. If you can't put in AA it is a disposable waste of money and takes up landfill space. Planned Obsolescence is the religion today so we won't see comparable standardized lithium batteries for such devices

Re:I upgraded to a Unicomp.

[xyankee]

Thanks, I'll check out the Unicomp next time I'm in the mood to change my typing setup. The Extended II I got has the cream alps keys, so they're dampened but seems to have no deterioration (not surprising since it's new).

I like the Logitech K760: https://support.logitech.com/e...

It's solar powered and always at 100% battery capacity for me. It also has 3 Bluetooth receivers, so I can switch between my laptop, desktop, and iPhone with a single key press.

Re:I upgraded to a Unicomp.

[bussdriver]

That is AMAZING! Solar keyboard! I have to make... nah, I will never replace the unicomp... I suppose the next one I try out will be brain implants.

Now I think of it, solar wouldn't work. I'm in a cave. I block out most the sun when I get a window. oh well.

Perhaps I can rig up something that sucks all that electromagnetic radiation bombarding me every day and power it that way? (and risk the $200000 FCC fine...hmm... with a switch that goes to cell phone Hz for use in meetings... I also would never power solar lights using talk radio...)

Also, I found way too many people are impressed with an all black painted keyboard. (it was the 2nd painting that ruined it.) Unicomp will give you any key setup you want for $5-10 ! naturally, mine is all black with gray home keys - no labels. I liked the unintended results from the previous blank keyboard so much I spent $5.

OLD unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

try an OLD unicomp... the new ones shrunk a few keys and breaks a long standing, standard layout.

I use model Ms everywhere for multiple reasons....

1 standard, constant layout
2 tactile response
3 audible feedback.
4 it makes my fingers HAPPY!

seriously #4 is a biggie.. Its kinda hard to explain but my fingers are so much happier typing on a buckling spring....

Re:Just use Cherry switches. Duh.

[ender-]

Sounds like these people are in a time warp. They obviously are not high-performance hardware users or they would be familiar with keyboards that use Cherry switches.

Who says we aren't? I am. But I've never used a keyboard that feels and types as well as a Model M. For me at least, I'm able to type significantly faster on one than I am on any other keyboard I've ever tried. I've got 2 of them, they cost me about $8 each, including one of these Airline Reservation Versions.

As a Unix/Linux admin, typing is my bread and butter, so I'm going to continue using the best tool for the job. For me, that's a Model M keyboard. I don't care how much it pissess off the Windows admins in my office, with their cheap-ass Dell keyboards.

Which reminds me, one of the things I don't see anyone mentioning about those cheap keyboards these days is that there is NO plastic around the keys by which to grab the keyboard to pick it up. Any time I am stuck using one and I have to pick up the keyboard, I end up mashing a bunch of keys and screwing up whatever is on the screen because there's only a tiny area above the INS/Home/Pgup keys to grab it by. Crappy typing notwithstanding, even just that issue drives me up the wall!

Alps Still Rocks My World

[BrendaEM]

My next keybaord will probably be a Corsair mechanical.

BTW, the Tandy Model 100/102 had such a keyboard.

Re:Alps Still Rocks My World

[BrendaEM]

Opps, I mean Cherry. Well, same idea. Nice smooth, and not so loud.

you'll die before it does...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Those bastards are the ORIGINAL gaming keyboards. No matter how much you abuse it, you'll die before it does."

This is sadly not true. I had one of these keyboards back in the 80s and used it until 1997 when it actually did die. Apparently when I played Tetris, i slammed the down key really hard, and I played a LOT of tetris :) Eventually the down key just stopped working cuz I used it too much

I can hear it in my head...

[aussie.virologist]

Just reading the opening paragraph of that story made me think back to sound of my Dad typing away on one of those keyboards.
That sound is so distinct. I can remember using one myself and distinctly remember the long key travel. Nostalgic.

Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

I have two of them. One at home and one at work. Of course, the people at work know when I'm typing. But that proves that I'm productive, right?

You are forgetting the audible and tactile feedbac

[sirwired]

The audible and tactile feedback of a buckling-spring can both increase typing speed, accuracy, and decrease effective needed key force. While more force is generally required to acutate the switch, the audible and tactile feedback allows your muscles to immediately know the key has been received and can back up the force before slamming into the stops. A collapsing-dome keyboard offers no such precise feedback. It's impossible for your fingers to sense precisely when the keypress has been received, meaning you must apply force much longer than necessary.

