Cherry, the mechanical king
March 5, 2016 9:28 AM Subscribe
As developers, we all have preferences in the tools we use for work: a powerful machine, one (or two) large screens, having the freedom to choose our OS, our IDE, etc....
Yet in most companies, we rarely pay the the same level of attention to keyboards.
I just expensed a $250 keyboard, so no, I do pay a goddamn amount of attention to it
posted by hleehowon at 9:42 AM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by hleehowon at 9:42 AM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
Yes! Another political thread!
I'm using a Das Keyboard nowadays but it's too loud to be used in a crowded work environment. Frankly I'm pretty much fine with standard-issue mushy $10 no-brand keyboards. I'm much more picky about having a decent mouse.
Ergonomic keyboards are an entirely different country. I know someone who uses a Safetype, which is a keyboard which has two rear-view mirrors hanging off the sides so you can see the backs of your own hands.
My favorite keyboard of all time is the first one I ever typed on, integrated into the TI Silent 700. I salvaged the keyboard from a busted unit a few years ago; it's over thirty years old and it still chugs. Each individual key has its own hall effect sensor, so it's basically indestructible. Unfortunately it's useless for day-to-day programming since it lacks many useful keys, like curly braces, and I don't have patience for trigraphs.
posted by phooky at 9:43 AM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm using a Das Keyboard nowadays but it's too loud to be used in a crowded work environment. Frankly I'm pretty much fine with standard-issue mushy $10 no-brand keyboards. I'm much more picky about having a decent mouse.
Ergonomic keyboards are an entirely different country. I know someone who uses a Safetype, which is a keyboard which has two rear-view mirrors hanging off the sides so you can see the backs of your own hands.
My favorite keyboard of all time is the first one I ever typed on, integrated into the TI Silent 700. I salvaged the keyboard from a busted unit a few years ago; it's over thirty years old and it still chugs. Each individual key has its own hall effect sensor, so it's basically indestructible. Unfortunately it's useless for day-to-day programming since it lacks many useful keys, like curly braces, and I don't have patience for trigraphs.
posted by phooky at 9:43 AM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Using a mechanical keyboard in an office without o-rings (or a Cherry Blue in an office period) ought to be banned under the Geneva Convention.
posted by Itaxpica at 9:51 AM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Itaxpica at 9:51 AM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
i have an RT3200. it's not mechanical but it is compact and has a trackpoint and buttons, so you can use it elevated / on your knees / wherever without wondering about a mouse.
posted by andrewcooke at 9:52 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by andrewcooke at 9:52 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh boy. My current daily driver is a Matias Tactile Pro keyboard (with ALPs clone switches). I find it pretty strange, though, that the mech craze is really taking off now, since most of the up and coming developers are too young to really have used mechanical keyboards when they came standard with pcs. I always figured the need for tactile feedback was drilled into me from using Apple and IBM systems at school, but kids these days grew up in a mushy, rubber-dome, Windows XP world. Not that I'm complaining: there has never been a wider range of keyboard options than today.
posted by dis_integration at 9:54 AM on March 5, 2016
posted by dis_integration at 9:54 AM on March 5, 2016
For a while, I was completely enamored with the Code Keyboard, but whenever I had some money to drop on one, they were sold out.
Eventually, I just settled for a Ducky Zero from the local Microcenter.
Even if it isn't a top of the line mechanical, comparing it to a cheapo bubble keyboard is like comparing night to day.
posted by pan at 10:01 AM on March 5, 2016
Eventually, I just settled for a Ducky Zero from the local Microcenter.
Even if it isn't a top of the line mechanical, comparing it to a cheapo bubble keyboard is like comparing night to day.
posted by pan at 10:01 AM on March 5, 2016
While I'd be interested in a mechanical keyboard, I haven't yet seen an ergo model with the same layout as the MS Natural keyboard I currently use, and don't really want to bother with some strange layout, which a lot of the ergo mechanicals seem to have.
posted by Aleyn at 10:05 AM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Aleyn at 10:05 AM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
I have two desks, one standing and one sitting, and use Das Keyboard 4 Professionals with Blue Switchs at both.
A quality keyboard is easily the most important part of my workstation. The improvement in comfort is staggering. I unreservedly recommend them to anyone that types for more than a few hours a day. On the rare occasions I have to work at someone else's machine (eg on site or in an office) I always take my own keyboard with me.
I've always felt deeply sorry for workers who have to wear employer issued shoes, and in the last few years I'm somewhat zealously taken the same mindset into keyboards.
Seriously - get a superb keyboard, monitor and chair before you pay any thought whatsoever to your computer's processor, ram or disk technology. I would downgrade every component in my computer before I gave up on a heavy metal based keyboard with cherry switches (blue ideally, brown if not).
And if you program at an apple laptop all day (I see many of you around, so I know you exist) - please stop. You're weirding me out. Makes me wonder if there is some parallel human physiology evolving that medical science has overlooked.
posted by samworm at 10:10 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
A quality keyboard is easily the most important part of my workstation. The improvement in comfort is staggering. I unreservedly recommend them to anyone that types for more than a few hours a day. On the rare occasions I have to work at someone else's machine (eg on site or in an office) I always take my own keyboard with me.
I've always felt deeply sorry for workers who have to wear employer issued shoes, and in the last few years I'm somewhat zealously taken the same mindset into keyboards.
Seriously - get a superb keyboard, monitor and chair before you pay any thought whatsoever to your computer's processor, ram or disk technology. I would downgrade every component in my computer before I gave up on a heavy metal based keyboard with cherry switches (blue ideally, brown if not).
And if you program at an apple laptop all day (I see many of you around, so I know you exist) - please stop. You're weirding me out. Makes me wonder if there is some parallel human physiology evolving that medical science has overlooked.
posted by samworm at 10:10 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love love love my IBM Model m's (I have 5, including a cherished 84 key Model M Mini, but I'm also really really fond of my Matias keyboard, like dis_integration.
I have a Das Keyboard stashed away, but I never really cottoned on to the Cherry MX switches (too thin feeling, and the click doesn't sound right to these buckling-spring trained ears.
One of these days I will break down and buy a Happy Hacking Professional 2, as I've lusted after Topre switches for years, but I'll probably wait until they upgrade the internal USB hub to 3.0.
posted by namewithoutwords at 10:10 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a Das Keyboard stashed away, but I never really cottoned on to the Cherry MX switches (too thin feeling, and the click doesn't sound right to these buckling-spring trained ears.
