What keyboard things will you never 'get'?

[Atakp]

Well it doesn't apply to everyone but my tablet makes my life about 1000x easier. With regards to flying I can file flight plans, get real time weather information along my route of flight, contact the company directly with maintenance issues, attach it to the yoke and I can have a secondary GPS screen with real time tracking and terrain avoidance, look up frequencies and fuel prices at almost any FBO in the country, get airport diagrams with runway/taxiway locations, and it replaces a suitcase full of sectional maps for everywhere in the world.

Wouldn't want to go back to the old way of doing things. I realize I'm a small percentage of tablet users though.

But you can do all this with your phone, which is 6x smaller and can also make actual phone calls.

You could do it on your phone technically, but when you are flying an approach into a busy airport, in nasty weather getting bounced around, on nothing but instruments without being able to see the runway outside until the last 15 to 30 seconds and you need to glance down to pull some info off an approach plate...on top of everything else you have going on between you and the other pilot do you really want this to be the size of a phone?



I sure as hell don't

[YoungMichael88]

Well it doesn't apply to everyone but my tablet makes my life about 1000x easier. With regards to flying I can file flight plans, get real time weather information along my route of flight, contact the company directly with maintenance issues, attach it to the yoke and I can have a secondary GPS screen with real time tracking and terrain avoidance, look up frequencies and fuel prices at almost any FBO in the country, get airport diagrams with runway/taxiway locations, and it replaces a suitcase full of sectional maps for everywhere in the world.

Wouldn't want to go back to the old way of doing things. I realize I'm a small percentage of tablet users though.

But you can do all this with your phone, which is 6x smaller and can also make actual phone calls.

You could do it on your phone technically, but when you are flying an approach into a busy airport, in nasty weather getting bounced around, on nothing but instruments without being able to see the runway outside until the last 15 to 30 seconds and you need to glance down to pull some info off an approach plate...on top of everything else you have going on between you and the other pilot do you really want this to be the size of a phone?

Show Image

I sure as hell don't

you make me not want to fly anymore with that last post haha

[Atakp]

you make me not want to fly anymore with that last post haha

I don't want to take this off topic anymore but I'll just say keep at it. Breaking out at minimums and picking up the runway lights is a pretty rewarding feeling, and worth all the stress and effort.

[YoungMichael88]

you make me not want to fly anymore with that last post haha

I don't want to take this off topic anymore but I'll just say keep at it. Breaking out at minimums and picking up the runway lights is a pretty rewarding feeling, and worth all the stress and effort.

hah oh I don't mean fly as in be a pilot I mean fly as a passenger. Although it seems like it would be an amazing career and I applaud you for it.

[CommunistWitchDr]

Just a couple responses

   Blanks- Absolutely great for layouts other than qwerty. Only other options (if you find shine unacceptable) are dsa dyesubs or custom layout specific dyesubs.

   WASD lights- This times a thousand. It throws off the look of the board, and you shouldn't be using wasd anyway, esdf keeps your hands where they belong on home row. This gives you the dash on f to easily find the keys, without lights, caps, or even legends.

[Atakp]

you make me not want to fly anymore with that last post haha

I don't want to take this off topic anymore but I'll just say keep at it. Breaking out at minimums and picking up the runway lights is a pretty rewarding feeling, and worth all the stress and effort.

hah oh I don't mean fly as in be a pilot I mean fly as a passenger. Although it seems like it would be an amazing career and I applaud you for it.

Oh, well in that case everything is under control...welcome aboard 

[calavera]

Statistically, flying is the safest way to travel. Just sayin'

[YoungMichael88]

Statistically, flying is the safest way to travel. Just sayin'

Yeah I know. I actually love flying. And I really enjoy turbulence. It's exciting. Well lets get this back on track shall we?

[Topre]

Bad fonts on keycaps and not minding that. Makes me rather type with keycaps off.

[TimIsABat]

Bad fonts on keycaps and not minding that. Makes me rather type with keycaps off.

QFR stock keycaps lol

[davkol]

ergodox

3rd massdrop ends next week, you can still buy one.

[BlueBär]

Phew, thread almost derailed
Another thing I forgot: different coloured WASD caps. I mean if its just for the look it's ok but I dont understand the actual use of it. My pinkie usually rests on the left shift anyways and I can then easily find WASD, I don't think I ever had to look at my keyboard to find it. I cannot even touchtype (I'm trying to learn it though).

[Halvar]

Color choices for WASDkeyboards.com keycaps. So ugly colors.

