Keyboards for geeks?

[bigpook]

I saw this on digg. Don't think any of them are buckling spring though.

http://www.walyou.com/blog/2008/08/12/14-most-weird-keyboads-to-own/

[bhtooefr]

Looks like those are more keyboards to own if you want to look like a geek, not if you actually care about typing.

[xsphat]

Well said. I think we should gorm our own list of the real best keyboards ever built.

[aon]

ZX Spectrum? Seriously, what were they on when they wrote that article?

[iMav]

ZX Spectrum? Seriously, what were they on when they wrote that article?

You have to understand how stupid lists like that are created.  Someone with the website, magazine, etc comes up with the great idea to do a top 10 list (of whatever).  They have a meeting with some of the technology writers..."hey, what should be number 10?  number 9? etc, etc"  Then some guy goes off and writes it.  (at least, that is what I've been told by other tech media folks)

They are all pretty much worthless.

[itlnstln]

Looks like those are more keyboards to own if you want to look like a geek, not if you actually care about typing.

As a person who cares about typing, I think I would enjoy typing on the bra keyboard (as implemented in the photo).  Thanks, and have a nice day.

[bhtooefr]

Well, yeah.

[aon]

They are all pretty much worthless.

Yeah, I know. But still, the spectrum keyboard must be the worst one ever made. The bra keyboard looks fine to me too, though

[ashort]

Yeah, I know. But still, the spectrum keyboard must be the worst one ever made. The bra keyboard looks fine to me too, though

I owned a Sinclair computer way back when (early 80s).   I sold my Sears branded Atari 2600 (no one called it that until there were other systems...geeze, it was just "an Atari") so I could buy me a real computer.  I think the "keyswitch" tech in those "computers" translate to the buttons on my microwave today.

[iMav]

I owned a Sinclair computer way back when (early 80s).   I sold my Sears branded Atari 2600 (no one called it that until there were other systems...geeze, it was just "an Atari") so I could buy me a real computer.  I think the "keyswitch" tech in those "computers" translate to the buttons on my microwave today.

I had the Sears-branded 2600 as well.  It was called the "Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade".  

Nothing beats Yars Revenge!

I had a TI-99/4a in high school.  Had a Commodore 64 the last half year I was in the military (USAF).

[ashort]

Nothing beats Yars Revenge!

I had a TI-99/4a in high school.  Had a Commodore 64 the last half year I was in the military (USAF).

I wasted SO much time on Yar.  I didn't have the TI-99 but I did replace the Sinclair with a Commodore VIC-20.  That baby had a cassette tape drive on it!  

A year or so later I replaced that with the C-64.  My proudest geek day as a child was the day I got a floppy drive for my C-64.  =-D

[iMav]

I wasted SO much time on Yar.  I didn't have the TI-99 but I did replace the Sinclair with a Commodore VIC-20.  That baby had a cassette tape drive on it!  

A year or so later I replaced that with the C-64.  My proudest geek day as a child was the day I got a floppy drive for my C-64.  =-D

I had a cassette tape drive for my TI.  Had a floppy drive for my C64...but I really never used the computer that much.  Not nearly as much as the TI.

I threw my TI in the dumpster several years ago.  And, even though there is a bit of nostalgia associated with it, if it was sitting next to me today, I'd throw it away again.  

[itlnstln]

I had the cassette drive for my C-64.  My neighbor had the floppy drive, and I was so envious.  Games that took a minute or so load only took a few seconds on his.  My C-64 was replaced by a Commodore Colt (XT-Clone).  It had 2 floppies, 640K of RAM and CGA graphics.  I upgraded it later with a 40 MB Winchester Hard Drive for something like $400.  I still have my Atari 2600 with the beautiful walnut fiinsh in my attic.

[xsphat]

I had sex before I had computers, which didn't help out at all in the long run, so I never had anything like what you guys are talking about. I had an Atari 2600 and the next thing I got was a Playstation 1. Somewhere in between there I started having sex.

[bigpook]

I am way behind the curve compared to you guys.
My first computer was a 486/33 with 4M of ram and a 170M hardrive.
I think that was 1991. I had no clue about technology prior to that.
lol, I was a deprived child  : )

[Waves77]

Another Atari 2600 user here, after that I moved onto a MSX (tape), also started playing around with Basic. Couple years later I got my first PC...

A friend of mine is into vintage computing and still runs a MSX 2 with floppry drive, and a 40mb harddrive. Fun times

[lowpoly]

I started on a Commodore CBM 4032 in school. Got a C64 with 1541 floppy soon afterwards and love it since. I was quite good in 6502 assembler. It died a few weeks ago when I tried to show some games to my kids. I have to get another one.

I checked the keyboard and it was made by Mitsumi. Linear mechanical switches. The springs are right below the keycaps so if you pull a keycap the switch itself falls down by gravity. They work that lightly.

There was a modded C64 on ebay lately that could be used as a PC keyboard with a special mode for a popular emulator.

[ashort]

1541.  Yes, that was it.  =-D

[lowpoly]

My early 1541 had a serious design flaw which caused alignment problems for the r/w head leading to countless read errors. I had to drill into the stepper motor to finally get rid of that. The drive unit in the 1541 was made by ALPS. I made my peace with ALPS just recently.

[bhtooefr]

But I'm pretty sure it was designed by Commodore.

The Apple Disk ][ was also made by Alps after a while, and it was known for being a very good drive.

FWIW, my first computer was an Apple //c, 1MHz 65C02, 128 kiB RAM, and ONE floppy drive. The keyboard was shorted out, making typing an adventure, and the floppy controller wouldn't work right with a second drive plugged in (the internal drive would drastically speed up, and the external drive would run at the correct speed, but constantly run.)

Oh, and I first used it in 1991.

[lowpoly]

But I'm pretty sure it was designed by Commodore.

Maybe, I don't know. I'm sure that Commodore designed the case, the controller, the operating system, the power supply, but the actual 5 1/4" drive? A couple of years later this would have been a 3rd party device but I have no idea how the hardware industry worked in the early eighties.

[bhtooefr]

Keep in mind, Apple did all of the design on the Disk ][.

They designed the Disk ][, then took it to drive manufacturers, asking if they could build that - the Disk ][ did some things that drive manufacturers would've said was impossible back then (soft sectoring, anyone?,) had they not seen it working, and certainly wasn't off the shelf.

I'll admit that I don't know that the 1541 was 100% a Commodore design, but the drive logic definitely was, and the logic did things that sent the drive out of whack, no? (Of course, the various music-playing apps for the 1541 didn't exactly help that drive. )

IIRC, Shugart built the first Disk ][s, then Apple switched to Alps.

[lowpoly]

Keep in mind, Apple did all of the design on the Disk ][.

I see now what you mean.

Of course, the various music-playing apps for the 1541 didn't exactly help that drive.

Ha, that was great. One was called 'Drive Music'. I remember that I deleted it after trying it once to keep me from using it again.