Ask Slashdot: What Kind of Keyboard Do You Use With Your Computer and Why?

An anonymous reader writes: Hello all. I am looking to buy a good mechanical keyboard for my everyday usage — programming and writing. I see some good offers on certain keyboards -- thanks to Black Friday deals. Just this week, Razer launched what looks like a good mechanical keyboard for people who are looking for a budget gear. One of the issues I have come across looking for a good keyboard is how most of them are designed for Windows OS by default. (I know you can customize keys, but.)

Slashdot has run keyboard discussion posts in the past -- the best laptop with best keyboard, greatest keyboard ever made, and quest to find a good keyboard , but I don't see any recent story on this. I was curious to know what kind of keyboard you use and why did you choose the one you have?

Comments

Alienware

[Anonymous Coward]

Last years black Friday i got myself an alienware 13 R3. Its keyboard was one of the main reasons. I had a macbook air and haven't looked back ever since.

Re:Alienware

[Joce640k]

I accidentally dropped it once and it didn't skip a beat.

Low expectations.

I expect a keyboard to break the floor when I drop it, not the other way around.

Re:Alienware

[The Grim Reefer]

Low expectations.

I expect a keyboard to break the floor when I drop it, not the other way around.

Found the model M user.

Re:Alienware

[Mal-2]

MX Red and MX Black and MX Clear and all the other linear switches don't really have a sound any more offputting than a clacky rubber dome. MX Brown just barely does. It's just the Blue and other clicky switches like Kailh Green that are known for being annoying. The real killer in an office environment is a Model M. Buckling spring keyboards are loud.

wikipedia: List of mechanical keyboards

[xose]

Select one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mechanical_keyboards

Re:wikipedia: List of mechanical keyboards

[Vrallis]

Sadly none of the ergonomic ones on that list fit what I want. Ideally I'd like to see a keyboard with the layout of the MS ergonomic keyboard but with proper mechanical keys.

I've used nothing but these split-style keyboards for nearly 20 years. I definitely think I've saved myself from needing carpal tunnel surgery in doing so, as it immediately relieved the wrist pains that started just before then.

Exotic Keyboards

[geekymachoman]

I just wish laptop people would stop inventing new stuff just for the sake of it.

Every time I buy a laptop, there's some retarded stuff going on ... last one I bought (low end) was Lenovo Ideapad 310. They put the shift key AFTER the arrow key up. It's like UI/UX people in web design, just making changes for the sake of it.

Check this out:
https://www.waresphere.com/sto...

Takes quite a while to adapt.

Daskeyboard Prime 13

[Michael64b]

https://www.daskeyboard.com/p/... - minimalist and white backlight.

Re:Can't go wrong with the Model M.

[luckytroll]

Unicomp buckling spring - if you want a traditional model M made by the same folks who produced the beasts for IBM, go there.

I have one for work and home, and they are tanks. And noisy. But they will have to bury me with mine as they will be unable to pry them from my cold dead hands.

Note - I have one with the integrated trackpoint mouse, but in the end it wasnt really worth the premium, except for those rare times I needed a console KB+M in a pinch and was out of USB ports.

Loving the quiet again.

[PopeRatzo]

After spending a bunch of money on mechanical keyboards, I finally figured out that I really prefer membrane keyboards for both gaming and typing. I never really enjoyed my mechanicals, but the hype was so strong that mechanical was the way to go that I kept trying, thinking that I just needed to find the right one.

Finally, I was in some store one day and they had a Razer Cynosa Chroma on display and I tried it and decided on the spot to give my mechanicals away to friends and now that Razer is my absolute favorite. Less than half the price of my cheapest mechanical, too.

Re:Loving the quiet again.

[Calydor]

Good. Cheap. Reliable.

Pick two.

IBM Model-M

[jrq]

IBM Model-M.
No contest.

KeyTronic E03601U1

[zamboni1138]

Allow me to introduce you to the KeyTronic E03601U1 full size 104 normal keys keyboard. Durable and reliable. Full size keys that don't have quite the pop/click of the old IBM lead monsters, but you'll know that you've hit the key. It's wired USB so you never have to worry about batteries dying. It does have a Windows key, but most non-Windows OS have a switch to control that key somewhere in the OS interface settings, so not sure why that would be an issue.

Re:KeyTronic E03601U1

[DERoss]

I have a Keytronic wired E6101U1 on my PC. I have tried others, and either they did not last or were not really suitable for my use. I chose Keytronic because:

* My wife's PC has a Keytronic on her PC, which was purchased more than 6 years ago. The keyboard is still in excellent condition.

