Everyone has to type
May 25, 2017 10:31 AM   Subscribe

Key Crazy: Inside the Wonderful World of Keyboard Fanatics A proud tradition of hackers going back decades gets another moment in the spotlight thanks to Gizmodo. If you're interested in building your own, you might be interested in Jesse Vincent's blog series from 2012,Building a Keyboard, or the venerable Key64 site.
posted by boo_radley (38 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
A rare Maltron keyboard from Jacob Alexander’s collection. Intended for use with one hand.

well OK then
posted by thelonius at 10:45 AM on May 25, 2017 [3 favorites]


[Logitech's] representatives balked when I told them that Jacob Alexander claims there hasn’t been a genuine study into typing efficiency and ergonomics since the 1960s. “There has,” the Coonrad told Gizmodo. “We just don’t share our findings.”

A good demonstration that private (that is to say corporate) engineering often isn't a science. Nothing is a science unless it's published. Alexander is an independent researcher in his own weird way, publishing in non-traditional ways too, but still getting his data out there. And the bigs are freeloading on the enthusiasts. Logitech, again:

“But if there are those people who are pioneers—all industries rely on people like that to cut through with new and interesting stuff and if it does become super popular and people demand that sort of thing than certainly we’re gonna want to involve that design philosophy in our products.”

We either live in a world where IP matters or we don't. Right now, it only works for some. I know it's not the point of the article, but it's a decent case study of the true failings of IP as a concept in a "free" market, where public money isn't really a factor.
posted by bonehead at 10:48 AM on May 25, 2017 [9 favorites]


r/MechanicalKeyboards on reddit is pretty great as well.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:21 AM on May 25, 2017 [4 favorites]


"One should never plunge one's soldering iron into plastic. One should never then hold one's soldering iron inside a piece of plastic and slowly melt out a groove of plastic. When one is finished doing things one should never do, one should carefully clean one's soldering iron while it's still hot."

Oh fine take all the fun out of it lol.
posted by Annika Cicada at 11:54 AM on May 25, 2017


I like Model M's (and similar keyboards from that era), but new-school keyboard nerdery seems kind of too-much-information overwhelming--although I imagine it's something I'd enjoy if I was into it, I never quite get around to getting into it (see also cheesemaking, birdwatching, etc.)
posted by box at 11:56 AM on May 25, 2017 [4 favorites]


I'm glad I don't like Cherry MX-compatible key switches (I'm an Alps/Matias fan) because there are just way too many tempting custom keycap designs and DIY cases/PCBs that use them. The scarcity of custom options for Alps switches keeps me honest. My only custom bit is a red ESC key because that's pretty much all I can do without scouring Ebay for old keyboards to harvest keycaps from.
posted by zsazsa at 12:07 PM on May 25, 2017


A rare Maltron keyboard from Jacob Alexander’s collection. Intended for use with one hand.

well OK then


Well honestly a standard keyboard+mouse setup requires three hands and for some reason I only have two.
posted by ckape at 12:34 PM on May 25, 2017 [3 favorites]


I switched from a normal Apple chiclet keyboard to a WASD Code with Cherry Clears to use daily for programming work and it's been very satisfying. I also frequent /r/mechanicalkeyboards to look at the pretty pictures but some of that stuff can get crazy pricey pretty quick.

Everyone has to have a hobby though, and this one would be great to get into if you use a computer a lot and like to solder and futz around with custom firmware.
posted by karlshea at 12:41 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


I see you, Mr. Made of Star Stuff.
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 12:50 PM on May 25, 2017


I had a perfectly good Saitek Eclipse III, but when I had to reinstall 10 from scratch (drive failed), I realized there was no support for it any more. So, pretty much, I will be damned if I drop phat bucks on a keyboard any more. OTOH, I am in the direst need of a backlit keyboard currently...
posted by Samizdata at 12:56 PM on May 25, 2017


I had to give up my Model M when I switched to the Mac, and it's the only thing I miss from my PC days.

