What is the purpose of linear switches?

[Rena]

Of any type, what purpose do linear switches serve? They usually have an odd or absent force curve, but the main issue is that there's nothing in them (such as a bump) to indicate actuation. What's the advantage to using that kind of switch?

[Pacifist]

gaming

some people like linears

its all personal preference

[thesentinel]

gaming and some people like typing with them

[PointyFox]

Of any type, what purpose do linear switches serve? They usually have an odd or absent force curve, but the main issue is that there's nothing in them (such as a bump) to indicate actuation. What's the advantage to using that kind of switch?

Some people are capable of pressing keys enough to have them actuate consistently without needing a tactile bump.  Others bottom out with every stroke.  In both these cases linear switches will probably be preferred.  Possible advantages include lack of tactile bump distraction, faster rebound (lack of hysteresis) , smoother key press, and no noise from tactility.

[StylinGreymon]

I love my MX blacks.
So smooth and heavy...

It really is just preference, though.

[Xaviz]

mx red + o-ring stack + counter-strike = OMG WHY U CHEAT NOOB!?

[yasuo]

interested linear+oring cloud of bobbs )

this real or not?
blue some years ago>>>>>like brown
brown some years ago>>>>like reds
blacks/linear some years ago>>>>like water )

[Moosecraft]

Because their the best around and nothing is gonna ever take em down 

[remdell]

I too wondered the use of linear switches when I first got into the mechanical keyboard game.  After trying my fair share of mechanical switches over the past year, I have to say that in the end all linear switches have entered my top favorites list. 

Here are some of my personal pros for linear switches:

• Faster actuation - all switches require a certain amount of force to depress, but tactile switches restarts that required force upon reaching the actuation.  This may take extra time and energy.  Linear switches avoid that.

• Increased smoothness - This might be preference, but you will grow to appreciate the smoothness of key presses.  On linears, I feel as if my hands are floating across the keyboard as I type, as opposed to skipping across on a bumpy road.  This floaty feeling is enhanced greatly when you lube the switches.  When lubed, you eliminate any of the scratchiness that cause small bumps upon depression.  If you want to know true scratchiness for comparison, try an Cherry ML board.

• Decreased audible feedback - I use to really like having good audible feedback.  However, I realized that too much of the same giant clicks and clacks were annoying at times, especially when I'm typing up documents.  I had to change keyboards often just to hear something new.  Yet, with linear switches, I have a much larger tolerance.  Linear switches make very subtle clicks and clacks, and become ever more subtle when lubed and o-ring modified.  I personally like it when linears are lubed, pcb mounted (takes away most of the clack), and stickered (makes up for stability for not being plate mounted).  The sound becomes more of a cross between a thock and clack, which is very pleasant and tolerable.

• Increased springiness - I find that most linear switches spring back to their original position faster than tactile switches.  This is great if you do repetitive tasks on the keyboard

If you get the chance, you should really try yellow or green linear complicated ALPs switches, and if you don't like them, I'd be happy to take them off your hands.  They are much smoother in comparison to MX linears.  The Zenith ZKB-2 with yellow ALPs switches is my favorite keyboard.  If my future first Topre board doesn't completely sway me, I'm going all in with linear ALPs.

[davkol]

They usually have an odd or absent force curve

What's odd about linear function? Or even absent? WTF?

Faster actuation - all switches require a certain amount of force to depress, but tactile switches restarts that required force upon reaching the actuation.  This may take extra time and energy.  Linear switches avoid that.

Oh, I guess you haven't read the tp4's (in)famous thread about Cherry MX Black being the switch for the fastest typing...

If you want to know true scratchiness for comparison, try an Cherry ML board.

That isn't fair at all. I mean, ML and MX Brown feel fantastic, when lubed.

Black ALPS are *the* scratchy switch...

[remdell]

They usually have an odd or absent force curve

What's odd about linear function? Or even absent? WTF?

Faster actuation - all switches require a certain amount of force to depress, but tactile switches restarts that required force upon reaching the actuation.  This may take extra time and energy.  Linear switches avoid that.

Oh, I guess you haven't read the tp4's (in)famous thread about Cherry MX Black being the switch for the fastest typing...

If you want to know true scratchiness for comparison, try an Cherry ML board.

That isn't fair at all. I mean, ML and MX Brown feel fantastic, when lubed.