One of these days I will break down and buy a Happy Hacking Professional 2, as I've lusted after Topre switches for years, but I'll probably wait until they upgrade the internal USB hub to 3.0.
posted by namewithoutwords at 10:10 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
This at work (self-supplied, that crap Bluetooth chiclet Apple keyboard is terrible AND a battery hog).
This at home.
posted by linux at 10:12 AM on March 5, 2016
This at home.
posted by linux at 10:12 AM on March 5, 2016
I'm in the small minority of developers that prefers the chiclet style (Mac keyboards are this style). I guess because that's what I learned on? Also as a very small woman with very small hands, perhaps that has some bearing physically on what I prefer. For example, I can't play a regular guitar, I have to have a children's guitar.
posted by melissam at 10:13 AM on March 5, 2016
posted by melissam at 10:13 AM on March 5, 2016
Oh, and both at home and work I have this for a mouse.
posted by linux at 10:14 AM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by linux at 10:14 AM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Peasants.
I built my own KB, laser cut stainless plate and freehand matrix soldering. Most keys are tactile stiff not clicky cherry clears, with caps lock a cherry blue with cherry black strong spring to make it harder to press on purpose and to give feedback when one does. All the other modifiers are clicky too.
The driver is based on an atmega microcontroller, with unlimited key rollover and macros. An extra modifier key beneath the soacebar puts all the programming brackets in the home row.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 10:21 AM on March 5, 2016 [18 favorites]
I built my own KB, laser cut stainless plate and freehand matrix soldering. Most keys are tactile stiff not clicky cherry clears, with caps lock a cherry blue with cherry black strong spring to make it harder to press on purpose and to give feedback when one does. All the other modifiers are clicky too.
The driver is based on an atmega microcontroller, with unlimited key rollover and macros. An extra modifier key beneath the soacebar puts all the programming brackets in the home row.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 10:21 AM on March 5, 2016 [18 favorites]
If I wanted to get a fancy-ass mechanical Mac keyboard, but not piss everyone off on the conference call with my loud clicky-clicks, what should I be looking at?
posted by sideshow at 10:21 AM on March 5, 2016
posted by sideshow at 10:21 AM on March 5, 2016
If I wanted to get a fancy-ass mechanical Mac keyboard, but not piss everyone off on the conference call with my loud clicky-clicks, what should I be looking at?
The Cherry MX Brown switches on the keyboard I have for work noted above are nice: still has a tactile bump but not as stiff as Clears (or non-existent like my Cherry Red at home, which may also be a possibility if you are a light typist that doesn't need the bump to tell you you are about to bottom out).
posted by linux at 10:26 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Cherry MX Brown switches on the keyboard I have for work noted above are nice: still has a tactile bump but not as stiff as Clears (or non-existent like my Cherry Red at home, which may also be a possibility if you are a light typist that doesn't need the bump to tell you you are about to bottom out).
posted by linux at 10:26 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Using a mechanical keyboard in an office without o-rings (or a Cherry Blue in an office period) ought to be banned under the Geneva Convention.
I've offered to get o-rings, but my coworkers don't seem to care (Cherry Red at work, because I'm not enough of a jerk to bring in the Cherry Blue I use at home.)
I deliberately keep my keyboard at work filthy so nobody's inclined to poach it, since it's not like work is paying for me to have functional wrists/hands/arms. My mechanical keyboard is mine.
posted by asperity at 10:27 AM on March 5, 2016
I've offered to get o-rings, but my coworkers don't seem to care (Cherry Red at work, because I'm not enough of a jerk to bring in the Cherry Blue I use at home.)
I deliberately keep my keyboard at work filthy so nobody's inclined to poach it, since it's not like work is paying for me to have functional wrists/hands/arms. My mechanical keyboard is mine.
posted by asperity at 10:27 AM on March 5, 2016
The new Cherry MX Silent switches are a nice way to get mechanical switches that won't wake the household or drive coworkers nuts.
Shame Corsair has a timed exclusive on them and is only using them for their Strafe RGB - neat keyboard in a lot of ways, but it requires special third-party drivers for Linux, and the keycaps are in that special "gamer" fugly font.
posted by dragoon at 10:28 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Shame Corsair has a timed exclusive on them and is only using them for their Strafe RGB - neat keyboard in a lot of ways, but it requires special third-party drivers for Linux, and the keycaps are in that special "gamer" fugly font.
posted by dragoon at 10:28 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I feel like developers I know are mostly in the "everybody has some opinion about input devices" bucket, though there's a remarkable lack of consistency about what opinion.
I love my Model Ms, and it warms the cockles of my heart that you can still buy new ones from Unicomp, but mostly when I'm not actively using a ThinkPad, I roll with this little guy.
posted by brennen at 10:31 AM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
I love my Model Ms, and it warms the cockles of my heart that you can still buy new ones from Unicomp, but mostly when I'm not actively using a ThinkPad, I roll with this little guy.
posted by brennen at 10:31 AM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
sideshow: "If I wanted to get a fancy-ass mechanical Mac keyboard, but not piss everyone off on the conference call with my loud clicky-clicks, what should I be looking at?"
Either the Matias Quiet Pro or Mini Quiet Pro depending on your size preference.
posted by namewithoutwords at 10:33 AM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Either the Matias Quiet Pro or Mini Quiet Pro depending on your size preference.
posted by namewithoutwords at 10:33 AM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
I hate how all the nice keyboard have those stupid techno typefaces that pretend like only 90 degree angles exist. Like can I just get some courier new-type shit? Does that really have to be aspirational? Looks like a goddamn Windows 98 astronaut screensaver. Might as well make the same noises.
posted by oceanjesse at 10:44 AM on March 5, 2016
posted by oceanjesse at 10:44 AM on March 5, 2016
I have a giant mechanical beast that I scrounged off a Wang mini; this week one of the PC support guys asked why I had a chain of three adapters coming off the front of my computer and I just smiled and bashed a few keys in explanation.
I will Amir that it's hard to take notes on conference calls, though: it sounds like I'm at a dominoes tournament or something.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:58 AM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
I will Amir that it's hard to take notes on conference calls, though: it sounds like I'm at a dominoes tournament or something.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:58 AM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
What really needs to be a thing is vertical mouses. So much more ergonomic!
posted by oceanjesse at 10:59 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by oceanjesse at 10:59 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have 2 or 3 M's. I do like the feel very much, but I often miss not having the Windows key to move and resize windows quickly.
