What do you even use your $$$ keyboards for?

[VimLover]

I see people using 500+ $ boards and I'm wondering what they actually do with them.

Me:
I'm a a professional developer working on the Linux kernel. I write C code using Emacs for my day job. I have two desks, one has a Unicomp Mini M, the other has an HHKB Hybrid Black, both have no legends. Unicomp is for programming, HHKB I use for writing blog posts, emails, and message boards.

[MIGHTY CHICKEN]

I use a few, put others on display or in a drawer then tell myself I’m not like the other guys


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[fohat.digs]

In general, for day-to-day use, a beat-up $1000 pickup truck and a brand new Tesla will get you from Point A to Point B in approximately the same time, if not in the same comfort and style.

[1017BirckenThot]

Type on em. Collect them. Its just a hobby.

[Username]

I honestly plan on selling some of my extra keyboards as I realize I don't really use them and I can only use one at a time.

[c.a.t.]

Motion Designer.... But really, for the sound... Could type **** all day just to hear the sound of them!!

[LightningXI]

For pretty much everything that involves using a keyboard. I spend so many hours at a computer so might as well, right?

[Leslieann]

It used to be you needed to spend $500 for something really nice but you can get away with not much more than half that these days, provided it's in stock.

As for why?
Comfort, sound, feel and just having something nice that you use daily.

While they don't contribute to performance in the traditional sense, your mouse, keyboard, screen, chair and desk are the parts of your system you interact with when using your computer and play a major part in how much you hate or enjoy using your computer, you shouldn't discount them and how much they matter if you spend a lot of time at a computer. Put another way, would you rather watch a movie sitting on a wooden barstool or a lounge chair? If you spend hours at a computer, invest in good/nice peripherals.

[livewirerc]

I pay for literally everything in my life with money I make by typing on these things. I figure a professional welder probably has a decent torch and tank setup. An auto mechanic has a well-stocked rolling toolchest or four.

Work buys my laptop, cellphone, docking station, monitors, chair and desk, the only things I really spend money on for work are my human interface devices. Consequently I have a bunch of relatively expensive, heavily modded, amazing sounding keyboards, primarily Topre in the HHKB layout, and a bunch of dope mice. I enjoy the variety and being able to change dome weights and key profiles on a whim, so I keep a stack of boards built across the spectrum of available topre mods.

As far as WHAT I do, primarily write yaml and hcl for consumption by Hashicorp products, Ansible playbooks, Powershell, and Python. SRE bull****.

[corrupt_penguin]

Me:
I'm a a professional developer working on the Linux kernel. I write C code using Emacs for my day job.

Your user name is VimLover and yet you develop on Emacs everyday, you sir are a heretic and shall be burned at the stake!

(But thank you for your contributions to the Linux kernel    I am on Debian for the long term currently)

I am a Vimmer myself and I use a custom unicomp built IBM model M 101 keyboard with the 'ctrl' key mapped to its original location on the home row. I am simply a enthusiast who is looking to get into embedded micro-controller programming. Currently taking intro programming at the local college.

[butre]

my $500 board is primarily used to make aggressive and ironic posts on the internet.  I can get an extra 7 words per minute using my $500 keyboard over the $3 rubber dome my oldest posts were penned on, and that averages out to an additional 6 steaming hot turds per hour.

[Rob27shred]

I spend a decent bit of time on my PC everyday so I agree with Lightning & Leslieann on the why not have the best peripherals view. Also it is a hobby for me too. From building to collecting I really enjoy all facets of the hobby.

[TripleT]

Collection indeed! wof wof

[rihen.robb]

I'm a student and I work remotely as a freelance writer. I primarily use my boards for assignments, writing articles, posting on forums and gaming, along with personal pursuits like poetry. I also use more portable keyboards like my FC660c when working on university desktops for prolonged periods of time (don't worry, it's silenced and quieter than an Apple Magic Keyboard -- I'm not a monster!) For me, the hobby is a lot like collecting fancy pens: You may not write better because of them, but it makes the mundane a bit more interesting. Even when I don't want to work on an assignment at all, I'm always at least a little happy to do it on a keyboard I enjoy using

[fohat.digs]

TL;DR  "a keyboard I enjoy using"

[fanpeople]

I like to search for porn in style.

[MIGHTY CHICKEN]

a noble cause

[y0nza1]

I also use more portable keyboards like my FC660c when working on university desktops for prolonged periods of time (don't worry, it's silenced and quieter than an Apple Magic Keyboard -- I'm not a monster!)

Out of curiosity, how do you transport your keyboard? Just throw it in a bag with all your other stuff? Have a separate case that you carry around?

I'll probably be back on campus after this summer and I like the idea of bringing my silent 60% build along with me to do assignments at the computer lab or in a corner of the library. I'm thinking about just buying a generic sleeve for the board. Maybe if it's quiet enough, I can sit towards the back of lectures and use it for notetaking as well.

[Maledicted]

My F107 is used often for email, tickets, general IT things, prominently placed in the middle of a school library. 

I also use more portable keyboards like my FC660c when working on university desktops for prolonged periods of time (don't worry, it's silenced and quieter than an Apple Magic Keyboard -- I'm not a monster!)

Out of curiosity, how do you transport your keyboard? Just throw it in a bag with all your other stuff? Have a separate case that you carry around?

I'll probably be back on campus after this summer and I like the idea of bringing my silent 60% build along with me to do assignments at the computer lab or in a corner of the library. I'm thinking about just buying a generic sleeve for the board. Maybe if it's quiet enough, I can sit towards the back of lectures and use it for notetaking as well.

I found a case that fits IBM F77s perfectly and have carried some around in them, because I'm insane. 

Those neoprene sleeves on Amazon work pretty well, and they make a good variety of sizes, with pockets for cables. I use those even just for storing some boards and write their model and configuration on the outside in metallic sharpie. They keep them from collecting dust as a bonus.