Right now, I'm torn between wanting a good, quiet, mechanical keyboard (They exist!), and wanting to have money for useful things like bills. Also, it's almost impossible to find a 10keyless, full-size, quiet mechanical keyboard that doesn't have some kind of bullshit Gamer PC nonsense like LEDs, or other nonsense.

That, and I'm also really happy with my Logitech K811 Bluetooth keyboard. If I replaced it with anything, it'd be something ergonomic, and adding ergonomics to the price of mechanical keyboards, well...
posted by SansPoint at 1:03 PM on May 25, 2017


I'm something of a keyboard fanatic but budgetary constraints keep from indulging too much in my desire for the perfect set of keys to bang away on. No one has yet made my ideal keyboard, which would have the ergonomic layout of the old Microsoft ergo KB (before they added all the dumb extra buttons) but the satisfying heft of a mechanical. I did pick up a Ducky Shine 5 last year, but I'm incredibly boring about it--just simple backlighting with none of the fancy features turned on.

It's a bit annoying that there's all this fetishizing of mechanical keyboards and no accompanying love for the trackball. I live in fear that Logitech will eliminate their thumb trackball design and I will be forced to welcome back the "mouse knot" that lived under my right scapula for 10 years until I switched to trackballs.
posted by xyzzy at 1:07 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


SansPoint: The Matias Mini Quiet Pro or Laptop Pro are quiet tenkeyless mechanical keyboards without the gamer bling. And if you want ergo, they make the Ergo Pro, but you're right, it is damned expensive.
posted by zsazsa at 1:09 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


I was using one of my 'M's at work (especially after I heard some found it annoyingly loud), but they are old and don't seem to be reliable. I could not figure out how to get inside (more than just the cover off) to clean the critical surfaces, which I assume are a little corroded. I love the feel, though.

Also, the more monitors I am using, the more I rely on the Windows key to move windows around. I tried to remap another key on the M but I failed at that too. Sad.
posted by MtDewd at 1:34 PM on May 25, 2017


I like Model M's (and similar keyboards from that era), but new-school keyboard nerdery seems kind of too-much-information overwhelming--although I imagine it's something I'd enjoy if I was into it, I never quite get around to getting into it (see also cheesemaking, birdwatching, etc.)

I've been using Model-M's and clones since they came out in the 80's. I just buy a Unicomp for about $100, and don't worry about it.

Left my original kbd behind when the PS/2 USB widget didn't work with the kbd switch, and never looked back.

One at home and one at the office.
posted by mikelieman at 1:40 PM on May 25, 2017


For the full saga of what it's like to manufacture a custom keyboard, see the keyboardio blog.
posted by zamboni at 1:43 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


I have been using the same Model M at home since the 80's, and I have a quiet Model M for work. The indestructibility and reliability of those two keyboards keep me from falling into the very tempting rabbit-hole of keyboard nerdery, but just in case I have a couple spare model Ms somewhere.
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:56 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


This remake of the Model F keyboard is seriously tempting. Too bad it is definitely out of my budget.
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:59 PM on May 25, 2017


a Kinesis Freestyle II saved my wrists and back and career - my frame just isn't built to put my hands together like a chipmunk all day
posted by idiopath at 1:59 PM on May 25, 2017


I liked my Model M (b. May 11, 1990) so much I bought a spare a year later at a garage sale, Just in case. It turned out to be a space saver Model M, not that I knew it at the time. I'm pleasantly surprised at the prices they can fetch these days on E-Bay.
PS I happen like the noise.
posted by Fupped Duck at 2:03 PM on May 25, 2017


The keyboard thing has gotten fairly ridiculous. By the standards of my co-workers, I might as well be using a Dell mushy dome keyboard, what with my pedestrian preassembled 80% Cherry blue daily driver, as opposed to Topres or a 60% or something handmade. At least I put some caps on it.

Also, Fupped, if you like noise, try one of the new Unicomps. The new springs make them loud as hell compared to a well loved M.
posted by The Gaffer at 2:09 PM on May 25, 2017


I've laid hands on a Unicomp and was really disappointed at how differently they type compared to a Model M.
posted by Fupped Duck at 3:10 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


I'll cop to being a mechanical keyboard poseur. I have a CODE keyboard and I really love it, entirely for shallow reasons that might annoy true mechanical keyboard fans: I don't necessarily notice it being better to type on, but it's a gorgeous black slab, completely unbranded, and it looks awesome on my desk, especially with the lights out and the backlight on.