* The E6101U1 is beige with black labeling on each key. This is easier to use than white labeling on black keys.

* The 12 function keys at the top are in groups of 4 with a space between each group. This allows me to find the function key I want without having to look at the keyboard.

* The Enter key is quite large. I cannot miss it.

* The shift keys are large (but not at large as the Enter key). Those too cannot be missed.

* The keys are all concave. I know by feel when my finger is centered on a key.

* The back of the keyboard has feet to provide a good tilt.

* The keyboard is straight, not curved. I learned typing on a manual typewriter some 60 years ago, when all keyboards were straight. I am a long-time touch-typist, and I could not comfortably use a curved keyboard.

* I still pound keys hard because that was necessary with a manual typewriter. This does not seem to affect my keyboard.

Re:KeyTronic E03601U1

[Mal-2]

No more beige keyboards. They always get so fantastically filthy, so fast. I also don't want a big-ass Enter key (yes that's actually what high-end keyboard enthusiasts call it) that just serves to make Backspace that much harder to find.

Re:KeyTronic E03601U1

[toddestan]

The place I worked previously had piles of those. They used to have a local company build whitebox PC's and that was the standard issue keyboard. They weren't terrible, but looked and felt like a knock-off of the Model M. They were kind of mushy but otherwise had good feel, travel, and spacing. Beige dominated, especially since they held out switching from biege cases as long as possible, but there were a few black versions around too. They also came with a Keytronic mouse which was absolute garbage.

They eventually switched to Lenovo, and to be honest the standard issue Lenovo corporate keyboard isn't bad as inexpensive keyboards go. I have one at work as it's the best I can do without going through the rigamarole of getting a "special" keyboard. Otherwise, it's a choice between what's in the supply cabinet - various Microsoft models (some are decent depending on the model), and Dell (mostly crap, except for some old PS/2 models).

Logitech Wave - for arthritis/Security Concerns

[mykepredko]

I find the shaped keyboards to work best with my arthritis. Either the Logitech or Microsoft feels better for long sessions of coding/typing.

My biggest concern is the Logitech Set Point software when I'm working on my Windows machine. I really shouldn't have installed it. The keyboard works fine on my Linux development machine and doesn't require Set Point.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Re:Logitech Wave - for arthritis/Security Concerns

[whoever57]

I find the shaped keyboards to work best with my arthritis.

This. I don't have significant arthritis, but even so, the shaped ("ergonomic") keyboards are much better to use than anything else. I don't understand how people use the rectangular ones if they use a keyboard all day.

As much as I hate everything Microsoft, I use their keyboards at home and at work.

Keyboard? What's a keyboard?

[LynnwoodRooster]

I svitdhfd yfars afo tp tie Appmf Whefl!

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

[ToTheStars]

My wrists yellowline pretty quickly when I have to type on a rectangular keyboard. The split keyboard works like a charm!

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard

[mspring]

...4000, because my wrists really need the split design and my muscle memory needs the standard cursor and number block. I'd be happy to try out another brand with these these 2 must-have features, if someone were to point out one.

Re:Can't go wrong with the Model M.

[Anonymous Coward]

Model M - accept no substitutes, my daily driver.

  Unicomp keyboards don't last very long. I have tried them, the electronics always fail shortly after the warranty. If it does fail within warranty, Unicomp ALWAYS claims liquid damage, even when there is none.

Re:The one that comes with it

[Calydor]

The proper tools are two thirds of the work. You CAN hammer a nail into a piece of wood using a rock, but a hammer makes it so much easier and more accurate.

I wish somebody would make a mechanical

[rsilvergun]

with that layout. I'm on a MS Natural too (one of the older ones). I like the layout but I miss mechanical switches.

Simple

[freeze128]

What keyboard do I use?

Wired.

It's just a dell keyboard that came with the computer. It doesn't have clicky switches, or RGB LEDs, or music navigation buttons, or a volume control, or even the power/sleep/suspend keys. It's just a keyboard.

Why?

Security. Simplicity. Availability. Affordability.

My requirements for a keyboard? It needs to have an ENTER key that is NOT shaped like an "L", and the backslash should be placed just above the ENTER key.

Re:Simple

[Dunbal]

If I was really paranoid I'd go for something well-shielded (so no listening in on stray EM) and as silent as possible (so no reverse engineering type from sound).