And the force of the keys in a Model M is not especially high.

I'll agree that they layout is not ergonomically ideal though.

Re:You can get for-real IBM Model-M like keyboards

[Nimey]

They purchased the whole factory in Kentucky.

Mine was made in February 1988

[Nimey]

It came to me in 2001 and it's been my daily driver since then. Works every bit as well as a brand-new one. I'm occasionally tempted to upgrade to a 104-key model, but only occasionally.

This particular Model M was fitted with a WordPerfect keyboard template, and included a sticker on the Enter key that said "any key". The latter has long since worn off, alas.

Who said anything about a rubber dome?

[Sycraft-fu]

There are modern mechanical keyswitches with much less for required, and less noise. Matias makes some really amazing ones.

I have one too. Reds don't click.

[Anonymous Coward]

the Cherry Reds are the loudest and the Cherry Blues are the quietest

Cherry Reds do not click, unless you bottom them out. I'm typing on them right now.
Blue = Clicky, strong spring.
Brown = Clicky, weak spring.
Black = No click, strong spring.
Red = No click, weak spring.

I bought a keyboard with reds after I hurt my hands, and wanted the easiest-to-type-on keyboard that I could find.
If the clicking bothers you (or your wife) you can buy a key cap puller, and a set of o-rings to put under the keys, so they don't even make noise when they bottom out.

Re:The best keyboard is the IIGS ADB original.

[tibit]

One of my favorite keyboards is the one from ABC 802. It doesn't have enough keys for use today, but for its intended uses it was perfect. The grey plate that surrounds the keys is 5mm solid aluminum plate. The included wrist rest is some sort of a wood-based composite, nicely insulating the carpal tunnel from the aluminum heatsink.

I still keep the little bugger in a closet and fire it up every now and then. And to think I've had email running on it, written in BASIC, running over serial TCP/IP at 19,200 bps. Yep, everything was in BASIC, the TCP/IP stack included. Obviousl, being busy with all that, my high school performance was otherwise "poor".

Their BASIC was to die for, the fastest BASIC I've ever used on a Z80 machine.

Re:The best keyboard is the IIGS ADB original.

[tibit]

To clarify: the keyboard in the picture is one of the two keyboards with the same style. I have the larger variant, not pictured, that has a numeric keypad and function keys.

Re:I hate those fsking keyboards.

[Matheus]

That reminds me of the cane episode of News Radio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

5:52 for the most relevant part but the whole is worth the watch :-)

"greatest keyboard" bull

[acroyear]

I was stuck with one on a DEC Alpha back in '94. Damn thing gave me carpal tunnel in a matter of days, and I refused to use the box until they replaced it with the contemporary version of the keyboards off a VT320.

Thirty Of Them

[the eric conspiracy]

Back in 2003 the company I was working for shared a building with GiantInsuranceCompany.

One day coming in to work I noticed that the dumpster near the entrance I used was overflowing with stuff.

The stuff was hundreds of Model M keyboards being thrown out. I snagged about 50 of them and gave about 20 away. Kept 30 for myself. Down to 20 now because I've gifted some more away. Over time I've picked up some new ones from EBay. Including a black one with nipple.

I wish I had appreciated the value of these fully. Back in the 1980's I had a 3101 terminal which had a very clicky keyboard so I knew I liked the feel. But I had no idea these would become almost a cult.

No they are not

[Sycraft-fu]

Noise is not arbitrary, you can objectively measure the sound level keyboards create. Now if you work alone, then sure, get what you like. However when you work with others you need to be considerate of them. Likewise there are noise critical environments where objective standards of silence need to be maintained.

Key activation force is also not this subjective matter. This is something that research has gone in to and low activation force is important to minimizing RSI. Ergonomics aren't something to just scoff at. Perhaps you are lucky and you have a body built such that you never have issues. However perhaps you aren't as lucky as you think and later in life you will have problems if you don't have a good ergonomic work setup. Thus it is a much better idea to work ergonomically and avoid problems.

Re:No they are not

[chispito]

I didn't say noise was unmeasurable. That's absurd. But the level of acceptable noise will vary widely by environment and by the personalities of your coworkers (to say nothing of home use), and since many people value audible feedback when typing, saying quieter is always better is arbitrary. Same with force. Surely some springs are too stiff, but others are too light and the keys wouldn't reset fast enough for a skilled typist.

