Unicomp Finally Comes Thru with the SSK

[Parak]

If it took them this long to do a new SSK, then I anticipate a pcb based capsense design to come out sometime shortly after the heat death of the universe.

Oh ye of little faith! A competent engineering team (even a small one) could do this in a couple of months by borrowing various electrical and mechanical parameters from the Model F design, adapting them to the new layout, and using more recent chips, etc., on the controller board.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), I know exactly everything that must go into a new mass production capacitive buckling spring design, and it's a discussion that is too long to get sidetracked from the main topic. If anything, the controller is probably the easiest portion, but I digress already. The gist of it is that it won't happen without a VERY significant investment and at least a year or two of work. The amount of effort involved in creating an SSK based on existing designs is far, far less in comparison.

[Snarfangel]

The joke is on us?

Show Image

I just got that in an email (since I bought a keyboard from them awhile back -- I'm actually typing on my Kentucky Wildcats BS right now). The text reads:

April 1, 2014
A message to our customers,
Today is Unicomp's 18th anniversary. I would like to extend a sincere Thank You to our many loyal customers. Your interest and passion for the buckling spring keyboards we make are greatly appreciated.
We hope to make the holiday season this year special with the development of a new 83 key product chassis. This new chassis will continue to use the full size buckling spring keys and curved profile. It will be 25% smaller yet pack significantly more functionality than the space saving keyboard (SSK) developed by IBM 20 years ago. There will be versions available that will include features such as a USB hub, a pointing stick mouse, Mac compatibility, detachable cable, and Fn functionality. I have included a rendering produced by a loyal customer (M. Farwig) that illustrates the concept we are working on. We welcome your thoughts and comments on this future product. Please send them to M83@unicomp.com.
Thanks again for your loyalty.
Sincerely,
Neil Muyskens


Of course, the date given *is* April 1st...

[Snarfangel]

Is that your render in their announcement?   Looks way too close to be a coincidence.

Ah, the mystery deepens...that green one sure looks familiar!

Recognize those shadows anywhere...

Thread dedicated to this here:  http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56668.0

Would love to hear what you can reveal about it if anything.

Sorry, didn't click on the link before I wrote.

[zmenchho]

Please see the Official Press release
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56683.new#new

[E TwentyNine]

Please see the Official Press release
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56683.new#new

We've been discussing the offical PR here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56668

Don't you think it would be a good idea to unlock your thread in the Unicomp subforum so you can get input on from potential buyers which you've asked for in your announcement?

[berserkfan]

...buy him out, stack the board with geekhackers and let's see some action.

Interest check!  Let's make this happen.

I live pretty close to Unicomp. Can I be the proud rep from Geekhack that throws down the briefcase full of GH money and says, "I'M BUYING THIS PLACE"?

So, shall we make this a massdrop thing? Raise money to buy Unicomp Shares because their management is stodgy and unwilling to adapt to times?

Even if we don't actually go through with this, if we do it, then send letters to the top shareholders (it's a public company, you can find this info), it might kick them into action.

[E TwentyNine]

So, shall we make this a massdrop thing? Raise money to buy Unicomp Shares because their management is stodgy and unwilling to adapt to times?

Even if we don't actually go through with this, if we do it, then send letters to the top shareholders (it's a public company, you can find this info), it might kick them into action.

I'm pretty sure Unicomp is a private company.  The thing is, if anyone were serious about it, they could get set up with their own molds and produce their own buckling spring design on their own.  Legally.  All the patents expired years ago.

[berserkfan]

So, shall we make this a massdrop thing? Raise money to buy Unicomp Shares because their management is stodgy and unwilling to adapt to times?

Even if we don't actually go through with this, if we do it, then send letters to the top shareholders (it's a public company, you can find this info), it might kick them into action.

I'm pretty sure Unicomp is a private company.  The thing is, if anyone were serious about it, they could get set up with their own molds and produce their own buckling spring design on their own.  Legally.  All the patents expired years ago.

Private or not, the owners can be found through public records. I suspect Unicomp's owners are conservative old folks, people who just want their retirement incomes to be stable. Hell, if they were engineers in the 1970s, they're probably born in the 1940s.

The age structure of the shareholders also matters. Too many old shareholders with board seats makes a company more conservative.

That said, I wonder if Massdrop can do a proposal for SSKs. IF they get a thousand orders for $250 each, I think Unicomp will get more serious also.

[rowdy]

So, shall we make this a massdrop thing? Raise money to buy Unicomp Shares because their management is stodgy and unwilling to adapt to times?