They're also getting old, and I was unable to open them up for cleaning.
posted by MtDewd at 11:01 AM on March 5, 2016
They're also getting old, and I was unable to open them up for cleaning.
posted by MtDewd at 11:01 AM on March 5, 2016
Yeah, oceanjesse, agreed. I have a goldtouch at work but I just got it because I don't want a num pad. For me the input device that saves my wrist is my vertical mouse. Keyboards don't make as much of a difference, but if I use a conventional mouse for more than about twenty minutes I feel it the next day. I'm not actually in love with the Evoluent vertical mouse that my work provided me - it's too big for my hands - but it seems like there aren't that many options out there. Or there weren't the last time I shopped around, anyway.
posted by town of cats at 11:15 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by town of cats at 11:15 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a cherry mx blue wasd code and it works very well for me. Notable also is that they will outfit you with various colors and patterns at a reasonable price.
posted by poe at 11:17 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by poe at 11:17 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm not a programmer, but I do spend a lot of time behind a keyboard. Back when I had a desktop, I loved my trackball mouse. Haven't used normal mice in years, except when helping my mother with her computer.
Nowadays, I live inside a Thinkpad X201* and compated to those old style Thinkpad keyboards, other laptop keyboards are always pretty underwhelming. Plus: no mouse needed, because trackpoint. I love my Thinkpad.
*) I'm rather compact myself, too, so that works well.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:19 AM on March 5, 2016
Nowadays, I live inside a Thinkpad X201* and compated to those old style Thinkpad keyboards, other laptop keyboards are always pretty underwhelming. Plus: no mouse needed, because trackpoint. I love my Thinkpad.
*) I'm rather compact myself, too, so that works well.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:19 AM on March 5, 2016
Love the Cherry mechanic switches, they make an enormous difference in comfort and avoiding wrist injury.
The best keyboard layout is the 87 key. (It is known.) Unless you really do a lot of 10-key or are left handed, the numeric keypad takes up valuable space that should be occupied by your mouse.
I do like the low profile wired Apple keyboards though. I'm envious of a keyboard that the Genius nerds get but isn't for sale. It's tiny, like the Apple wireless keyboard, but it has a USB interface.
posted by Nelson at 11:27 AM on March 5, 2016
The best keyboard layout is the 87 key. (It is known.) Unless you really do a lot of 10-key or are left handed, the numeric keypad takes up valuable space that should be occupied by your mouse.
I do like the low profile wired Apple keyboards though. I'm envious of a keyboard that the Genius nerds get but isn't for sale. It's tiny, like the Apple wireless keyboard, but it has a USB interface.
posted by Nelson at 11:27 AM on March 5, 2016
My keyboard is an 1897 Saturn typewriter, loving restored by Swiss artisans and converted for electricity by the great-grandson of Joseph Swan. To suit my unique and adorably idiosyncratic typing style, the keys have been replaced with scarab beetles, their wing-cases inset with delicate gold filigree and precious stones. The keyboard driver was hand-turned from the tusk of a narwhal and soaked in exotic scented oils.
posted by pipeski at 11:40 AM on March 5, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 11:40 AM on March 5, 2016 [12 favorites]
I love my Model Ms, and it warms the cockles of my heart that you can still buy new ones from Unicomp,
When I see a discussion of keyboards (and there seem to be a lot of them, regardless of the framing here) there’s always mention of Model M’s but rarely the fact that they still make them, in the USA.
Has anyone used one? Opinions?
posted by bongo_x at 11:53 AM on March 5, 2016
When I see a discussion of keyboards (and there seem to be a lot of them, regardless of the framing here) there’s always mention of Model M’s but rarely the fact that they still make them, in the USA.
Has anyone used one? Opinions?
posted by bongo_x at 11:53 AM on March 5, 2016
Love the Cherry mechanic switches, they make an enormous difference in comfort and avoiding wrist injury.
How? It appears that they take more effort than scissor switches (or does that help somehow?)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:57 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
How? It appears that they take more effort than scissor switches (or does that help somehow?)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:57 AM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a Filco w/ Cherry Reds, and when I got mine, everyone else in the room with me got something similar. Once we all had the o-rings in place, it was a tolerable environment again, and we all felt like we typed better--more correctly, more crisply, paying a bit more attention--as if we were writing with fountain pens.
However, a different problem than carpal tunnel has shown up for me over long term use of it: muscle tension in my forearms requiring special stretching to avoid forearm cramping. It shows up as pain in my wrist, but it's treated with self-massage and stretching of the finger ligaments daily (let me know if you'd like me to describe the stretches, which are pretty simple).
It appears that they take more effort than scissor switches (or does that help somehow?)
They do take a bit more effort, though it's less of an increase in required force with proper form, namely pushing straight down on the key rather than mashing downwards, like a pianist is taught to do. That helps avoid carpal tunnel, apparently, but it's still a repetitive motion.
posted by fatbird at 12:03 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
However, a different problem than carpal tunnel has shown up for me over long term use of it: muscle tension in my forearms requiring special stretching to avoid forearm cramping. It shows up as pain in my wrist, but it's treated with self-massage and stretching of the finger ligaments daily (let me know if you'd like me to describe the stretches, which are pretty simple).
It appears that they take more effort than scissor switches (or does that help somehow?)
They do take a bit more effort, though it's less of an increase in required force with proper form, namely pushing straight down on the key rather than mashing downwards, like a pianist is taught to do. That helps avoid carpal tunnel, apparently, but it's still a repetitive motion.
posted by fatbird at 12:03 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've been using a Kinesis (well, several Kineses) for about 20 years — not the gimmicky-looking Freestyle reviewed in the article, but the separate-well, ortholinear ones currently known as the Advantage. It's expensive, but it saved me from terrible wrist pain. And the layout significantly improved my typing speed. I sometimes think I should buy a couple for a strategic reserve in case they ever go out of business.
I did use what must have been a Model F, the predecessor to the Model M, on an original IBM PC when I was a teenager. I mainly remember that it was LOUD.
posted by mubba at 12:27 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I did use what must have been a Model F, the predecessor to the Model M, on an original IBM PC when I was a teenager. I mainly remember that it was LOUD.
posted by mubba at 12:27 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
The best keyboard layout is the 87 key.