[Grim Fandango]

I couldn't agree more about the tablets. Do you really need to bridge that tiny gap between your smartphone and your notebook PC? It seems like a useless and unneeded technology just trying to squeeze a few extra bucks out of naive techheads who always need to have every gadget.

I felt the same way. Then I stayed at my brother's house for about a week, and fell in love with his tablet. It is true that if you already have a laptop, desktop, smartphone then having a tablet may be a little bit excessive, and this is the reason I have not bought one. However, the combination of the touch screen controls and the shape/size/formfactor make it a very nice gadget to have around the house.

[TimIsABat]

I couldn't agree more about the tablets. Do you really need to bridge that tiny gap between your smartphone and your notebook PC? It seems like a useless and unneeded technology just trying to squeeze a few extra bucks out of naive techheads who always need to have every gadget.

I felt the same way. Then I stayed at my brother's house for about a week, and fell in love with his tablet. It is true that if you already have a laptop, desktop, smartphone then having a tablet may be a little bit excessive, and this is the reason I have not bought one. However, the combination of the touch screen controls and the shape/size/formfactor make it a very nice gadget to have around the house.

There use for teachers is almost becoming invaluable because of the small form factor and apps that can be created for teaching kids. I really need a tablet. ATM the iPad is the only one that has an interface and apps that are really child friendly. The only problem is that teacher's don't know how to use the parental controls on it so that students don't just peruse through Youtube.

[Leslieann]

Laptops are great if you are sitting, but a tablet comes into it's own if you are standing or moving around. Teachers, doctors, nurses, network admins... They work great for those sorts of situations.

But as a laptop replacement, I'm not convinced and probably never will be.

[fmcsimmons]

I've never really understood the whole obsession with keycaps in general. Perhaps it is related with my preference for buckling spring keyboards which don't have great keycap selection anyway.

[Grim Fandango]

Laptops are great if you are sitting, but a tablet comes into it's own if you are standing or moving around. Teachers, doctors, nurses, network admins... They work great for those sorts of situations.

But as a laptop replacement, I'm not convinced and probably never will be.

I am still waiting for a x86 windows tablet that is actually good, comes with a dock/stand and allows you to hook up any keyboard of choice. Once that is there, is would function well enough for me as a basic laptop.

I would probably buy that instantly. The MS Surface RT was such a let down.

[vivalarevolución]

I dont' get all you "flat boarders".

+1.  Ergo all the way.  Except for buckling springs because the only "ergo" buckling spring is like $500.

[vivalarevolución]

Well it doesn't apply to everyone but my tablet makes my life about 1000x easier. With regards to flying I can file flight plans, get real time weather information along my route of flight, contact the company directly with maintenance issues, attach it to the yoke and I can have a secondary GPS screen with real time tracking and terrain avoidance, look up frequencies and fuel prices at almost any FBO in the country, get airport diagrams with runway/taxiway locations, and it replaces a suitcase full of sectional maps for everywhere in the world.

Wouldn't want to go back to the old way of doing things. I realize I'm a small percentage of tablet users though.

Seems like you're a pilot.  After seeing those briefcases that pilots have to haul around, I an see the advantage.

[daerid]

Laptops are great if you are sitting, but a tablet comes into it's own if you are standing or moving around. Teachers, doctors, nurses, network admins... They work great for those sorts of situations.

But as a laptop replacement, I'm not convinced and probably never will be.

I am still waiting for a x86 windows tablet that is actually good, comes with a dock/stand and allows you to hook up any keyboard of choice. Once that is there, is would function well enough for me as a basic laptop.

I would probably buy that instantly. The MS Surface RT was such a let down.

Surface Pro ain't half bad

[sth]

The ridiculous price of Realforce and HHKB Pro 2...

...and why we even got into this addiction in the first place.

Compared to a k-custom, they aren't bad

No, compared to HHKB they're insulting. Original HHKB - the original was $60. The HHKB Sun - same thing but for Sun systems - was $175 IIRC. (Might've been $225 and Mac at $175.) And this was somewhat reasonable - they had to bribe the cult of Sun and Apple for the protocols and pay the license fees.
But now? Now they want $260 for the basic model. A $200 markup despite being essentially the same damn thing.

People who have owned the original (e.g. ME) are just stunned at people who keep defending these insane prices when they haven't actually changed anything other than the color.

wasn't the original not topre based? and yeah... they're too expensive. that's why you let other people buy them, realize they hate them and then buy them used at a discount

and to that extent -- NIB keyboards. they're just gonna get beat up anyway if you're actually planning on using them.

