Why most manufacturer stopped making Bigass enter Keyboard?

[Tesyu]

Just as title,really want to know the reason.

[Moistgun]

Just as title,really want to know the reason.

My guess would be wasted real estate.

I mean, really a backspace key should be in place of the top half of a big ass enter key.

[Hypersphere]

The standard evolved to the US ANSI layout with the horizontal rectangular Return/Enter key partly out of mimicry of the IBM Model M. In addition, I would speculate that the move from the BAE could have been motivated by simplicity of design and better mechanical stability along with cost savings realized by the simpler design. The BAE and similar designs for the Return/Enter key required a somewhat complicated setup for the stabilizers, such as a peg plus a stabilizer wire. The big Return keys were prone to binding when the key was pressed off-center.

[ideus]

Cost savings and rationalization of keyboard space area.

[chyros]

Much like Hypersphere said, it's just because of the Model M. IBM has always dictated the standard keyboard layout. It was also because of them that the BAE was standard at some point (because of the F AT).

[daerid]

Good lord I hate the big ass enter key. It's also much less stress on my hands to hit the backspace key with my right ring key. Which, to be fair, is probably because I have gargantuan super long fingers.

[Findecanor]

So, you hate the "Big-Ass" Enter because the Backspace key is small..
That is not the fault of the Enter key but of the displaced \ key being on the top row. There are keyboards with the \ key next to right Shift or on the bottom row.

Anyway, the best position for Backspace is on the bottom row, instead of the left half of the Space Bar. (A DIP switch to change side would make it appeal to more people)

[Touch_It]

BAE is fine.  1u backspace is the bigger evil.

[romevi]

So, you hate the "Big-Ass" Enter because the Backspace key is small..
That is not the fault of the Enter key but of the displaced \ key being on the top row. There are keyboards with the \ key next to right Shift or on the bottom row.

Anyway, the best position for Backspace is on the bottom row, instead of the left half of the Space Bar. (A DIP switch to change side would make it appeal to more people)

BAE is fine.  1u backspace is the bigger evil.

Yup, these. I love the BAE, but hate the 1u Backspace.

[chyros]

So, you hate the "Big-Ass" Enter because the Backspace key is small..
That is not the fault of the Enter key but of the displaced \ key being on the top row. There are keyboards with the \ key next to right Shift or on the bottom row.

Anyway, the best position for Backspace is on the bottom row, instead of the left half of the Space Bar. (A DIP switch to change side would make it appeal to more people)

BAE is fine.  1u backspace is the bigger evil.

Yup, these. I love the BAE, but hate the 1u Backspace.

Focus Layout FTW!

[Elrick]

Good lord I hate the big ass enter key. It's also much less stress on my hands to hit the backspace key with my right ring key. Which, to be fair, is probably because I have gargantuan super long fingers.

LOVE the BIG-arse Enter key.

It shows everyone you're in charge, by having that behemoth before you.

Also it breaks up the visual monotony of equally spaced 'smaller' keys.

Go LARGE or go home Geeklings  .

[keyladding]

It's all about that bass

[daerid]

So, you hate the "Big-Ass" Enter because the Backspace key is small..
That is not the fault of the Enter key but of the displaced \ key being on the top row.

Perfectly happy with the \ key where it is. I use it all the damn time (as well as the | symbol), and having it right there between backspace and enter is perfect to me. I realize I probably am in a minority, but for my hands, the standard ANSI layout is about as ideal as it gets in the staggered qwerty realm.

Except for Caps Lock. That thing is useless and always gets remapped to Control.

[klennkellon]

Don't care if it's a normal Enter or BAE as long as I got muh' nice normal backspace.

I found that the BAE doesn't go down quite as smooth if you press the upper portion on most of the boards I've tried. Even this Packard Bell which has amazing stabs it's noticeably stiffer to press on the top part.

[Findecanor]

Many BAE have stabilisers only on the "ANSI part", with a sliding post on the top. That might explain why the top is not as easy to press.