I spent a summer doing data entry mostly on a 10-key pad and ever since it's been much faster and more comfortable to enter a number of 3 or more digits by moving my hand to the keypad than reaching "all the way up there" to the number keys above the letters (they feel sooo much farther away than the keypad).
posted by straight at 12:37 PM on March 5, 2016
I spent a summer doing data entry mostly on a 10-key pad and ever since it's been much faster and more comfortable to enter a number of 3 or more digits by moving my hand to the keypad than reaching "all the way up there" to the number keys above the letters (they feel sooo much farther away than the keypad).
posted by straight at 12:37 PM on March 5, 2016
It's kind of hipster, but I bought myself a Code Keyboard with Cherry MX Clears for work that I absolutely love for lots of sitting and coding. I have a Das at home with browns that I bought first, but while I thought they'd be a good compromise, I find the action way too soft. On the clears I can type at a comfortable force level without bottoming out; the browns almost always bottom out for me. Sure, I COULD learn to type more softly, but at 30+, I suspect I'm fairly set in my ways. Also, the textured plastic on the Code is really wonderful in a way that the smudged-up glossy material of the Das isn't. Small things, but when so much of your life and work is interfacing with computers, a little improvement goes a long way.
One of my coworkers is really into alternate input devices and keeps talking up the benefits of a layout like ErgoDox. I would love to try one but at ~$260 buyin on massdrop with significant assembly required, I'm not really feeling it as an experiment.
posted by Alterscape at 12:48 PM on March 5, 2016
One of my coworkers is really into alternate input devices and keeps talking up the benefits of a layout like ErgoDox. I would love to try one but at ~$260 buyin on massdrop with significant assembly required, I'm not really feeling it as an experiment.
posted by Alterscape at 12:48 PM on March 5, 2016
Also, what straight said about crunchpads! I use mine for both data entry and camera control in 3D CAD and art software, so it's multiply valuable.
posted by Alterscape at 12:49 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by Alterscape at 12:49 PM on March 5, 2016
When the heck did rubber domes become "classic"? Conventional maybe, classic no.
posted by Mitheral at 12:51 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by Mitheral at 12:51 PM on March 5, 2016
The thing I don't get about most mechanical keyboards is that the form factor is still the same old terrible rectangle. If you touch-type, your wrists have to make a slight outward bend to get onto the home row and that's terrible for your tendons and nerves. But I have super broad shoulders so maybe I'm more vulnerable to this.
So, for me, it's Kinesis Advantage or GTFO. Those things saved my career in the late nineties and I've got a stockpile of them because I fear Kinesis Corp. disappearing like every other niche tech company I've loved.
I wish they made an Advantage with the trendy switch keys, I could hit 60wpm @ 110dB with one on those.
posted by Sauce Trough at 12:51 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
So, for me, it's Kinesis Advantage or GTFO. Those things saved my career in the late nineties and I've got a stockpile of them because I fear Kinesis Corp. disappearing like every other niche tech company I've loved.
I wish they made an Advantage with the trendy switch keys, I could hit 60wpm @ 110dB with one on those.
posted by Sauce Trough at 12:51 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
Peasants.
I built my own KB, laser cut stainless plate and freehand matrix soldering. Most keys are tactile stiff not clicky cherry clears, with caps lock a cherry blue with cherry black strong spring to make it harder to press on purpose and to give feedback when one does. All the other modifiers are clicky too.
The driver is based on an atmega microcontroller, with unlimited key rollover and macros. An extra modifier key beneath the soacebar puts all the programming brackets in the home row.
Amateur. I flip all my bits manually with a laser pointer and an electron microscope.
posted by Itaxpica at 12:54 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I built my own KB, laser cut stainless plate and freehand matrix soldering. Most keys are tactile stiff not clicky cherry clears, with caps lock a cherry blue with cherry black strong spring to make it harder to press on purpose and to give feedback when one does. All the other modifiers are clicky too.
The driver is based on an atmega microcontroller, with unlimited key rollover and macros. An extra modifier key beneath the soacebar puts all the programming brackets in the home row.
Amateur. I flip all my bits manually with a laser pointer and an electron microscope.
posted by Itaxpica at 12:54 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
So, for me, it's Kinesis Advantage or GTFO.
This is the truth. I got my first Kinesis so long ago, I think it had an AT connector. Bar none the best keyboards I've ever used, and took me from having serious wrist problems at a pretty young age, to at this point years and years of no problems whatsoever.
Every other supposedly ergonomic keyboard I've tried seems like a joke in comparison.
posted by tocts at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is the truth. I got my first Kinesis so long ago, I think it had an AT connector. Bar none the best keyboards I've ever used, and took me from having serious wrist problems at a pretty young age, to at this point years and years of no problems whatsoever.
Every other supposedly ergonomic keyboard I've tried seems like a joke in comparison.
posted by tocts at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
I appreciate that there are ergonomic concerns underlying choice of keyboard (although I'll note that moving to a chiclet keyboard correlated with my wrist tendonitis going away), and that it's completely reasonable to want to have something you use for hours a day be comfortable and aesthetically pleasing for you, but the Cherry fetish drives me up the fucking wall because, at least at my work place, it's a shibboleth people use to distinguish themselves from the casuals (not non-programmers, just programmers who are insufficiently hardcore), same as with every other tool discussion. Programmers ruin everything.
posted by invitapriore at 1:18 PM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by invitapriore at 1:18 PM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
Supposedly an updated Advantage is due out this year: geekhack thread (user natas206 works for Kinesis)
Put me in the "ergo shape trumps switch type" category. The current MS sculpt keyboard is pretty decent for $60, if you can live with laptop style keys.
posted by strange chain at 1:50 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Put me in the "ergo shape trumps switch type" category. The current MS sculpt keyboard is pretty decent for $60, if you can live with laptop style keys.
posted by strange chain at 1:50 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Being a perfectionist, I even use a USB cable hand-made by a small UK company called PexonPC.
This sounds like they make them out of leftover "zero oxygen!" stereo cables.
posted by sneebler at 2:14 PM on March 5, 2016
This sounds like they make them out of leftover "zero oxygen!" stereo cables.
posted by sneebler at 2:14 PM on March 5, 2016
I found the mechanical switches help my typing-related pain because I no longer "bottom out" the key, which then sends a jolt back up the finger to the wrist. Instead I just press deep enough to trigger the switch, then release. Totally unscientific opinion of course.
