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The CODE Keyboard

codinghorror.com

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Re: The CODE Keyboard

#181

Post by mark-r »

mbell wrote: post #155
X-Istence wrote: post #97

I don't understand what the obsession is with the old IBM Model M type keyboards. I am able to type faster and more accurately on my Apple flat aluminum keyboard that I have ever been able to type on a Model M. On top of that, switching to a flatter keyboard that sits closer to the desk has actually caused any and all pain I used to get while typing to go away. The other thing is I'd miss the extra function keys I ge…

I don't understand the fascination with keyboards by software developers. I spend a lot more of my day thinking, testing, navigating code, etc, than I do punching keys. There are a lot of professions where keyboard interaction is critical but I don't think software development is one of them.

It's all about the effortlessness that comes when you do start typing. You want it to be as automatic as possible so you're not wasting any of your attention on it. If a keyboard lets you type faster or with fewer typos, that's a win.

P.S. I prefer the mechanical switches but I had to give mine up for the sake of my wife, who was driven batty by the noise.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#182

Post by nimish »

The nicest looking of the many mostly identical mechanical keyboards out there.

Should've gone with double-shot injection molding for durability; I wonder what it would have cost.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#183

Post by cjh_ »

nitrogen wrote: post #171
cjh_ wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW I type on a mechanical keyboard daily (cherry mx browns) but I am not a fan of the model m keys (buckling springs or rubber dome IIRC), they are very different in feeling. My Thinkpad x1 carbon keyboard comes next, scissor switches can be quite nice.

The Model M uses buckling springs. Rubber domes are the cheap keyboards you get for $10.

Not quite, the 'Model M' actually refers to a collection of keyboards, some of which used rubber domes (see column 2 of [1] for a quick reference)

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M#Features_by_part_numbe...

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#184

Post by fusiongyro »

mynameisvlad wrote: post #152
Sukotto wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When pricing tools you have to consider the cost per time-unit, or cost per use. Looking at the total cost is a waste of time. How often do you input text into a computer (or sleep in a bed, or whatever ). What is the hourly (or daily) cost of it over some reasonable timeframe (1 year, for example). At what price point is owning a better tool worth it? (health wise, opportunity cost wise, etc).

Yes, but your time-unit won't change if you get a Kinesis Advantage over a regular keyboard, so, even per time-unit, it's still more expensive.

I suppose that's true in a tacky arithmetic way. Shit keyboards are basically free. They also ruin your hands. So you have to prioritize a little. Having used the same Kinesis for six years I don't have a lot of sympathy for not being willing to shell out <$50/year for the most important part of the computer. In a discussion about someone trying to sell me a $150 dollar version of the free shit keyboard it seems even more disingenuous.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#185

Post by cjh_ »

graeme wrote: post #86

I had RSI. Got over it, but still found mechanical keyboards uncomfortable. For some reason, I find the MacBook air 13 inch keyboard to be the most comfortable I've ever used. I don't know why. Part of it may be the low height from the ground, and part is the great trackpad. (I tried the magic mouse and hurt my arm) I expect other people have different opinions of the air's keyboard. The point is that I don't think t…

Scissor switches can be quite comfortable, and the macbook air has quite nice switches (IMO I like the thinkpad x1 carbon's a little better, but it is close), and the location of the trackpad being under the keys is much more comfortable than having a physical mouse to the left or right.

For my desktop I have a kinesis advantage, but I often find using my thinkpad for long periods of time to be very comfortable, I just wish I could find a decent trackpad for my desktop(s).

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#186

Post by fusiongyro »

stormbrew wrote: post #38
chrismonsanto wrote: post #5

I really can't think of anything good to say about this keyboard. I've used keyboards like this, and I've damaged my body with them. You know what matters a lot more than a backlight? Ergonomic design. Get a Kinesis Advantage instead.

Is there actually any evidence ergonomic keyboards reduce risk of RSI? Last time I looked into it it seemed like marketing fluff with no actual studies that backed it up.

Look at your hands. Look at a flat keyboard. Look at a Kinesis. Is this evidence? No, but fortunately you are allowed to use your brain on this exam.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#187

Post by binarycrusader »

nucleardog wrote: post #138
X-Istence wrote: post #97

I don't understand what the obsession is with the old IBM Model M type keyboards. I am able to type faster and more accurately on my Apple flat aluminum keyboard that I have ever been able to type on a Model M. On top of that, switching to a flatter keyboard that sits closer to the desk has actually caused any and all pain I used to get while typing to go away. The other thing is I'd miss the extra function keys I ge…

I've got two Model M keyboards at home. I could threaten to beat you with one for disagreeing that it's the best thing ever, knowing full well I could continue writing scathing retorts online with it immediately after, but I won't... Because it's not the best ever /for everyone/. I have an Apple keyboard at work. I don't love or hate it. I'm indifferent to it. But I can totally understand why it may be the right keyb…

  I could threaten to beat you with one for disagreeing that
  it's the best thing ever, knowing full well I could
  continue writing scathing retorts online with it
  immediately after, but I won't... Because it's not the
  best ever /for everyone/.
Uh, you speak as if the Apple aluminum Keyboard wouldn't hurt just as much or be almost as durable :-)

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#188

Post by mark-r »

sharplusplus wrote: post #4

What I would really like is a version of the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard, that is backlit + mechanical. And WIRED, please, I hate wireless keyboards.

I've never understood the appeal of wireless keyboards. They don't move, so once the wire is placed it just doesn't matter.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#189

Post by binarycrusader »

scrame wrote: post #35

I got a das keyboard at home and at work. Its awesome, and I'd recommend a mechanical to anyone who works on a keyboard for a living. I would never buy anything like this from Atwood, though. His 'expertise' in software, personal attacks on other developers and tedious self-promotion don't really convince me that he's got the know-how to get into hardware production, but rather that he's found a way to make money off…

I briefly owned a das keyboard: loved the touch response of it, but the wacky USB hubs they had built into it caused me no end of trouble on some more niche operating systems due to some non-standard implementation choices.

Also, I hated the high-gloss easily marred plastic on it.

I returned it shortly after purchase and said "never again".

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#190

Post by tuananh »

madsushi wrote: post #96
codinghorror wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can choose Dvorak, Colemak, QWERTY via dipswitches on the back. As well as Mac (Alt/Command), disable Windows Key, switch Caps Lock with Ctrl, etc. It comes with a key puller, so you can easily swap the keys with whatever keycaps you like. WASD sells tons of different keycaps. I love ergonomic keyboards too but for a mass market item we wanted to follow the classic standards everyone knows first and foremost. Per…

Do note that you will need new keycaps to use Dvorak or Colemak. Each row of keys in a WASD keyboard has a slightly different height/slope, so you can't move the keys around between rows (without having all of your keys being different heights, that is). You'd have to order new keycaps with the correct letters AND the right height/slopes.

can anyone confirm this is still the case with this new keyboard (keycap height thingy)?
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