Also, I really like the racket it makes...it sounds like I'm being industrious, like I'm not just typing but doing the hard work of really creating something.
posted by Ian A.T. at 4:29 PM on May 25, 2017


Kinesis Advantage or GTFO. I've been using it (and predecessors) for almost 20 years.

(I had Cherry switches years before anyone even knew what those were!)
posted by tocts at 4:58 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


I have two Model M's, stolen from retired RS/6000 Unix workstation the size and shape of a mini-fridge designed by the Memphis Group. The lack of a Super key is irksome as a Mac user, but it's suh-weet on my Linux rigs.

At one point in my life, I had both Dell and Apple keyboards with Alps switches, and those were a glorious racket.

I've also encountered industrial terminals with Topre keyboards. Thwop thwop thwop! Probably my favorite keyswitch of the bunch, with the buckling spring a close No. 2.

I'm not as keen on Cherry switches in their multitudes.

Secret confession - a good scissor-switch keyboard is almost as far in advance from the standard slushdomes as mechs, and cheap while being quiet. I have an ancient one from Cooler Master with an aluminum case for a Windows box I'm forced to tinker on from time to time. It's awesome. I'm disappointed with the recent Apple notebooks - travel is way too shallow. The old ones were great.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:46 PM on May 25, 2017 [2 favorites]


Is this where I was rhapsodic about the single-hand chording keyboard I use for controlling Adobe Illustrator on my Mobile Studio.

Nah. I don't think it is.
posted by egypturnash at 5:49 PM on May 25, 2017 [2 favorites]


I switched from one of those flat Apple keyboards to a WASD CODE keyboard. I thought the apple keyboard was pretty great when I first used it, but this keyboard is entirely different category. It's one of those things, like getting a better monitor or a better chair, that you put off because it seems excessive, but it really makes a difference to quality of life (for me YMMV)
posted by smidgen at 6:13 PM on May 25, 2017


Count me among team CODE. A coworker talked me into using some NewEgg gift cards I had laying about to get a Das 4 Pro with cherry browns, but I decided I wanted something with a bit more positive action. Ended up buying a CODE with clear switches for work because of the rough HP-branded keyboards we're given (I'm a developer, so I type 8+ hours a day). It's great, to the point that I have very nearly bought a second one for home use, to replace the wasd brown.

I had an opportunity to try a departing coworker's Kinesis Advantage (a weird ergo keyboard with concave wells and a layout similar to the ergodox). I bounced off, hard -- I'm a very fast typist but I also have some very bad habits that aren't compatible with split layouts. One of my coworkers, the guy who originally talked me into trying the Das, is currently rocking out on the Kinesis, so hey, paying it forward I guess?
posted by Alterscape at 6:43 PM on May 25, 2017


One handy thing about the Kinesis keyboards (for me) is that the layout is so odd that the muscle memory basically has nothing to do with that of typing on a normal keyboard. I can switch between my Kinesis Advantage and e.g. a laptop keyboard just fine, because as far as my hands are concerned these barely have anything to do with one another.

I will say, they're a bit hard to get used to on a Mac -- I recently went to a Mac for full time development, and I had to go through a few different key bindings to find something that worked (still not convinced I've finalized it). On the plus side, all the keybinding can be done via the in-keyboard programmable keys. But, the general problem of Mac keyboards actually using three meta keys (cmd/ctrl/opt on Mac vs. ctrl/alt on Windows) is a bit rough for me.
posted by tocts at 6:51 PM on May 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


Just came by to say that I'm pulling the keys off my keyboard to clean/replace them as I read this post.