Another Kinesis Advantage fan, btw, they saved my programming career some 20 years ago. The key innovation there is a lot more work is moved to your thumbs, particularly for the Ctrl key and the like. I no longer need to use them so switched back to a normal layout (better for gaming), but I hold on to a couple of old Advantage keyboards just in case.
posted by Nelson at 2:19 PM on March 5, 2016
Another Kinesis Advantage fan, btw, they saved my programming career some 20 years ago. The key innovation there is a lot more work is moved to your thumbs, particularly for the Ctrl key and the like. I no longer need to use them so switched back to a normal layout (better for gaming), but I hold on to a couple of old Advantage keyboards just in case.
posted by Nelson at 2:19 PM on March 5, 2016
Another Kinesis Advantage user here and it was a great investment, including the time it takes to type again which should not be discounted. It was a couple of weeks of full-time use before I was able to type at a reasonable speed. It was another month before I was back to my regular typing speed. The unexpected payoff was an improvement in typing speed after that. I'd guess somewhere between 10 and 20 percent.
I think the separate wells and the bad sight lines that make it difficult to see the key labels forces you to become a better typist. I bought it because when use a regular keyboard for more than an hour my hands start to ache and go numb but the increase in typing speed was a nice bonus for the time relearning.
posted by Defective_Monk at 2:28 PM on March 5, 2016
I think the separate wells and the bad sight lines that make it difficult to see the key labels forces you to become a better typist. I bought it because when use a regular keyboard for more than an hour my hands start to ache and go numb but the increase in typing speed was a nice bonus for the time relearning.
posted by Defective_Monk at 2:28 PM on March 5, 2016
I forget who asked up thread, but I got a vertical mouse for one of my sysadmins and also our former budget lady -- and they are pretty well liked. I can find the manufacturer name if you want.
posted by wenestvedt at 2:38 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 2:38 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've got a stockpile of them because I fear Kinesis Corp. disappearing
I hold on to a couple of old Advantage keyboards just in case
Damn, it turns out everyone is actually stockpiling them, while I'm sitting here idly thinking about it!
posted by mubba at 2:46 PM on March 5, 2016
I hold on to a couple of old Advantage keyboards just in case
Damn, it turns out everyone is actually stockpiling them, while I'm sitting here idly thinking about it!
posted by mubba at 2:46 PM on March 5, 2016
The best thing I ever did for my carpal tunnel was to get an Evoluent vertical mouse.
I do daydream of getting an old old-school keyboard from an IBM card punch. They were a sheer joy to type with, even better than a Selectric.
posted by monotreme at 2:54 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
I do daydream of getting an old old-school keyboard from an IBM card punch. They were a sheer joy to type with, even better than a Selectric.
posted by monotreme at 2:54 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ixtapica: I know how this sounds, and I assure you I am not a programing snob and will gladly use the highest level possible tool to make my job easier.
But... when I was first programming the atmega I accidentally set a fuse to make it read only. I did not have the stupid expensive high voltage programmer needed to reset the fuses.
I read the manual and saw that the micro can be programmed with a 1 Hz clock, maybe even slower. It was easy to find the binary representation of the instruction codes.
I quickly built a high voltage (I think it was 17v or 20v or something like that) source out of AA batteries and some resistors, built a clock out of a toggle switch, and used an 8x dip switch to set the instruction.
Flip clock, set bits, flip clock, set bits.
It took me three tries to reset the fuses.
Now I wish I had used photo resistors, a strong light source and shadow puppet finger dancing.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 2:56 PM on March 5, 2016 [10 favorites]
But... when I was first programming the atmega I accidentally set a fuse to make it read only. I did not have the stupid expensive high voltage programmer needed to reset the fuses.
I read the manual and saw that the micro can be programmed with a 1 Hz clock, maybe even slower. It was easy to find the binary representation of the instruction codes.
I quickly built a high voltage (I think it was 17v or 20v or something like that) source out of AA batteries and some resistors, built a clock out of a toggle switch, and used an 8x dip switch to set the instruction.
Flip clock, set bits, flip clock, set bits.
It took me three tries to reset the fuses.
Now I wish I had used photo resistors, a strong light source and shadow puppet finger dancing.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 2:56 PM on March 5, 2016 [10 favorites]
It looks like us Model 01 folks will be waiting a while longer for their keyboards.
posted by zamboni at 3:09 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by zamboni at 3:09 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a Kinese Freestyle 2 and I love it. It's great for the wrists, and the separation has done a lot to make me a better/faster touch typist.
posted by yeolcoatl at 3:17 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by yeolcoatl at 3:17 PM on March 5, 2016
I used to use a CM Storm Tenkeyless with Cherry MX Blues at home but it's a bit loud so I switched to a small 67-key Filco Majestouch Minila Air bluetooth keyboard with browns. It's pretty good but the lack of F-Keys is awkward for gaming. Also, I didn't stop to think that using a bluetooth keyboard would be a challenge in a dual-boot environment where the drivers may not have loaded by the time you're prompted to select an OS, and even if they have the keyboard may think that you have two separate computers and not pair properly. The latter problem is solvable with registry-editing, the former not so much. But some boot loaders let you use a mouse now so you can sidestep the issue.
posted by maledictory at 3:42 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by maledictory at 3:42 PM on March 5, 2016
I have never fathomed why so many people seem to like the clicky/clunky keyboards. I grew up with manual then electric typewriters before computers took over my life. The oh-so-revered IBM Model M keyboards were annoying as hell - all that clickiness never felt "satisfying" to me, just flat-out noisy (and heavy, too). I spend most of my days in front of a keyboard, so I'm so happy that most modern laptops have the alleged "mushy" keys that don't drive me nuts with their macho clacking. Apparently I'm so un-hip I've approached hipness from the other side, or something.
The ergo keyboards I do like, though.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:02 PM on March 5, 2016
The ergo keyboards I do like, though.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:02 PM on March 5, 2016
When I see a discussion of keyboards (and there seem to be a lot of them, regardless of the framing here) there’s always mention of Model M’s but rarely the fact that they still make them, in the USA.
Has anyone used one? Opinions?
bongo_x: I have a new-make USB Model M from Unicomp, and I love it. I only use it at home, in a padded room, and under a thick blanket to keep my family from going crazy. It actually works really well and it includes a Windows key, which is nice.
posted by montag2k at 4:03 PM on March 5, 2016
Has anyone used one? Opinions?
bongo_x: I have a new-make USB Model M from Unicomp, and I love it. I only use it at home, in a padded room, and under a thick blanket to keep my family from going crazy. It actually works really well and it includes a Windows key, which is nice.
posted by montag2k at 4:03 PM on March 5, 2016
the big gamechanger for me was a split keyboard
especially with my wide chest and shoulders, not having to scrunch my hands together into a 12" space is very nice for my back and chest
if you touch type, the transition to a split keyboard is easy
posted by idiopath at 4:04 PM on March 5, 2016
especially with my wide chest and shoulders, not having to scrunch my hands together into a 12" space is very nice for my back and chest
if you touch type, the transition to a split keyboard is easy
posted by idiopath at 4:04 PM on March 5, 2016
Glad to hear I'm not the only person stockpiling ergo keyboards, even the mechanical ones that are rated to last nearly forever. The market for them has always been so small that the manufacturers can and have gone out of business, and each layout is ever so different in maddening ways. I should probably grab another Microsoft Sculpt and put it on top of my Natural 4K, Natural Elite, Natural Original, and Northgate Evolution stockpile.