One of the few bits of 80s tech still useful

[Anonymous Coward]

I've got mine, it was a birthday present from a gf after some very heavy hints were dropped when I was speccing my last pc (Ivybridge i7 w/ all the trimmings)

It is the absolute bomb, indestructible and I am convinced the weighty action is better from an rsi perspective.

Remap caps lock key to the windows key and you are good to go if you follow the dark side. Various devs I work with have modern mechanicals. Tbh, maybe they are marginally better in some respects but it puts a smile on my face every morning sitting down to type on this bad boy.

Keyboard Fail

[Anonymous Coward]

The ESC key is way off in Outer Mongolia, while the Caplock key is in a location conveniently hit by accident. This is a terribly designed key layout. Now, the magnetic-release keyboard that came with the AT&T (Teletype) 610 and 615 terminals, THAT was the Steinway of keyboards. The properly-located ESC key was perfect for vi, and the designers even knew how to properly label the RETURN key.

I guess I must be different...

[lord_mike]

I never understood the appeal of these keyboards. The clunkity-clunk was extremely hard on my wrists, and I developed carpal tunnel syndrome using them. Once I switched to a softer modern keyboard, my wrist problems disappeared. I found the Model M experience to be literally painful. No thanks.

Lots and lots of excellent keyboards

[Anonymous Coward]

http://steelseries.com/us/products/keyboards
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/
http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/keyboards/triggerz/
http://www.rosewill.com/products/1611/ProductDetail_Overview.htm
http://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/
http://pckeyboard.com/page/category/UKBD
http://us.coolermaster.com/product/Detail/gaming/keyboard/rapid.html
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/ . http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/
http://www.daskeyboard.com/
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/gaming-keyboards
http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g710plus-mechanical-gaming-keyboard
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-deathstalker-ultimate

I have one real Model M and one vintage clone

[mpercy]

An NMB Technologies RT8255C+. Have had them both for years and years. Lovely train of legacy to usb adapters on each of them too.

I also have 3 Logitech TrackMan Marble/FX. Bought two on ebay when they stopped being sold.

When forced to use different keyboard and normal mouse, can barely get through the day.

I've Never Understood The Appeal

[jdschulteis]

I despise the clicky, springy sound and the activation force is higher than I like.

In college, there were some terminals with Hall-effect keyboards that I liked, wish I could remember the model.

The Amiga 1000 keyboard was pretty good but the action was a little too light.

I'd take a Sun Type 5 over a Model M any day.

Don't Miss the Noise

[CrashNBrn]

Yeah, I sure didn't miss the noise when I eventually got a Compaq keyboard in the late 90's. Although, strangely enough, my favorite keyboard is a cheap-o model from iTronic, the Scorpius M1, which was $12 in 2005. It lasted about 6-7 years, but I damaged the plastic-circuit board cleaning it one too many times. Unfortunately, the only place you can still get them is in the England and Ireland, and no international shipping. Should of picked one up when they were still available in various European countries that *DID* do international shipping.

Now I'm making do with a Corsair K40, which I like quite a bit more than my old Logitech G15, although the back-lighting on the G15 is much brighter.

But while?

[Anonymous Coward]

But while? Where the crap did you go to school?

M Weapon

[MrKaos]

The best thing about a Model M is that to can render someone unconscious who complains about the noise it makes and resume typing immediately. If they don't go unconscious then you can continue assaulting them until they shut up. Meanwhile the M will keep going.

Additional Supply Depots Required

[Anonymous Coward]

Great for gaming as well

The M 2

[MrKaos]

I use a model M however them M2 model is smaller, lighter and still a really good keyboard.

eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can type much faster on a modern laptop style keyboard. Our hands and wrists handle flat keyboards a lot better. My fingers can move much faster with the very small indentations. It seems most that like the old school keyboards like the feel of the click. If someone made a flat keyboard with small key travel, but with the mechanical feel, I would buy it. As for now I'm on my third or fourth $50 HP Elite II.

N rollover

[MrKaos]

People also forget that the M doesn't loose keystokes just because the amount of keys you press exceed the keyboard rollover. Someone here will correct the details that I am too tired to share however this is also a nice feature of keyboards of that era. Modern keyboards seem to have lost that feature.