I found that there are lots of stabiliser variations on BAE keys. Cherry keyboards tend to have one on the vertical with a dummy switch on the left. Many Alps keyboards have two: one ANSI and one very small at the top. An Ortek OEM Alps keyboard I had even had Alps-style horizontal stabilisers and Costar-style vertical stabilisers...
Overlapping stabilisers tend to be very rare, but NMB "Space Invader"-switch keyboards had them, as did one  Alps-clone keyboard I saw.

[ideus]

For actual touch typists only the extreme left of an ANSI style Enter is needed, nothing, more; anything else is an excess, an exercise of pure waste.

[chyros]

For actual touch typists only the extreme left of an ANSI style Enter is needed, nothing, more; anything else is an excess, an exercise of pure waste.

Touch typing is soooo 2015 man, none of the cool kids do it anymore .

[t8c]

Wonder if GMK still has the BAE molds. I have seen gateron BAE.

Cherry BAE are things of beauty.

[ideus]

Wonder if GMK still has the BAE molds. I have seen gateron BAE.

Cherry BAE are things of beauty.

Show Image

I like the shape of ISO Enter, but this?

[romevi]

Wonder if GMK still has the BAE molds. I have seen gateron BAE.

Cherry BAE are things of beauty.

Show Image

I like the shape of ISO Enter, but this?

You've never seen a BAE?

[fohat.digs]

You've never seen a BAE?

[t8c]

You've never seen a BAE?

Nom nom. Medium ass enter keys are also cool! Zeniths especially!

[ideus]

You've never seen a BAE?

It is way too much keyboard real state lost; unless, your fingers are as thick as a can.

[pixelpusher]

Necro for reasons:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=91402.0

[dante]

Just as title,really want to know the reason.

"Bigass" is not politically correct.

[chyros]

Just as title,really want to know the reason.

"Bigass" is not politically correct.

I'm sure "bigass" is fine. "Big ass" though...

[jcoffin1981]

I have small hands, so it's difficult to hit the center of the Enter or Backspace key with my pinky without moving my hand from the home key row, so I never bought a board with these small keys.

Since this has been brought up, I noticed that a few large keys such as R Shift have holes in the PCB where the stabilizers fit where you could actually install a dummy switch.  Has anyone ever tried this and would this work better than standard stabilizers?  I realize this would increase the resistance and you would have to insert very light springs or take them out.  But the existence of these just seemed strange.

[Zobeid Zuma]

Having used an IBM XT keyboard for a bit, I can't help wondering if the BAE is a sort of "missing link" between that layout and the Model M.  It seems like if you were trained to touch-type on the XT, then you would naturally reach your pinky finger way over to the vertical part of the BAE, and if you were trained on the Model M, then you'd naturally reach for the lower half of it.  Either way you're good.

[ideus]

Having used an IBM XT keyboard for a bit, I can't help wondering if the BAE is a sort of "missing link" between that layout and the Model M.  It seems like if you were trained to touch-type on the XT, then you would naturally reach your pinky finger way over to the vertical part of the BAE, and if you were trained on the Model M, then you'd naturally reach for the lower half of it.  Either way you're good.

It began appearing in AT keyboards, the successor of XT. I would like to give it a try with the upcoming BAE's GB. Anyways, it is very easy to switch with ISO so my ISO keyboard will be my guinea pig, so you can even switch in between them, back and forth.

[phinix]

Necro again

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=116126.0;all

I wonder if its BAE ISO based or ANSI.
ISO would have 3 vertical stems, ANSI - horisontal.

EDIT: its ANSI 

[Sup]

ISO enter 4 lyfe.

[ideus]

Necro again

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=116126.0;all

I wonder if its BAE ISO based or ANSI.
ISO would have 3 vertical stems, ANSI - horisontal.

EDIT: its ANSI 

The IC including a BAE gives this thread a new chance.

[Mikhail]

And this https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=117130.0