Don't care so much about mechanical keyboards, although I'm typing this on a Unicomp. The 60% keyboards (remove the function keys, number pad, navigation cluster, everything accessible through fn layer) make no sense to me.
It's really sad what passes for innovation in the keyboard industry.
posted by meowzilla at 4:14 PM on March 5, 2016
Don't care so much about mechanical keyboards, although I'm typing this on a Unicomp. The 60% keyboards (remove the function keys, number pad, navigation cluster, everything accessible through fn layer) make no sense to me.
It's really sad what passes for innovation in the keyboard industry.
posted by meowzilla at 4:14 PM on March 5, 2016
Kinesis -- one Classic, one Mac Classic, both used on Macs at the moment.
In use for decades. Damn, now that word is leaking out, time to start stockpiling.
Yes, I do still have my AT keyboard, with the Ctrl key next to the A where God meant it to be, and I pull it out if I get nostalgic for WordStar.
Parenthetically, after the carpal tunnel surgery failed to help (employer's medical cretins delayed the diagnosis 9 years before an outside doctor diagnosed it -- pointing out it wasn't tendinitis and should've been recognized long before) -- the occupational therapist told me to find the biggest possible trackball, with a ball so large that I could not possibly close my hands around it and squeeze, only lay my hand on top and roll it.
Anyone competent to write a proper driver for a Crayola Kids Trackball, please ....
posted by hank at 4:14 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
In use for decades. Damn, now that word is leaking out, time to start stockpiling.
Yes, I do still have my AT keyboard, with the Ctrl key next to the A where God meant it to be, and I pull it out if I get nostalgic for WordStar.
Parenthetically, after the carpal tunnel surgery failed to help (employer's medical cretins delayed the diagnosis 9 years before an outside doctor diagnosed it -- pointing out it wasn't tendinitis and should've been recognized long before) -- the occupational therapist told me to find the biggest possible trackball, with a ball so large that I could not possibly close my hands around it and squeeze, only lay my hand on top and roll it.
Anyone competent to write a proper driver for a Crayola Kids Trackball, please ....
posted by hank at 4:14 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Nowadays, I live inside a Thinkpad X201* and compated to those old style Thinkpad keyboards, other laptop keyboards are always pretty underwhelming. Plus: no mouse needed, because trackpoint. I love my Thinkpad.
My beat-up old X201T salutes you. From the other end of the couch, until I reboot it and wireless starts working again. I've been eyeballing the newer Lenovos but they're all over the place, feel-wise.
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:20 PM on March 5, 2016
My beat-up old X201T salutes you. From the other end of the couch, until I reboot it and wireless starts working again. I've been eyeballing the newer Lenovos but they're all over the place, feel-wise.
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:20 PM on March 5, 2016
Before I switched to the Mac, I had me a classic IBM Model M keyboard, and loved it to bits. I've considered throwing down money for a good mechanical keyboard, but it's hard to find one to meet my special snowflake requirements, namely:
1. QUIET. As quiet as you can get. I don't live alone anymore, and so I don't want to drive my partner nuts with the clicking. Cherry Browns would probably be good, I suspect.
2. Compact. I've been using 10-keyless keyboards for the past few years, and prefer them. Especially since I tend to want something I can take with me and use with my iPad. (Don't worry. Got that covered for my theoretical mechanical keyboard.)
3. But not so compact that there's no F-Key row. I use the F-Keys a lot.
4. No Backlight. Seriously. What the heck?
5. Mac specific key layout. This is the biggest problem. I can usually find the rest of these criteria, but as soon as I want something with Mac keys... they vanish. There's replacement keycaps and software hacks I can do on OS X, but they won't carry to my iPad.
6. Not insanely expensive. Ideally, I'd like to stay under $150, but that's just not really doable these days, is it?
So, I'm sticking with my nice Logitech K811 Bluetooth keyboard. I like it. It's comfortable to type on.
posted by SansPoint at 4:33 PM on March 5, 2016
1. QUIET. As quiet as you can get. I don't live alone anymore, and so I don't want to drive my partner nuts with the clicking. Cherry Browns would probably be good, I suspect.
2. Compact. I've been using 10-keyless keyboards for the past few years, and prefer them. Especially since I tend to want something I can take with me and use with my iPad. (Don't worry. Got that covered for my theoretical mechanical keyboard.)
3. But not so compact that there's no F-Key row. I use the F-Keys a lot.
4. No Backlight. Seriously. What the heck?
5. Mac specific key layout. This is the biggest problem. I can usually find the rest of these criteria, but as soon as I want something with Mac keys... they vanish. There's replacement keycaps and software hacks I can do on OS X, but they won't carry to my iPad.
6. Not insanely expensive. Ideally, I'd like to stay under $150, but that's just not really doable these days, is it?
So, I'm sticking with my nice Logitech K811 Bluetooth keyboard. I like it. It's comfortable to type on.
posted by SansPoint at 4:33 PM on March 5, 2016
When I see a discussion of keyboards (and there seem to be a lot of them, regardless of the framing here) there’s always mention of Model M’s but rarely the fact that they still make them, in the USA.
Has anyone used one? Opinions?
Yes, I have one from 2007, and I love it. I bought it to use at home, but just a few weeks ago I got upgraded from a cubicle to an office, so it's my work keyboard now. It definitely would have been too loud to use in an open environment. Somehow my new Xeon workstation still has PS/2 ports, so I don't even need an adapter.
Compared to an original IBM (or at least my 20 year old memories of them), the plastic is a little cheaper and creakier, but it still feels indestructible and is very much the real deal. I use the Windows keys a lot too, so I consider that a big advantage.
posted by segfaultxr7 at 4:40 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Has anyone used one? Opinions?
Yes, I have one from 2007, and I love it. I bought it to use at home, but just a few weeks ago I got upgraded from a cubicle to an office, so it's my work keyboard now. It definitely would have been too loud to use in an open environment. Somehow my new Xeon workstation still has PS/2 ports, so I don't even need an adapter.
