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The CODE Keyboard

codinghorror.com

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Re: The CODE Keyboard

#201

Post by mercurial »

evincarofautumn wrote: post #196
jacobparker wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

navigating code I do this with the keyboard (vim)

Same in Emacs. I always watch with fascination (and some frustration) when my friends and coworkers use IDEs—Visual Studio and Xcode, mainly. Some navigational tasks are much faster with pointing or gesturing, but many basic tasks require the same context switch between mouse and keyboard, which I can’t tolerate.

My desktop is currently lacking a screen, but I have purchased a small Thinkpad keyboard for it: great, lite keyboard with a trackpoint - the trackpoint essentially solves the context switch problem and is good enough for everything apart from games.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#202

Post by chipotle_coyote »

kamaal wrote: post #178
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 can type faster and accurately on any keyboard. In fact once you've learned how to touch type, you can type on any kind of keyboard. But you are missing the whole point. Apple's flat keyboard is designed to look nice. Glossy finish, easy to carry and use cases around that. This looks like a keyboard designed for people who don't treat the computer as a work machine but as a utility device. More like browsing the in…

No, he's not missing the point, he's expressing a preference. As shocking as this may be, there are people who do actual real programming that involves solving problems and troubleshooting, and being stuck in deep with interesting issues for hours, on Apple's current keyboards. I know more than one of these people. I know more than one of them have tried objectively good mechanical keyboards and discovered that they prefer Apple's flat keyboards.

Personally, I prefer my Unicomp Spacesaver M keyboard, which I'm typing on now. But Apple's current keyboards are still some of my favorites, and it's not because they're pretty, it's because for low travel keyboards they're really fantastic. There's clearly a lot of thought that's gone into the haptics. They're not squishy. They feel good to type on. I'd rather use them than several mechanical keyboards that I've bought, and I'd much rather use them than any membrane keyboard that I've ever used, including some fairly expensive "ergonomic" models. I actually suspect, somewhat to my chagrin, that I'm faster typing on Apple keyboards than I am on the Unicomp.

Yes, Apple stuff is pretty. Tra-la, look at me, I'm an Apple product! Woo! But aesthetics and functionality are not opposite ends of the same axis.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#203

Post by chrismonsanto »

gavinpc wrote: post #151
fhd2 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RSI is a complex thing. Some people have pain that is fixed by uniquely shaped keyboards, others need to just switch ctrl and capslock, get rid of the numpad or whatever. I don't think there is such a thing as a keyboard that cures any kind of RSI. But I do think something super flexible like the Kinesis Freestyle comes close.

I love emacs, but I can definitely see how rms got RSI. Like Jeff, I was not content with any of the available keyboards. I have two Kinesis Freestyles (the old one and the new one), and they are both great. But the halves only separate by 20", which is not enough to mount them on armrests. So, I cut the separator cord one night, only to find that it contained twenty fine, individually shielded wires. At length, I re…

Mapping caps lock->ctrl destroyed my pinkies on Emacs, just saying... thumb modifier keys is the way to go IMO

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#204

Post by chipotle_coyote »

andrewvc wrote: post #120
cscurmudgeon wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I too have a das keyboard. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I just got mine less than a year ago. One of the keys started getting sticky and would not jump back after a key press (the command key.) They haven't answered my email asking for any solution to this. I saw similar complaints from other recent customers. It seems as though they have shifted production to a new Chinese facility which is causing more of t…

Well, if it makes you feel better, the new code keyboard also uses Cherry switches, so they may hit the same issues. AFAIK cherry's the only mechanical switch key maker left.

ALPS still makes mechanical keyswitches and I think Filco makes their own, don't they? Also, Unicomp makes "buckling spring" keyswitches for their own use.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#205

Post by lowboy »

mark-r wrote: post #181
mbell wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I went with Cherry MX browns for a combination of tactile feel and quiet operation. Plus, you can get damper rings for the switches so that the keys don't bottom out, which is the majority of the noise, in my experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFkl1Vet1eU

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#206

Post by neves »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #165
nucleardog wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 brought my Model M to work. The only problem with the Model M are open offices; thankfully my Chinese office mates are very tolerant to noise (and of noise in general, like cell phones ringing all the time). The year on mine is 1993, which is when I graduated from high school.

Mine is 1988. I've bought 3 of them in a computer cemetery. You'll take it from my cold dead hands.

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#207

Post by isaacb »

binarycrusader wrote: post #187
nucleardog wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 :-)

There's a pretty big mass different to account for

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#208

Post by osener »

imsofuture wrote: post #115
davexunit wrote: post #105

This is a very overpriced mechanical keyboard. The backlighting is silly and useless. Check out http://elitekeyboards.com/ instead. The Leopold keyboards are very fairly priced. The Rosewill mechanical keyboards from NewEgg are pretty alright, too. Filcos are on the higher end of the price spectrum but are a better value than the "CODE".

Also there's a lot of good-value Chinese mechanical keyboard imports (like the unbeatable Choc Mini). NB one of the things you're paying for with the CODE is decent integration, I'm sure. I do have to USB->PS2->USB this Choc Mini keyboard to work with OSX (seriously!). It works fine though!

You can use this kext with Noppoo keyboards: https://github.com/thefloweringash/iousbhiddriver-descriptor...

Re: The CODE Keyboard

#210

Post by venomsnake »

Interesting stuff ... sadly with shipping and VAT + customs it will come close to 270 USD in Europe. But probably I will purchase one.

It is very close to the perfect keyboard for me - just add blank keys and replace the clear with green (I love the chaingun sounds early in the morning.

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