Doesn't really make much difference when your OS is spying on you anyway...

Laptop Ergonomics...

[Dr. Evil]

I felt that way before I was 25 or so. I even swore by the IBM Trackpoint. Never needed to take my fingers off the keyboard.

In their late 20's, most people's shoulders, necks, backs and wrists start to ache either reaching up to the keyboard, or leaning over their display. It's ok for short periods of time, but after more than a few days...

If not, count yourself lucky.

Inverted dvorak

[goombah99]

I use a split keyboard arranged devorak style and and I swap the left and right hand units. That way not even people who know dvorak can type on my keyboard.

Re:Can't go wrong with the Model M.

[DontBeAMoran]

Keyboard? I've been using it to cut down christmas trees!

Re:Can't go wrong with the Model M.

[SGT CAPSLOCK]

If n-key rollover is important to you, do not buy a Unicomp. They don't support that. I learned the hard way.

Re:Arthrititis? Try remapping key...

[Mal-2]

Mapping Caps Lock to Backspace is more useful than mapping it to Enter.

Re:Lots ...

[CaptainDork]

I a two-finger pounder. I never learned to type. I was a programmer who wrote thoughtfully, so speed was not that important.

I did hire a propeller head who was an awesome, brilliant programmer, but typed so fast that he made a lot of mistakes. I handed cleanup over to a cooler head.

I'll sure look at the double-shot keys. Thank you.

Plug

[ElizabethGreene]

Logitech deserves a look for their Unifying line of wireless kit. They have been incredibly reliable for me, latency low enough that I don't notice them, and the batteries last forever.

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro from 1999

[JakFrost]

I am still using the old Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro from 1999 both at home and at work through the PS/2 connector event thought it has USB also. I used the original Microsoft Natural Keyboard from 1994 before that but I had to switch it for some reason or another and that one had the old large AT connector on it. My next one is most likely going to be the 4000 or 7000 model depending on which one I find when one of these breaks.

I still have the Elite version of the keyboard given to me by a friend as a backup for my media center PC when I need to fix the thing after Linux goes nuts on it once in a blue moon or thrice a decade.

Ergonomics

I like the ergonomic split angle design and the convex shape of the key plane with a nice wide wrist rest and natural angle for my wrists towards my forearms and elbows which rest on the arm-rests. It just seems natural towards the body's posture versus trying to bend your wrists outwards to type. I'm a wide shouldered person at over 6-feet tall who lifts weights and has developed shoulders with thick forearms and upper arms so having some space and being able to spread my arms away from my body to type is a must.

Cleaning

I clean this keyboard twice or thrice a decade also whenever it gets disgusting enough or in case something gets spilled into it, which is so rare after so many years of developing muscle memory of avoiding drinks on the right side of the keyboard where the mouse is and most of the movements take place. Drinks and water only on the left side has worked for me for 3-decades of keyboard usage.

Mechanical vs Membrane

I've been following up and reading stories on the trend of mechanical keyboards with their cherry keys of different colors and resistance levels and better controllers that prevented key ghosting and allows more keys to be pressed at the same time and I didn't care for any of that marketing hog-wash even through I used to play fast twitch FPS games back in the old days of Doom, Quake 1 & 3, and all the modern shooters.

I've had co-workers exalt the benefits to me of mechanical switches over membranes and the amazing original IBM Model M keyboard design but I don't see or feel the benefits. It seems like just another fad and skipped it. All of those keyboards also lacked an ergonomical angled split design and were designed for WASD games whereas I'm an ESDF gamer for the movement keys.

IBM Model M

I used the original IBM Model M in my youth at libraries or in school and I did not like it because of the height of the keys, concave slope of the key plane, the force required to depress the keys, and the very loud and annoying clacking sound that the keys made. Also the gap between the keys and the housing was so large that it sucked dirt and debris in so easily.

I'm not sure why people like it but then again the fad of the Hipsters liking old stuff just because it's old so that they can be unique unicorns that are misunderstood about their coolness due to rarity is also something that I don't get nor understand, I'm guess I'm too old after my 4-decades here.

Re:Stop ignoring the elephant in the room!

[Scarletdown]

A good, or even acceptable keyboard just plain does not exist.>

Don't worry. It will get better for you when your opposable thumbs develop. :D

Matias Tactile Pro

[fyngyrz]

I presently use a Matias Tactile Pro 4.

Pros:

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

Cons:

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

And...

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