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The Joys of Unix Keyboards

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Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#101

Post by tobyhinloopen »

ljm wrote: post #82
i_am_proteus wrote: post #36

> I can't imagine why anyone thought Caps Lock should have had this prominent of placement. Caps Lock was originally Shift Lock on typewriters, and was adjacent to the Shift key because it was literally a mechanical locking device to hold the Shift key down.

Can’t remember the last time I saw a keyboard with that, plus num lock and scroll lock. Turning your number pad on the side into a directional pad with scroll keys was quite interesting. Not to mention the insert key without a state indicator, which these days would confuse the hell out of anyone who hits the key accidentally and didn’t understand why they were typing over everything. There’s an incredible amount of…

My nvme ssd purchase also blew me away. I never realized how small they actually were

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#102

Post by shhsshs »

consp wrote: post #4
terofle wrote: post #3

> The ~ and \ have moved to the usual location of the Backspace. Working exclusively on UNIX systems now, I don't mind the \ being harder to reach. I could understand a Windows user finding this irritating. This guy has clearly never used LaTeX. I mapped my \ to a more accessible location and it improved my typing speed by factor 2 or so.

Also as a vim user I would like the esc instead of the control here but that is non Unix standard as far as I know. I also use Windows quite a lot so having the \ somewhere close is nice to have. Though I really dislike the meta key next to the space-bar but that is just me not being old enough to have used non IBM compatible keyboards. As you might have noticed, everybody's preference is different.

As another Vim guy, the ctrl key being so much closer makes ctrl-[ a little more appealing.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#103

Post by mr__y »

i_am_proteus wrote: post #36

> I can't imagine why anyone thought Caps Lock should have had this prominent of placement. Caps Lock was originally Shift Lock on typewriters, and was adjacent to the Shift key because it was literally a mechanical locking device to hold the Shift key down.

I use Caps Lock only to turn off Caps Lock if I accidentally pressed it previously

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#104

Post by frandroid »

toast0 wrote: post #98
knorker wrote: post #96

I don't understand the commenter saying they don't want to spend $200 on a keyboard. That's a $200 investment on something you'll likely spend more time with than your bed, your car, and your sofa. Over 10 years that's maybe 0.9 cents per hour of use. It's worth having your perfect keyboard. I have a custom print 88 key wasdkeyboards.com one. Yes, your work should buy you your perfect keyboard, but if they don't then…

On the other hand, adapting yourself to the junky $10 keyboard that comes with every computer means you've got your perfect keyboard everywhere. I can go work anywhere, and they've got one of my perfect keyboards somewhere in a box in a storage closet because it came with a desktop they bought for something, and nobody wanted it.

These days you usually carry your computer with you, but if not, you can also easily carry a new 88 or 96 key keyboard as they come with a lithium battery and bluetoof support.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#105

Post by celeritascelery »

klez wrote: post #83
RandallBrown wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never had a problem touch typing while my pinky is holding down the shift key. I type kinda weird though. I don't use the right shift key at all. Only the left one.

Ok, but then you have to type an A with your left ring finger instead of using your pinky. Doesn't it slow you down? I'm asking because I never got in that habit and religiously kept using the finger "assigned" to each key.

I do the same thing (only use left shift). I have gotten really good at typing with using the ring finger for the far left row. Doesn’t seem to be any slower.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#106

Post by skummetmaelk »

toast0 wrote: post #98
knorker wrote: post #96

I don't understand the commenter saying they don't want to spend $200 on a keyboard. That's a $200 investment on something you'll likely spend more time with than your bed, your car, and your sofa. Over 10 years that's maybe 0.9 cents per hour of use. It's worth having your perfect keyboard. I have a custom print 88 key wasdkeyboards.com one. Yes, your work should buy you your perfect keyboard, but if they don't then…

On the other hand, adapting yourself to the junky $10 keyboard that comes with every computer means you've got your perfect keyboard everywhere. I can go work anywhere, and they've got one of my perfect keyboards somewhere in a box in a storage closet because it came with a desktop they bought for something, and nobody wanted it.

Adapting yourself to eating only junk food means you'll never have to cook or pay for a proper meal. Only problem is good food really is better and always will be.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#107

Post by celeritascelery »

decebalus1 wrote: post #88

Keyboard bike-shedding is of a very special flavor. Seriously, I've been programming/typing for decades and I went through numerous layouts due to the specific hardware preferences of my employer, while keeping my personal hardware Apple. I just switched and adapted reasonably fast to do my job. I type very fast. I mean fast enough that an increase in speed will have a negligible increase in my productivity. I never…

I think it is 90% hobby, 10% value. It takes a very long time of using a new layout to get any benefit. If you don’t have any interest in keyboards and layouts, then don’t bother. I personally love trying new layouts and keyboards. Though I wouldn’t say they have actually made me any faster.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#108

Post by blhack »

Honestly the microsoft sculpt is pretty darn close to a perfect keyboard in my opinion.

I just (as in a few hours ago) got a keyboard.io, though, and it seems pretty darn cool! Hopefully even better than my sculpt.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#109

Post by fallous »

MisterTea wrote: post #35
ch_123 wrote: post #19

Unicomp (the company that took over IBM/Lexmark's buckling spring tooling) makes a Sun layout keyboard which is also worth mentioning for those who like a larger keyboard: https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/40PSA (Not affiliated with Unicomp, I'm just a fan of the Sun keyboard layout)

Is it the same 1980's quality, as in you can defend yourself with one if necessary? I have a 1986 M that's still going strong with USB adapter.

No, it is no longer a combination self-defense weapon and keyboard. The buckling spring action itself is still decent but the build quality is much worse, and the melted plastic rivets that hold the membrane have a bad habit of breaking or flexing and rendering keys unusable over time. You can address the rivet issue by drilling with a pin vise and using screws but be prepared to spend a day doing it since there are something like 50-60 rivets.

There is someone that was doing a reproduction of the Model F (the earlier and more robust XT keyboard prior to the M) but they're quite a bit more pricey.

Re: The Joys of Unix Keyboards

#110

Post by gumby »

alpaca128 wrote: post #97
knorker wrote: post #96

I don't understand the commenter saying they don't want to spend $200 on a keyboard. That's a $200 investment on something you'll likely spend more time with than your bed, your car, and your sofa. Over 10 years that's maybe 0.9 cents per hour of use. It's worth having your perfect keyboard. I have a custom print 88 key wasdkeyboards.com one. Yes, your work should buy you your perfect keyboard, but if they don't then…

Also, you can also just start with remapping Caps Lock to Ctrl. It's free, not that complicated and is definitely an upgrade for people using a lot of keyboard shortcuts. Although for $200 I recommend first considering what keys you'd prefer at what location and how you'd change the layout if you could choose freely, a lot of keyboards and kits are fully programmable and come with wildly different designs. For exampl…

> an upgrade for people using a lot of keyboard shortcuts.

You are suffering from Stockholm syndrome. The keyboard commands should be thought of as the primary interface and the slow mouse actions are for beginners or when the slow mouse metaphor is more natural (e.g. grab and drag a screen element). Shoehorning keyboard commands into a menu metaphor has been a cancer computer design for over 40 years.

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