Compared to an original IBM (or at least my 20 year old memories of them), the plastic is a little cheaper and creakier, but it still feels indestructible and is very much the real deal. I use the Windows keys a lot too, so I consider that a big advantage.
posted by segfaultxr7 at 4:40 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Another Evoluent user here, and they're great, but the thing that's helped me more is to become mousebidextrous. Switching left/right/vertical/horizontal is like rotating your tires.
posted by Sauce Trough at 4:51 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Sauce Trough at 4:51 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
town of cats, did you check out the 3M Ergonomic Mouse when you were shopping for vertical pointing devices? I used it several years ago when I was doing tax work and it might be a better fit, both because of the shape of it and because it comes in different sizes. It definitely worked well for me once I adjusted to using different motions to control the mouse.
posted by concrete at 4:58 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by concrete at 4:58 PM on March 5, 2016
TKL: Literally “ten keys less”. This layout removes the numpad for a more compact keyboard
Should be TKF, damnit!
posted by stanf at 5:15 PM on March 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
Should be TKF, damnit!
posted by stanf at 5:15 PM on March 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
Peasants ... I built my own KB, laser cut stainless plate and freehand matrix soldering. Most keys are tactile stiff not clicky cherry clears, with caps lock a cherry blue with cherry black strong spring to make it harder to press on purpose and to give feedback when one does.
Does it come in steampunk? I need a keyboard for when I'm rocking my monocle.
posted by Sauce Trough at 6:18 PM on March 5, 2016
Does it come in steampunk? I need a keyboard for when I'm rocking my monocle.
posted by Sauce Trough at 6:18 PM on March 5, 2016
I appreciate that there are ergonomic concerns underlying choice of keyboard (although I'll note that moving to a chiclet keyboard correlated with my wrist tendonitis going away), and that it's completely reasonable to want to have something you use for hours a day be comfortable and aesthetically pleasing for you, but the Cherry fetish drives me up the fucking wall because, at least at my work place, it's a shibboleth people use to distinguish themselves from the casuals (not non-programmers, just programmers who are insufficiently hardcore), same as with every other tool discussion. Programmers ruin everything.
Obnoxious contrarianism is also a time-honored tradition/personality disorder in programmers though so when I meet people like this I go to bat for the chiclet keyboard.
posted by atoxyl at 6:25 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
Obnoxious contrarianism is also a time-honored tradition/personality disorder in programmers though so when I meet people like this I go to bat for the chiclet keyboard.
posted by atoxyl at 6:25 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
I have no understanding of a keyboard without a number pad and F-keys.
I also don’t get a keyboard being too loud, but I guess I just don’t live in that world.
posted by bongo_x at 6:55 PM on March 5, 2016
I also don’t get a keyboard being too loud, but I guess I just don’t live in that world.
posted by bongo_x at 6:55 PM on March 5, 2016
I use a Quickfire Rapid with MX Browns and Ducky thick PBT blank keycaps at home. One thing that I have really come to like about the Cherry style switches is the standard stem and ease of swapping out keycaps. That most keyboards also adhere to a standard layout helps this a lot. The stock keys that came with my keyboard had an atrocious "gaming" font and felt flimsy and greasy. The slightly pebbly surface and added weight of these keys makes typing for long periods of time much more comfortable. Blank keys also made me a much better typist. I've recently moved away from word-heavy languages like python and SQL to working mostly with C# and I realized that the idiosyncratic way I homed my right hand made it very awkward to type C style syntax, which seems to be designed to maximize use of the right pinky. Blank keys combined with no numpad to fall back on really helped me to relearn how to type and now I'm a much more efficient and effective typist than I ever thought possible.
At work, I use a Das Keyboard with Blues, since my bosses and coworkers don't mind the clack. In fact, the CTO noticed the sound of it, asked me what it was, tried it, realized that he missed the feel of an old Model M when typing on his macbook, and the next day went out and bought himself a board with Blues as well. Since we are a small shop I also do a lot of training and support. One thing I have noticed is that a sound of my keyboard clicking away is very reassuring to clients that I am taking their problem seriously and taking steps to address it. Sometimes a client will call to ramble on about out of spec functionality they would like but not like to pay for. Just opening a new buffer in vim and writing a whole bunch of nonsense into it is enough to placate them. Sometimes it's just commenting on this here website.
Basically, just chop me up to one of those people who thinks that if you spend more than 20 hours a week typing, it's worth spending more than a hundred dollars on a keyboard that you like. If you prefer a $20 rubber dome, that's great, but I don't get the incredulity that people would go to the incredible expense of a few hundred dollars at most for something that they physically interact with more than any other device and is an essential part of how they earn a living.
I also get the desire for more ergonomics. The standard layount leaves a lot to be desired. While the expense and time to assemble and then time to relearn your keymap would be daunting, the Ergodox really looks like the ideal keyboard. One thing that has always perplexed me is how we have held on to the awkward staggered key layout that is a vestigial remnant of the need for the actuator arms on typewriter keys to stay out of the way. I like that the Ergodox not only abandoned this, but also decided to arrange the columns of keys so they actually correspond to how a human hand in a rested position would be. That said, I'm not sure whether for me more ergonomics is the answer, or maybe just doing a broader variety of things with my hands. I know, for instance, that when I was rock climbing regularly, I could type for much longer periods, at a higher average speed, and experience less discomfort.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 7:51 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
At work, I use a Das Keyboard with Blues, since my bosses and coworkers don't mind the clack. In fact, the CTO noticed the sound of it, asked me what it was, tried it, realized that he missed the feel of an old Model M when typing on his macbook, and the next day went out and bought himself a board with Blues as well. Since we are a small shop I also do a lot of training and support. One thing I have noticed is that a sound of my keyboard clicking away is very reassuring to clients that I am taking their problem seriously and taking steps to address it. Sometimes a client will call to ramble on about out of spec functionality they would like but not like to pay for. Just opening a new buffer in vim and writing a whole bunch of nonsense into it is enough to placate them. Sometimes it's just commenting on this here website.
Basically, just chop me up to one of those people who thinks that if you spend more than 20 hours a week typing, it's worth spending more than a hundred dollars on a keyboard that you like. If you prefer a $20 rubber dome, that's great, but I don't get the incredulity that people would go to the incredible expense of a few hundred dollars at most for something that they physically interact with more than any other device and is an essential part of how they earn a living.