[daerid]

True, but I want to be the one doing the beating. There's something to be said for knowing each scuff and scrape and that the shine on the caps is from your fingers and not somebody else's.

[domoaligato]

Laptops are great if you are sitting, but a tablet comes into it's own if you are standing or moving around. Teachers, doctors, nurses, network admins... They work great for those sorts of situations.

But as a laptop replacement, I'm not convinced and probably never will be.

I am still waiting for a x86 windows tablet that is actually good, comes with a dock/stand and allows you to hook up any keyboard of choice. Once that is there, is would function well enough for me as a basic laptop.

I would probably buy that instantly. The MS Surface RT was such a let down.

Surface Pro ain't half bad

everyone is entitled to there own opinions so please do not take this the wrong way.
I have a surface pro for work and I hate mine..
It is 3x as thick and 3x as heavy as any competitor's android/ios tablets.
oh and it is not worth the amount msft is charging for it.

[Peter]

Scroll Lock - What does it do? I've never used it in my lifetime, yet there it is...

It used to scroll in word programs without having to use the arrows or mouse. Today all it really does is make the LED next to caps lock light up.

How long ago are we talking? I'm 21 and I've never used it, so you must be one of the ancients from the dark ages of computing (pre-GUI).

That statement is just SO backwards ..
You really think it teaches you ANYTHING about computers to click on pretty little pictures ?
There's a reason why Nix-nerds still use a command-line !

[daerid]

Surface Pro ain't half bad

everyone is entitled to there own opinions so please do not take this the wrong way.
I have a surface pro for work and I hate mine..
It is 3x as thick and 3x as heavy as any competitor's android/ios tablets.
oh and it is not worth the amount msft is charging for it.

I can understand that. However, if I were to get a Surface Pro it wouldn't be for it's tablet functionality, it'd be for the fact that it's a full i5 Windows 8 Pro machine that just happens to have a tablet form factor, that I could actually do some development on. Super thin/ultra light are features that pair up with a different experience altogether (that of an iPad or the like).

[___q]

This is getting slightly OT from the original posts (sorry), but if the Surface Pro didn't get so hot and had better battery life, I'd be all over it as a Photoshop etc. machine.

Decent tablet form factor + wacom digitizer is a market that doesn't have a good device (yet!).

[Topre]

This is getting slightly OT from the original posts (sorry), but if the Surface Pro didn't get so hot and had better battery life, I'd be all over it as a Photoshop etc. machine.

Decent tablet form factor + wacom digitizer is a market that doesn't have a good device (yet!).

Actually a Modbook and Fujistu are the best you can for a wacom digitizer tablet. The Surface Pro is one the thinnest, lightest, cheapest (that is worth buying) though.

[oluf]

 I don't understand M$ windows logos on custom keycaps... We go through all the trouble to make nice sets and then slap a mega-corp label on them.

[CPTBadAss]

I don't get the love for WinKeyLess. I mean it looks awesome but it's not practical for me. I like the Windows key. It's pretty useful for what I do.

[TimIsABat]

Touch screen laptops/computers. The response on most touchscreen laptops and computers are really unresponsive, and I find myself moving so slow. I hate trackpads, but using a touch screen is even worse.

[TimIsABat]

I don't get the love for WinKeyLess. I mean it looks awesome but it's not practical for me. I like the Windows key. It's pretty useful for what I do.

Especially when you are on windows 8 and you want to get some to some of your apps on that start window. You almost need the winkey.

[daerid]

Windows 8 is practically unusable without the Windows key for any keyboard user.

[TimIsABat]

Windows 8 is practically unusable without the Windows key for any keyboard user.

Haha basically. I am probably going to switch back to Windows 7 Enterprise when I get a new laptop, even though Lenovo y500 comes stock with Windows 8

[CommunistWitchDr]

If you're on windows ctrl+esc works.

I don't even use windows, but like the key as a bind key. I have most of my window manager binds based on it.

[insilica]

Two things I will never buy for my keyboard:

A carry case.

Overpriced keycaps.

[daerid]

If you're on windows ctrl+esc works.

I don't even use windows, but like the key as a bind key. I have most of my window manager binds based on it.

Yes, but since Windows 8 keyboard usage relies heavily on Win+another key for many of it's shortcuts, Ctrl+Esc isn't very feasible. Sure you can get to the start screen, but you can't do much else (Win+X, Win+I, Win+P, Win+., etc...)

