I've been wondering, what do you guys look for in a keyboard? I'm fairly certain this question has been asked many times before, but what do you guys look for in a keyboard and what improvements would you want in current keyboards?
I've had many keyboards in the past, and had looked for different things during that time.
I've been a PC user for most of my computing life, but I had a laptop dominant period some years ago. That period awakened in me the search for the perfect keyboard layout, after being disappointed in laptop keyboards, but at the same time having learned that the numpad was not necessary for me. So I tried a few membrane keyboards. Of those, I particularly loved the "Logitech Netplay" (after discarding the joystick part, of course), and the "Roccat Arvo".
Lately I've come to the conclusion that TenKeyLess is the perfect layout for me.
So, I'm in a point were I'm looking for:
-key feel
-durability
I will look for durability once I settle on the best key feel for me (I have a Razer MX-compatible TKL and a full-size IBM Model M. A RealForce is in the way).
Requirements: Layout: It has to be TKL. Not less, not more (for me). I use the navigation keys heavily, and also the F1..F12 keys.
Enter/Shift/Backspace layout: ANSI. It has to be ANSI. (even though spanish standard is ISO. So I have a harder time finding keyboards with ANSI layout, but I started with those in the 90s, and I kept going with those. All these kids nowadays started on ISO layouts. Spanish ISO layout is dumb (for me)).
Cable placement: The cable must come from the back face (centered or not centered). If it exits by the lateral sides, interfering with the mouse or trackball, it is a deal breaker.
Looking for: Key feel: I've tried Razer Oranges and Buckling Springs. And soon I will try Topre. So, I'm still looking. So I can decide on the perfect feedback feeling and sound for me. I appreciate both light and heavy switches, both have advantages to me.
Key travel: I want full-key travel with high activation point.
Key Caps: The IBM Model M showed me that I prefer PBT key caps.
Durability: I want a keyboard that won't break or that I can mantain. For instance, I would like an MX-Compatible keyboard that had a plate that supported dissasembly of the switches without desoldering. I would love if every 5 years I could mantain my keyboard to make it look and feel good as new. Ordinary membrane keyboards after a while, fail this, because, for example, when keys start to get sticky and require different levels of force to go be pressed, it means that the ABS plastic moving parts have been worn out and will not ever slide well against each other. Though some membrane keyboards have quality sliders. Most people will never maintain their keyboards, and won't even deep clean them. Some people buy a new keyboard just because their old keyboard is too dirty. But the few of us that have the skill and patience to repair a keyboard will value repairabilty highly, and speak very positive about KBs with this trait (
good-as-new-repairabilty-potential).
Things that I don't mind: Backlight: I don't care for it (keyboards are for writing, not reading
). I've been typing with a Dvorak layout since the time of the Pentium III, but never re-arranged the keys, because I would loose the indicators on the F and J keys. (dvorak to me is mostly for comfort rather than speed: it made carpal tunnel syndrome pain go away. It is also fun, and feels "right").
Weight: Don't care for weight as long as it's durable.
Rubber Feet: Don't care. As long as it doesn't scratch my table, the material of the feet is not important to me. I actually like to move the keyboard a lot to adjust it to the angle I'm sitting in. That is one of the many reasons why I prefer TKL instead of full-size: because it's easier to move and handle.
Detachable cable: I don't care for detachable cables. If the connector on the keyboard size breaks, it is a hassle to find a replacement part to solder, though perhaps doable. On the other hand, a non-detachable cable is actually easier for me to crimp or solder to the keyboard if I had to replace it.
Illuminated CapsLock/ScrollLock: Don't care. I've been mapping CapsLock to ESC, which means that I never get to see the CapsLock light anyways. And though ScrollLock is useful in linux text terminals, it is replaced by CTRL+S in UI consoles anyways, which is what one uses 99.99% of the time.
Game mode: Absolutely don't care. If I want to disable the windows key, there are plenty of ways one can do this in software.
Fn key: I actually prefer it to be the Menu or Win key. Or have it optionally produce a scan code, so I can map it in software.
Programability: I'm satisfied with the existing level of programability in software. I have customized mappings in the OS to my taste (XKB & XModmap config files; KeyTweak and so on).
Macro keys: I've had them in previous keyboards, and I never used them. The F1..F12 keys have been fulfilling their role since the DOS days. Now, everyone wants to have them behave as global multimedia keys. But, function keys are supposed to mean different things in different programs (F5 means "Refresh" in browsers, and "Copy File" in dual panel file managers, and for instance, I have mapped F5/F6 as :bp and :bn in Vim's config). So the trend is to take the F* keys away from you and give them back in the form of macro keys
while putting useless
global shortcuts on them.
Multimedia keys: I have my own shortcuts that work on any keyboard. For instance, CTRL+ALT+UpArrow raises the volume globally. It can be done with one hand. Works on IBM Model M's. Otherwise I use the shortcuts specific to the player I'm using.
Face-key-roll-over: I prefer a keyboard that has 6KRO or more, but it isn't a deal breaker. NKRO is a nice extra, but hardly the reason to buy a keyboard over another (for me).
Font style in key caps: I don't care about the font, except in one case: I cannot stand even the pictures of the font used in the Deck keyboards. That terrible font is a deal breaker for me. But any other font style is fine.
PS/2: No computer made in the last ten years (or more) will be slowed down by the polling of the USB port (as opposed to PS/2 interrupts). I also would like to see a double-blind study showing people notice any difference between USB and PS/2.
USB 1000Hz vs 125Hz: Again, I would love to see a double-blind study showing that people can notice a difference. To me, they might as well claim that Reiki was performed on the keyboard prior to putting it in the box. Even if the 1ms reporting is enabled, there are other factors like de-bounce time or OS scheduling that might not make it possible for the KB to actually allow 1000 keystrokes per second (which would correspond to 12 thousand words per minute). 300wpm are 25 characters per second... 25Hz. I also think that if the controller has a buffer, it can buffer a sequence of keystrokes if they are produced together in-between polling intervals and still send them in sequence, no matter the polling rate.
Logos: If the keyboard is ANSI TKL, is maintenable&repairable, has the switches I want, and has PBT keys, then I don't mind the logo.
I realize that this post sounds like a bit of a rant on the current state of keyboards
But it was just my perspective on the things I love and hate.
Though I wish more keyboards existed with stock PBT key caps instead of crazy backlighting, I realize that the latter is what the majority of the market seems to want right now.
Cheers!!!
.KeyHopper.