I also get the desire for more ergonomics. The standard layount leaves a lot to be desired. While the expense and time to assemble and then time to relearn your keymap would be daunting, the Ergodox really looks like the ideal keyboard. One thing that has always perplexed me is how we have held on to the awkward staggered key layout that is a vestigial remnant of the need for the actuator arms on typewriter keys to stay out of the way. I like that the Ergodox not only abandoned this, but also decided to arrange the columns of keys so they actually correspond to how a human hand in a rested position would be. That said, I'm not sure whether for me more ergonomics is the answer, or maybe just doing a broader variety of things with my hands. I know, for instance, that when I was rock climbing regularly, I could type for much longer periods, at a higher average speed, and experience less discomfort.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 7:51 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Does it come in steampunk? I need a keyboard for when I'm rocking my monocle.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 7:57 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by [expletive deleted] at 7:57 PM on March 5, 2016
bongo_x: "Has anyone used one? Opinions?"
I have a unicomp "model m", this one, got it as a gift last year. It's not nearly as heavy as the originals, and the plastic of the case has a slightly different feel, but the keys feel pretty identical (both plastic feel and keyswitch feel). I unfortunately cannot do a side by side at the moment, but I'm pretty confident that it would be hard to tell. (this actually makes me sad that my "real" model m's are all in storage on the mainland and I cannot do this blind side-by-side, because now I want to know)
posted by namewithoutwords at 9:22 PM on March 5, 2016
I have a unicomp "model m", this one, got it as a gift last year. It's not nearly as heavy as the originals, and the plastic of the case has a slightly different feel, but the keys feel pretty identical (both plastic feel and keyswitch feel). I unfortunately cannot do a side by side at the moment, but I'm pretty confident that it would be hard to tell. (this actually makes me sad that my "real" model m's are all in storage on the mainland and I cannot do this blind side-by-side, because now I want to know)
posted by namewithoutwords at 9:22 PM on March 5, 2016
I can no longer make use of the cache of Model Ms in my closet, because using any non-split keyboard for too long absolutely kills my wrists. That said, I would happily give my left testicle for a Model M15.
posted by jferg at 9:43 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by jferg at 9:43 PM on March 5, 2016
The O.G. Extended kbd I got with my Mac IIcx in 1989 was a fine board.
The first MS Elite ergo keyboards of the mid-late 90s were really, really great.
I got a Perixx ergo kbd from Amazon last month, and its OK. I like the split spacebar, it solves one of the main problems of ergo kbds.
Key action is not as nice as the old Elites, but better than the new MS ergo kbds.
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 10:13 PM on March 5, 2016
The first MS Elite ergo keyboards of the mid-late 90s were really, really great.
I got a Perixx ergo kbd from Amazon last month, and its OK. I like the split spacebar, it solves one of the main problems of ergo kbds.
Key action is not as nice as the old Elites, but better than the new MS ergo kbds.
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 10:13 PM on March 5, 2016
I've long thought that Apple is dropping the ball in the keyboard department.
They pretend to actually care about computing, well, keyboards are a big, big part of it still.
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 10:15 PM on March 5, 2016
They pretend to actually care about computing, well, keyboards are a big, big part of it still.
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 10:15 PM on March 5, 2016
Late to the thread but I work in a 99% OSX office as head of IT. We typically just buy the Apple full sized keyboards. I've had over 20 (of 80) fail; probably due to the cleaning staff wiping them clean.
So I chose a Mathias Tactile Pro 4 that has Alps switches.
Been a dream to get the "Model M feeling" of my elementary childhood starting on a PS/2 and the plus when I type emails it makes it sound 300% more worky.
posted by wcfields at 10:29 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
So I chose a Mathias Tactile Pro 4 that has Alps switches.
Been a dream to get the "Model M feeling" of my elementary childhood starting on a PS/2 and the plus when I type emails it makes it sound 300% more worky.
posted by wcfields at 10:29 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
> I've long thought that Apple is dropping the ball in the keyboard department.
I get a little anxious when people can hear me typing and clicking, so I really appreciate what Apple has done for very quiet hardware and drivers. After all, there's no need to keep my wife awake just because someone is wrong on the internet.
But behind closed doors, I like to use tactile keys. I wonder if I could find a keyboard with cherry switches, Mac special keys, Dvorak caps, a volume knob, and no backlighting. One can dream.
posted by Phssthpok at 1:30 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
I get a little anxious when people can hear me typing and clicking, so I really appreciate what Apple has done for very quiet hardware and drivers. After all, there's no need to keep my wife awake just because someone is wrong on the internet.
But behind closed doors, I like to use tactile keys. I wonder if I could find a keyboard with cherry switches, Mac special keys, Dvorak caps, a volume knob, and no backlighting. One can dream.
posted by Phssthpok at 1:30 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
Phssthpok, it sounds like what you want is a Das 4 Pro for Mac and a key-puller (the keycaps can be easily rearranged to DVORAK).
posted by Alterscape at 8:50 AM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Alterscape at 8:50 AM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
bongo_x, I have both a unicomp and an OG m, and honestly the biggest differences are the the m has softer springs from long use and an attractive dirty-beige finish, but the unicomp has a usb plug and a super key. They're very similar, but the new manufacture will take a bit of typing to soften up.
posted by The Gaffer at 11:25 AM on March 6, 2016
posted by The Gaffer at 11:25 AM on March 6, 2016
The problem with rearranging keys is that you end up with the index-finger-locator-bumps in the wrong places. So I would have to find properly made keycaps or paint/emboss them myself. And now the market for premade replacement Cherry MX caps is yet another rabbithole to explore.
posted by Phssthpok at 5:14 PM on March 6, 2016
posted by Phssthpok at 5:14 PM on March 6, 2016
Ugh. At some point Apple switched from having the home key bumps at the middle fingers, *where God intended*, to the index fingers *which should be hovering*.
This is probably why I've never been satisfied.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:26 PM on March 6, 2016
This is probably why I've never been satisfied.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:26 PM on March 6, 2016
One of the upsides of a private office that is kind of tucked away on our floor is that I can click away with Cherry Blues without bothering anyone. Doing it right now, in fact.
posted by craven_morhead at 11:54 AM on March 7, 2016
posted by craven_morhead at 11:54 AM on March 7, 2016
I've been programming for 30 years, and the Apple chiclet keyboards are my favorite of all time.
posted by jjwiseman at 1:26 PM on March 8, 2016
posted by jjwiseman at 1:26 PM on March 8, 2016
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posted by The Gaffer at 9:32 AM on March 5, 2016 [19 favorites]