[tricheboars]

winkey is super useful. as someone who uses CentOS, OSx, Win 7, and Win 8 i would never buy a board without one (except my IBM Model M).

i may not use it on Cent but i don't want to prevent a board from fully utilizing an OS. put it on there anyway!

and swap those left ctrl and caps kids. caps doesn't deserve that real estate.

[CommunistWitchDr]

and swap those left ctrl and caps kids. caps doesn't deserve that real estate.

No way man, backspace caps all the way.

[BlueBär]

I don't get the love for WinKeyLess. I mean it looks awesome but it's not practical for me. I like the Windows key. It's pretty useful for what I do.

I like winkeyless boards for the look (just is an nice little detail that gives it a special touch), but I use Win+E pretty much all the time.

[wetto]

- I swear to God, I'll never get a set of unicorn vomit keycaps. I don't even know what makes people enjoy those ridiculous things.

- HHKB. Everything I had against Topre, went away with the Leopold FC660C release, but US$ 300 for a board like this still seems retarded to me.

- A single novelty keycap that cost over US$ 80. I don't care if it was forged with plastic blessed by the Pope itself, if it costs more than my keyboard, **** you.

- Razer Blackwidow Ultimate. Do I even need to list the reasons?

[Rule16]

The_Ed the only caps you can 'dent' with a wire puller IME are Cherry ABS caps.

I did it to PBTs on an Alps board.

[xmagusx]

Windows 8 is practically unusable without the Windows key for any keyboard user.

Agreed, Windows 8 is practically unusable.

What I don't get is the lack of a cheap ergonomic keyboards. They sell full boards (non-mech, but still) at a profit for less than five bucks. How much more could it cost to use different molds for a single run?

Doubly so with the mech boards, honestly. How about instead of a detachable mini macro disco ball addon, you do an ergo stagger or split the board?

[esoomenona]

All of you people well never get "dis". And when I say you will never get dis, youwillnevergitdis.

[CommunistWitchDr]

Windows 8 is practically unusable without the Windows key for any keyboard user.

Agreed, Windows 8 is practically unusable.

What I don't get is the lack of a cheap ergonomic keyboards. They sell full boards (non-mech, but still) at a profit for less than five bucks. How much more could it cost to use different molds for a single run?

Doubly so with the mech boards, honestly. How about instead of a detachable mini macro disco ball addon, you do an ergo stagger or split the board?

Molds are very expensive. Paying someone to design a board is very expensive. Marketing something is very expensive. These things are costs. There are also overhead costs not directly related to the board. A standard keyboard selling for five bucks has the volume to make these costs negligible. There's a good chance an ergo board doesn't. That said, I still wouldn't doubt the profit margin is huge.

[xmagusx]

Molds are very expensive. Paying someone to design a board is very expensive. Marketing something is very expensive. These things are costs. There are also overhead costs not directly related to the board. A standard keyboard selling for five bucks has the volume to make these costs negligible. There's a good chance an ergo board doesn't. That said, I still wouldn't doubt the profit margin is huge.

More or less my point, yeah. Design I could see being a bit of a pain, but molds are a more or less consistent opperational cost. Marketing though? The marketing would more or less be that it's USB and HID compliant while costing less than ten bucks. ;-)

Ergo for the masses! :-D

[jameslr]

Since recently buying my first mechanical board, I can safely add cheap membrane keyboard to the list of things I will never get. I was a little unsure if the word 'get' in the subject meant 'grok' or 'purchase'. Maybe both?

Never purchase:

• Membrane keyboards
• ClickClacks higher than retail price

Never grok:

• Why PBT caps are so expensive.
• Why Topre keyboards don't have a "try before you buy" program. I want to try one, but can't bring myself to spend that much money on a keyboard at this stage of my new addiction.

[davkol]

Why PBT caps are so expensive.

They aren't. €60 Cherry G80 has them, so does unicomp priced at $100. Hell, $80 choc mini has thick ones.

[SeriouSSpotS]

I don't get the love for WinKeyLess. I mean it looks awesome but it's not practical for me. I like the Windows key. It's pretty useful for what I do.

Agreed

[jameslr]

They aren't. €60 Cherry G80 has them, so does unicomp priced at $100. Hell, $80 choc mini has thick ones.

I'm talking about aftermarket caps (different color schemes). All of the sets I have seen are $75-$80 or more. Just for a set of caps. If that's not expensive then we're just in different income brackets. I'm just poor :/