It starts with r/mechanicalkeyboards and it's a slippery slope from there!
posted by Otherwise at 6:54 PM on May 25, 2017


I'm typing this on a CODE. It was indeed super expensive, but I have no regrets. Maybe I'm just a hammer hands (my typing class in HS was on manual typewriters), but this thing has now outlasted a what would have been my typical lifetime with two or three of mid-priced Logitechs (not to mention the unfortunate Coffee Incident).

I'm quite happy with it.
posted by bonehead at 6:56 PM on May 25, 2017


I'm probably the wrong kind of weirdo for liking this manky old Microsoft Natural Elite. I don't touch type, but this thing gives me near enough 5½-finger typing, which is better than other boards can do for me. I so wanted to use an Apple USB keyboard with this new monstrous Linux box, but the keyboard mapping was way off. I'm amazed that new motherboards still come with the legacy PS/2 connector.

Surprised none of the keyboard nerds mentioned the Datahand. Ridiculously expensive when it came out, it's now fetching $x000 used. I have a friend who has a couple of Datahands, and guards them jealously. At the other end of the scale is using the Commodore 64 keyboard through a USB connection. Quite why, I'll never know.
posted by scruss at 6:59 PM on May 25, 2017 [2 favorites]


In the 80s I operated Quadex phototypesetting equipment. The keyboards had the most delicious clicky-bouncy feel of any keyboard I ever laid hands on, and trust me, there were a LOT of keyboards. When everything went desktop I was bereft; I still miss the way those keys felt beneath my fingertips. I never felt the same level of enjoyment with my work again.

Recently I've had conversations with doctors and dentists about their work. All expressed pleasure in using their hands and anxiety that this will be supplanted by yet more computer-driven models. "I couldn't stand it if all I did all day was touch a flat screen," said one outstanding surgeon.

We are, sadly, losing the tactile component of work, one which accounts for significant satisfaction and enjoyment in many fields.
posted by kinnakeet at 2:01 AM on May 26, 2017 [3 favorites]


Just came by to say that I'm pulling the keys off my keyboard to clean/replace them as I read this post.

I bring my own mechanical keyboard to my office, and I keep it filthy so nobody's tempted to poach it from my desk. I seem to get sick less often than most of the people in nearby cubicles, so probably it's harboring some kind of rhinovirus killer unknown to science. That, or I just wash my hands more often than my coworkers because my keyboard's nasty.

Corsair K60 with Cherry MX Red switches. Looks silly, but it keeps the RSI at bay and it's got a 10-key pad.
posted by asperity at 8:37 AM on May 26, 2017


You can have my Model M when you pry it from the cold, dead hands of one of my great grandkids.
posted by bh at 6:00 PM on May 26, 2017


mmm, clicky keys + open plan office = mass co-worker carebear stare. Or worse.

I keep thinking I'll adapt an old Sun keyboard, but the cost/size/time … nah.
posted by scruss at 8:35 AM on May 27, 2017


I used to have a dozen of Model M's I got in one lot on Ebay way back in early aughts (the whole lot was like $25 or so). I broke one and lost a few and now I'm not sure how many I have left in storage, I use one of them sometimes and it's usually in my closet.

I think the perfect use for them is when I'm writing a long document or an email or debugging, because you can be completely focused on the task without needing to correct what you've typed. I also have cherry blue (or similar), they are not as good of course.

For quicker less intense work I was surprised to find that the new macbook pro keys, with almost no travel, are pretty okay.

It's quite depressing how the quality of keyboards went down into the dump, although recently there had been some inklings of a partial renaissance, but we're still at a point where 90%+ of keyboards generally available are trash. It's ironic how everything else went way up in specs and quality: cpus, memory, screens, touchpads / mice, laptops, printers; but keyboards degraded and devolved into mushy crummyness.
posted by rainy at 10:06 PM on May 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


Haha, I did use Model M in an open office. It was a totally loud place with a lot of customer reps, editorial, producer people right nearby, there'd be never more than a few minutes of quiet without a new loud conversation starting on this side or that. So I was like, yeah, when we need to debug thorny backend issues with unmaintained, undocumented code, that's what it's supposed to sound like, and that's what it... does sound like. #notsorry
posted by rainy at 10:10 PM on May 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


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