Black ALPS are *the* scratchy switch...

I haven't seen tp4's thread, but I don't believe MX blacks to be the fastest for typing.  If you look at Cherry MX .gifs, you will notice that for a tactile MX switches' crosspoints to make contact, its metal leaf goes through a bump (S shape), while linear MX switches go through a straight line.  Do you think that shows faster contact among linear switches?  If anything, the fastest switch is the one that holds the least time to bottom out and to spring back into its original position.   However, this doesn't actually mean you will be a faster typer.  You need to account much more than the switch itself, like profile, spacing, stamina, etc.  Technically, the fastest typing would be on a touch screen because it literally bottoms out with a single touch and springs back to it's original position when released.  As much as I like speed, I care more about balancing between the time and energy it takes for me to type up documents from keyboard to keyboard.  The problem is that my fingers like to be massaged with mechanical keys.

As for Cherry ML boards, I'm not saying they are horrible boards.  They are just scratchy, and that's with every ML board I've tried.  Everyone I know that has tried at least one other mechanical keyboard has that first reaction of scratchiness when using it.  You are right that they are fantastic when lubed, but by itself without the lube, my fingers just don't feel right typing on them.  I personally find the layout of the G84-4100 hard to type on because of it's small backspace.  Once I got my G84-4400 (slightly larger layout with a small trackball), I found the keyboard quite pleasant.  Too bad I'm too lazy to lube all the keys... I have a hard time opening each switch.

I actually never thought of scratchiness when I used a black ALPs board.  My first reaction to black ALPs was that it was really top heavy.  I liked it at first because I rarely made typos with the top heaviness, but my fingers would get fatigued faster on this board than on others.  Luckily, I got a lubed black ALPs board from nubbinator, and it's great.  It is much quieter, softer, and considerably less top heavy.  My only gripe with black ALPs boards in general is that they vary from board to board and key to key.  On some models of the Dell AT101W I've tried, some keys were top heavier than others, some keys had significantly more empty space at the top before actuation, some keys were scratchier than others.  I had to do some break-in time for those with really top heavy black ALPs switches.

[davkol]

They're slightly faster on the upstroke.

I meant black ALPS in Dell AT101, they have quite bad reputation.

[C5Allroad]

For gaming it's really nice. Some like it for typing too.

[ideus]

Fellows have covered most of the reasons for linear switches. I may add that linear switches have the simplest operation and mechanism, that from a reliability perspective may lead to a more robust design and more durability, of course this may be negligible because all mechanical switches last very long.

[nubbinator]

Of any type, what purpose do linear switches serve? They usually have an odd or absent force curve, but the main issue is that there's nothing in them (such as a bump) to indicate actuation. What's the advantage to using that kind of switch?

What's the advantage of using any switch over another?  Why do some people prefer Topre?  Why do some people love buckling spring?  Why is there so much variance in what people use in Ergo Clears? 

The answer is personal preference.  Everyone has a feel that they prefer and for some, that's linear switches.  There are some issues with some switches like the hysteresis and occasional chatter in Blues, but, in general, no one switch is better than another for something outside of preference.

...unless that switch is a Brown.  Those can all burn in hell.

[Photoelectric]

MX Blacks were the first modern Cherry switch, and they are made for durability and quiet actuation, I believe.  Nowadays, linear switches became popular for gaming where you mash the same key repeatedly and can float about the actuation point quite easily with a linear switch, but of course that was not their original purpose.

[HPE1000]

So far black switches are my favorite cherry switch I have typed on, and if I could only have one cherry switch, it would be black switches. It is all personal preference, simple as that.

[Melvang]

Lubed browns aren't that bad.  Granted new browns don't feel that great but once you get them broke in the feel nice to me.  As a gamer that has used a separate game pad (Nostromo, and Orbweaver) and doesn't type for a job, that did take a bit of time to really get them smoothed out.

Edit:  Forgot to add.  I frequently float ergo clears.  Mine have stock brown springs in them, and are not lubed.  I do it quite frequently on my orbweaver. 

[berserkfan]

Of any type, what purpose do linear switches serve? They usually have an odd or absent force curve, but the main issue is that there's nothing in them (such as a bump) to indicate actuation. What's the advantage to using that kind of switch?

To inspire us to learn desoldering so that we can get rid of them linears.

Spoken from the POV of a tactile-key fan.