Mechanical Keyboards

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Holy mother of crap.
...
URGHGHG.

Don't get me started on keyboards. My old Latitude had a great keyboard: same layout as the Thinkpads of the day. It had an insert/del, home/end, pgup/pgdn keyblock on the top right. When using that laptop, I didn't need to think of the fact that I was on a laptop; it just worked. It didn't have a numpad but OK; none of the (at the time) 15.4 inch notebooks did.

Now, all laptops have the weirdest layouts. Lenovo shot it's Thinkpad keyboards and clickpads to hell in both tactile feel and layout. Dell kept good keyboards, but shot the layout; now they have Home/End located ON the left/right arrow key, and thus require FN to be pressed to use it. PgUp and PgDn are now located to the left and right of the UP arrow key. They also removed the dedicated volume controls, and moved the brightness controls.

I'm constantly hitting the wrong keys on this notebook when I need Home/End, or PgUp/PgDn... but the sad part is that of all the business notebooks that have the features I want them to have, this one has the BEST keyboard. All the others are even crappier.

I wonder why manufactures are always jackassing with the keyboard layouts on notebooks.

Hell, they even jackass around with layouts on desktop keyboards, and that's just plain idiotic.

Can you get your hands on a WASD Code keyboard? I have one, with the heaviest clicking switch available (Cherry MX Green), and I like it a lot.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Now, all laptops have the weirdest layouts. Lenovo shot it's Thinkpad keyboards and clickpads to hell in both tactile feel and layout. Dell kept good keyboards, but shot the layout; now they have Home/End located ON the left/right arrow key, and thus require FN to be pressed to use it. PgUp and PgDn are now located to the left and right of the UP arrow key. They also removed the dedicated volume controls, and moved the brightness controls.

17" Dell laptops have a standard keyboard layout with separate numeric/cursor block. A great improvement over the weird layout of the 15" and smaller models.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Don't get me started on keyboards. My old Latitude had a great keyboard: same layout as the Thinkpads of the day. It had an insert/del, home/end, pgup/pgdn keyblock on the top right. When using that laptop, I didn't need to think of the fact that I was on a laptop; it just worked. It didn't have a numpad but OK; none of the (at the time) 15.4 inch notebooks did.
<SNIP>
I'm constantly hitting the wrong keys on this notebook when I need Home/End, or PgUp/PgDn... but the sad part is that of all the business notebooks that have the features I want them to have, this one has the BEST keyboard. All the others are even crappier.

URGHGHGH....in the "don't get me started" category, now, not only am I constantly--and, brother, I mean, CONSTANTLY--mistyping on the bloody Matias, but I'm mistyping on the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga, because the arrow keys, home/end keys, etc., are all in differently places. It's really driving me bats**t.

I wonder why manufactures are always jackassing with the keyboard layouts on notebooks.

No freaking idea. To get people to buy new stuff? The Apple mindset?

Hell, they even jackass around with layouts on desktop keyboards, and that's just plain idiotic.

, sorry. I mean, I'm beating it, not you.

Can you get your hands on a WASD Code keyboard? I have one, with the heaviest clicking switch available (Cherry MX Green), and I like it a lot.

No. I can do a few hours on the laptop (which is straight), but I can't do the hours I do on a straight keyboard, not any longer. These wrists and fingers have been around for a while, kiddo. ;-)

Hitch'

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by HarryT

17" Dell laptops have a standard keyboard layout with separate numeric/cursor block. A great improvement over the weird layout of the 15" and smaller models.

Now the 15.6 inch notebooks have a numberpad as well, but they moved the ins/del, home/end and pgup/pgdn keys. They removed the dedicated volume controls, as well as the dedicated WLAN-switch, They also moved the brightness and keyboard backlight controls.

And the new 17 inch precisions have the EXACT same layout as the 15 inch ones.

Originally Posted by Hitch

These wrists and fingers have been around for a while, kiddo. ;-)

"But... then you must be at least 60!"
- *shakes head*
"70?"
- *shakes head*
"You cannot be 80!"
- "87..."

Sorry, too good to pass up

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Now the 15.6 inch notebooks have a numberpad as well, but they moved the ins/del, home/end and pgup/pgdn keys. They removed the dedicated volume controls, as well as the dedicated WLAN-switch, They also moved the brightness and keyboard backlight controls.

And the new 17 inch precisions have the EXACT same layout as the 15 inch ones.



"But... then you must be at least 60!"
- *shakes head*
"70?"
- *shakes head*
"You cannot be 80!"
- "87..."

Sorry, too good to pass up

Ha, ha, ha. Yes, sweetums....60 it is. And no one is more surprised by that than I. Cute bit, that.

