31–40 of 66 posts
Nothing beats the old IBM Model M with its buckling spring mechanism! I wish there was a modern alternative at a reasonable price and with a USB connection (especially in Europe where it seems harder to find niche keyboard products for some reason, or perhaps I just didn't discover it yet)
I can only recommend them.
My ideal keyboard would be a DasKeyboard Model S with the layout of Microsoft's Natural Ergonomic Desktop keyboard. I am befuddled as to why neither DasKeyboard or EliteKeyboards make an ergonomic model. I know the Model M came in a split model, but they are extremely expensive (when they can be found).
It's depressing that only one in five of these keyboards is ergonomic. If you're a developer today and you are planning on typing on a keyboard for at least the next ten years, picking any other keyboard than an ergonomic one is a guaranteed path toward painful and permanent pains in your wrists and forearms. Switch to an ergonomic keyboard today, you'll be glad you did.
Best keyboards? Four out of five of the reccomended keyboards are membrane and scissor switches, which are designed for cost and space savings, not ergonomics. If you type more than a few hours per day, check out a mechanical or hybrid (Topre) keyboard. Your wrists will thank you. geekhack.org is a good resource.
Alas, I have had difficulty finding a mechanical, ergonomic keyboard. I have grown fond of the arched 'boards.
Kinesis makes an ergo keyboard with Cherry keyswitches: http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/advantage.htm
What a lame article... I don't know why I expected more from Lifehacker. Anyone who does a lot of typing at work is not going to like Apple keyboards. Those things ruin your fingers because the keys have no give. It is kind of similar to what running on concrete will do to your knees.
What a lame article... I don't know why I expected more from Lifehacker. Anyone who does a lot of typing at work is not going to like Apple keyboards. Those things ruin your fingers because the keys have no give. It is kind of similar to what running on concrete will do to your knees.
My ideal keyboard would be a DasKeyboard Model S with the layout of Microsoft's Natural Ergonomic Desktop keyboard. I am befuddled as to why neither DasKeyboard or EliteKeyboards make an ergonomic model. I know the Model M came in a split model, but they are extremely expensive (when they can be found).
The Kinesis Advantage uses the same Cherry keyswitches as a Das Keyboard, and has a split ergo layout: http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/advantage.htm
I personally can't stand Apple's keyboards. They look very nice, obviously, but I find them cramped for typing. I have a keycapless Das that is a dream and I've been considering a Kinesis for a long time. If you don't know how to touch type, I highly recommend the Das Model S Ultimate Silent. Two weeks with that cleared it all up, but make sure you have a backup for typing passwords.
I'm also surprised why no-one seems to take travel into account. I find that I type more relaxed (and faster) on keyboards with flat keys that don't travel much.