NorthWay of Norway - looking for special taste answers

[NorthWay]

Hi people. So I found this site by accident, and I don't know the lingo so perhaps some kind soul can help me out:

I want my keyboards with CTRL-CapsLock-ASDFGHJKL setup like it was common back in the 80s. Can you get that? Does that layout come by any special name? Led light in the CapsLock key and all.

I got used to the HP 7000 workstation rubber-key keyboards around 1990, but so far I have just found similar models with plastic keys. Are there any keyboards with similar texture (and similar drop after being pushed halfway(?) down)?

[xondat]

Welcome

Do you mean a normal layout cut with Control to the left of Caps Lock?

[NorthWay]

Do you mean a normal layout cut with Control to the left of Caps Lock?

I do! Haven't seen one like that in yonks. Apart from my Amiga keyboards.

[Findecanor]

So, you want a layout the way it should be.
As a previous Amiga user, I agree.

I'm afraid that the only option right now would be to use a vintage keyboard with a special adapter.

The layout with Ctrl - Caps Lock - A was prominent on DEC (Digital Equipement Corp.) terminal keyboards that were very influential. There may be some keyboard that has the same layout as the DEC LK-201 but which talks PS/2, I have a hunch that one could exist... Beware that there have been quite a few keyboard protocols throughout the years that have also used a Mini-DIN connector but which does not actually do PS/2 signalling: for instance Apple's ADB and many Commodore Amiga keyboards.
The HIL protocol used by the HP keyboards is electrically incompatible with simple microcontrollers, needing conversion circuitry so if one adapter to PS/2 or USB exists, I would think that it is rare.

The only "modern" keyboard I have seen with two keys to the left of A has been a few laptop keyboards, such as the 2012 Thinkpad X1 Carbon... and that keyboard was very much disliked, as you can read in this review: Stop trying to innovate keyboards. You’re just making them worse.

[Findecanor]

I forgot to mention: There do exist several contemporary PC keyboards that do have support for swapping bottom/left Control and Caps Lock (next to A) with a switch on the bottom of the keyboard.
A couple of them also have lock lights in whichever of those keys is configured as Caps Lock -- but all I have seen  have had US-ANSI (US-English) layout.

I think some gaming keyboards with RGB backlighting should have support for remapping the keys. On those Caps Lock state is often display with a different backlight colour on that key.

It should also be possible to swap the keys logically in the OS, (both Windows, Linux and MacOS)
Under Windows and Linux, usually I remap Caps Lock as a third Control key.

[NorthWay]

The HIL protocol used by the HP keyboards is electrically incompatible with simple microcontrollers, needing conversion circuitry so if one adapter to PS/2 or USB exists, I would think that it is rare.

I could live with a HIL keyboard (I think I have seens adapters), but I don't know what I should be searching for to make sure I find the correct rubber-key version. (The one I have is plastic keys and PS/2.)
I hated it when I first tried it (rubbery and moving around a bit (especially since the rubber made much friction to your fingertips so you sat there pushing them around when you were trying to think of what to write next) and with that sudden drop when you had passed sth like half-way down the travel distance). 2 weeks later and you wondered why not all keyboards were like this.