Hitch

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Can you get your hands on a WASD Code keyboard? I have one, with the heaviest clicking switch available (Cherry MX Green), and I like it a lot.

I have an IBM M series 101 key keyboard lying around, I used to LOVE that solid mechanical click. Probably still would prefer it if it had Windows keys and was wireless.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by ApK

I have an IBM M series 101 key keyboard lying around, I used to LOVE that solid mechanical click. Probably still would prefer it if it had Windows keys and was wireless.

You could try getting a keyboard with Cherry MX Green switches. It is as close as you can get to the Model M spring-keyboard without actually getting one.

Or, you could actually get a real spring-keyboard. Unicomp is one of the very few, maybe even the only one, who still makes them new.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

You could try getting a keyboard with Cherry MX Green switches. It is as close as you can get to the Model M spring-keyboard without actually getting one.

Or, you could actually get a real spring-keyboard. Unicomp is one of the very few, maybe even the only one, who still makes them new.

No wireless from either source it seems. I thought that would be a must-have feature by now.

[capidamonte]

Hey Hitch,

A backlit keyboard would probably never have the letters wear out -- you'd have to wear completely through the keycap. I'm sure there are split keyboards that are backlit, with mechanical switches. One of the experts here would know.

Hope you've been well!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by capidamonte

Hey Hitch,

A backlit keyboard would probably never have the letters wear out -- you'd have to wear completely through the keycap. I'm sure there are split keyboards that are backlit, with mechanical switches. One of the experts here would know.

Hope you've been well!

Hey, Cap:

I'm good, thanks. How's tricks with you? Drop me a line.

Hitch

[the.Mtn.Man]

I've been using a first generation WASD Keyboard with Cherry Browns for several years, and it's been a great keyboard. I love typing on it, and it's great for playing games, too. The quality of this keyboard is top notch. Even the custom printed key-caps show very little wear. I don't anticipate buying a new keyboard for at least another decade.

[the.Mtn.Man]

Originally Posted by capidamonte

A backlit keyboard would probably never have the letters wear out -- you'd have to wear completely through the keycap.

It depends on how they're printed. Some backlit keyboards use keycaps that simply cut a hole in the printing for light to shine through the letters, and these will wear out sooner or later, especially if it's a poor quality keyboard. You can see some examples of wear about half-way down the following page:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=52440.0

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

I've been using a first generation WASD Keyboard with Cherry Browns for several years, and it's been a great keyboard. I love typing on it, and it's great for playing games, too. The quality of this keyboard is top notch. Even the custom printed key-caps show very little wear. I don't anticipate buying a new keyboard for at least another decade.

Thanks. I actually still have some monstrously long-lasting non-ergo kb's myself. But I passed being able to type on a non-ergo about...4-5 years ago? Cap may actually remember better than I, when I decided to go Ergo in shape...I've blown through at least 10 kb's since he was working with some of my clients.

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

It depends on how they're printed. Some backlit keyboards use keycaps that simply cut a hole in the printing for light to shine through the letters, and these will wear out sooner or later, especially if it's a poor quality keyboard. You can see some examples of wear about half-way down the following page:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=52440.0

Oh, yeah. Nope, I don't need any more like that. It already looks like the Keyboard Graveyard here...where perfectly healthy keyboards go to die. Somewhere, little baby keyboards are told the scary story of the keyboard Boogeyman, and what happens to them if they aren't good little keyboards.

:-)

Hitch

[capidamonte]

I think some of you folks have acid fingers.

I don't think I've ever worn a single letter off a single key, never mind melting my way through the key cap!

I'm sure there is a good, solid keyboard for you Hitch, somewhere. I've seen some custom built keyboards, too. Maybe find an artisan?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by capidamonte

I think some of you folks have acid fingers.

I don't think I've ever worn a single letter off a single key, never mind melting my way through the key cap!

I'm sure there is a good, solid keyboard for you Hitch, somewhere. I've seen some custom built keyboards, too. Maybe find an artisan?

Hey, I'm a piker, in terms of how MUCH I type, compared to Tex2002ans! Lord! He's the only person I've met in dog's years that writes longer posts than I do.

(I recently installed Grammarly, both to test it for clients, and out of curiosity. I must say, it has a really handy live spell checker, which catches typos like bats catch mosquitos, even though I don't use it for grammar very much. They send weekly reports, about "how you're doing." I presume that their concept is that their users are seeking to improve, or whatever. Anyway, week-in, week-out, it tells me that I've typed more words than 99% of its registered users. DA--yahhhh-AAMN.)

Hitch