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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: chyros on Mon, 08 July 2019, 00:42:20

Title: about "GeekHack Official: "MX-Compatible" Key Switches"
Post by: chyros on Mon, 08 July 2019, 00:42:20
I just wanted to ask, is this an out-of-season April Fools joke? Oo

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56405.0
Title: Re: about "GeekHack Official: "MX-Compatible" Key Switches"
Post by: SpAmRaY on Mon, 08 July 2019, 05:23:56
At the time I think it was considered a bigger issue and the switch landscape looks entirely different today so it is funny looking back.

I also believe there was an actual discussion thread that went along with that post, edited in below.

EDIT:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56406.0

IIRC there were some switches floating around at the time that were cherry branded and/or sold as cherry that were feared to be fakes.

TL;DR: In the early days of the 'switch clone wars' people were excitedly buying cheap switches not realizing they weren't actual official cherry switches.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Title: Re: about "GeekHack Official: "MX-Compatible" Key Switches"
Post by: romevi on Mon, 08 July 2019, 07:00:15
I'm surprised the Reddit memers, with their lust for kitschy monikers, haven't come up with a name like "Berry" or "Cherrios" or something.
Title: Re: about "GeekHack Official: "MX-Compatible" Key Switches"
Post by: fer.real on Mon, 08 July 2019, 07:31:19
Cheerios are a thing.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/bay1vq/eusihcheerios_wpaypal/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/bay1vq/eusihcheerios_wpaypal/)
Title: Re: about "GeekHack Official: "MX-Compatible" Key Switches"
Post by: HoffmanMyster on Mon, 08 July 2019, 10:53:42
It is kind of funny looking back on that thread.  :)) 

Like spamray said, at the time, there was a lot of controversy around "knockoff" Cherry MX switches.  The patent had just expired, Cherry switches were hard to come by, and lookalikes were popping up - so it made sense to specify. 

Nowadays, the non-Cherry switches have taken on a life, branding, and reputation of their own, so there is little chance of confusion and no need for such a strong stance.