The model M SUCKED!

[Anonymous Coward]

The model M was the suckiest keyboard ever! Noisy with hard to press keys, and white letters on a black keyboard are easier on the eyes, just like white letters on a black screen. Oh, and my Lenovo keyboard (came with my off lease Lenovo Thinkcentre A60) is black with white letters, works great and has a pen/pencil slot above the function (F1-F12) keys.

Keytronic clone

[RubberDogBone]

My office spent a fair amount on a Keytronic clone of the Model M. It looked more or less identical and fell like you could kill someone will it, but the durability was actually a disaster. None of them lasted more than a few years.

We got new PCs with the cheap-in-the-box HP keyboards and those have held up for 8 years so far, hardly any problems. New Dell PCs replaced those but we kept the HP keyboards. Kinda weird but it worked. All the Keytronics went in the trash.

The moral here is that it may LOOK like a Model M, it may even sort of feel like you can kill someone with it. But it's got to be the real thing or nothing,

Unicomp customizer for $69

[Anonymous Coward]

No reason to buy an old junky dirty model m when u can have a new one with sub interface.

Hi Chelsea van Valkenburg.

[Anonymous Coward]

How's Toronto?
Or the trip to Massachusetts after hoodwinking some judge?

overrated

[YoungManKlaus]

I prefer my cherries: g80 with blues at home, mx board 3.0 with browns (because I dont want to drive my coworkers mad) at work. Esp. if you compare price/value.

Unicomp

[Anonymous Coward]

I've purchased 4 keyboards from Unicomp over the years. I'd replace them for various reasons, but they were like tanks. Unfortunately, the last one was definitely a cheaper build as the body would flex a lot. Alas, the shift key stopped working after 2 years. I replaced it with a cherry switch one.

das keyboard

[Anonymous Coward]

I use the das keyboard http://www.daskeyboard.com/. I love it.

CMStorm QuickFire is my Preference

[CAOgdin]

Tactile, provides sound, more compact, and is easy to open up to clean out the accumulated debris endemic to all individual-key keyboards. Connects via USB, and has never failed for me in two years. They are proof that quality CAN come from Taiwan.

The only evident problem is my particular/peculiar body chemistry: My body oils almost always wipe the legends atop the most-frequently-used keys (I can barely see the "E" right now). Anybody got a solution for that issue?

Not for me...

[Shirley Marquez]

The Model M was always too stiff and too noisy for my taste. But if you like them, have at it.

I do have a special clueless award for the company (some anonymous small manufacturer in Taiwan) that produced a LAPTOP with clicky keys. I ran into that one in the late 80s when I was working for a computer dealer; one of my jobs was testing new products that we were thinking of selling. I gave that a "don't even think about it" rating.

Old keyboards are great

[MoarSauce123]

I still use the first keyboard I ever bought. It is a Cherry G80-1000 (Made in Western Germany) that I got in the early 90s. See http://deskthority.net/wiki/Ch... I have to take it apart and clean it again, but other than that it works the same great way as it did when I took it out of the box. It was rather expensive back then, but it is probably the best tech investment I ever made. And the best: No Windows Keys! They constantly get in the way and there is something inherently wrong with linking general use hardware to some specific piece of software. The only downside of the G80-1000 is the current draw. It is right at the limit of what DIN->PS/2->USB converters can handle. When the cold, long winter days come I might look into hooking up a 5V power supply to the keyboard to give the USB converter a better chance. At times I also use these ultra cheap 2$ Dell keyboards....just horrible! If it has to be a cheap USB keyboard I'd go with the Logitech K120, have a few of those even as wireless version and they work quite nicely.

I've still got one of these...

[hyades1]

...but there's a keyboard I love even more. Nothing ever made, in my humble opinion, can match the old IBM Selectric typewriter keyboard. It was wide. It was flat. The keys were well separated. And the action on it was unparallelled.

I've got big hands (one of which has undergone some fairly serious repairs) and wide, spatulate fingertips. There has never been a keyboard I could get a higher speed on. I could actually go for brief stretches faster than the funny little type-ball could keep up with.

I weep bitter tears that it never translated well to computers. One of the DasKeyBoard models is close, but no cigar. And it costs an arm and a leg, of course.