Even if we don't actually go through with this, if we do it, then send letters to the top shareholders (it's a public company, you can find this info), it might kick them into action.

I'm pretty sure Unicomp is a private company.  The thing is, if anyone were serious about it, they could get set up with their own molds and produce their own buckling spring design on their own.  Legally.  All the patents expired years ago.

Private or not, the owners can be found through public records. I suspect Unicomp's owners are conservative old folks, people who just want their retirement incomes to be stable. Hell, if they were engineers in the 1970s, they're probably born in the 1940s.

The age structure of the shareholders also matters. Too many old shareholders with board seats makes a company more conservative.

That said, I wonder if Massdrop can do a proposal for SSKs. IF they get a thousand orders for $250 each, I think Unicomp will get more serious also.

I'd hope that a new SSK is considerably cheaper than $250

[ander]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

[rowdy]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

Very necro!

But better than the other abomination that was circulated.

[hwood34]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

Very necro!

But better than the other abomination that was circulated.

oh god. Don't remind me...

[ander]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

Very necro!

But better than the other abomination that was circulated.

Dude, this "necro" hangup of yours...

Apparently, most GH members agree: The stuff we discuss here is timeless, and thus not subject to the fickle, short-attention-span attitudes of the general public. We're beyond such petty time-'n'-space limitations. You, of all people, should realize this. But no.

[katushkin]

>April 1st 2014
>2015

Well played sir.

Didn't even realise this was a thread from last year. waaaaaw.

[Nover]

Meh, feel stupid for getting my hopes up again and clicking this thread when I should know better. Now someone has to share my fate. 

[wyatt8740]

Meh, feel stupid for getting my hopes up again and clicking this thread when I should know better. Now someone has to share my fate. 

Well, I did. 
You aren't alone.

[Joey Quinn]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

Very necro!

But better than the other abomination that was circulated.

Dude, this "necro" hangup of yours...

Apparently, most GH members agree: The stuff we discuss here is timeless, and thus not subject to the fickle, short-attention-span attitudes of the general public. We're beyond such petty time-'n'-space limitations. You, of all people, should realize this. But no.

[wyatt8740]

Necro'ing is a holdover from usenet days. Still, I think that I'd prefer if we didn't have so many necro's. I'd prefer new topics not be flooded out by topics started 8 years ago about ALPS discontinuing SKCL switches.

[ander]

In other words, we'd better not bring up anything historical at all, if there's going to be a time limit on it. Yeah, that makes complete sense to me.  :?|

[bueller]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

Very necro!

But better than the other abomination that was circulated.

Dude, this "necro" hangup of yours...

Apparently, most GH members agree: The stuff we discuss here is timeless, and thus not subject to the fickle, short-attention-span attitudes of the general public. We're beyond such petty time-'n'-space limitations. You, of all people, should realize this. But no.

Oh wow in your 6 weeks on GH you've got this place totally figured out. Oh wait, no you haven't.

[hwood34]

I figured this must've been a gag, as they hadn't managed to squeeze in their unfortunate logo.

Very necro!

But better than the other abomination that was circulated.

Dude, this "necro" hangup of yours...

Apparently, most GH members agree: The stuff we discuss here is timeless, and thus not subject to the fickle, short-attention-span attitudes of the general public. We're beyond such petty time-'n'-space limitations. You, of all people, should realize this. But no.

Oh wow in your 6 weeks on GH you've got this place totally figured out. Oh wait, no you haven't.

just don't feed the troll

[Oobly]

Wow.... Ander is not making himself popular with all these necros. One thing I'd like clarified, though... How exactly is an April Fools joke from last year suddenly useful to discuss? Is there something important and keyboard related that you feel the need to resurrect an old thread to do? If not, then please stop doing it. If you have a question, start a thread. Otherwise, read any old threads you want and move on.

The reason some of us become irritated by a necro where the person has nothing useful to add or ask is that often a thread that has a new post in, is recent, and usually a request for information / help / guidance / opinions, etc. So if a person sees a thread on the first page of a subforum where the OP is doing just this and it has already been dealt with, necro'ing the thread is not helping the OP.

And anyone who has an answer or help for the OP and reads through, then discovers that the problem is already solved and they have wasted their time, thinking they can be of help to someone, when in fact the only reason the thread is on the first page is someone like yourself has posted something irrelevant in an old thread.

Being antagonistic towards those helpful souls when they politely mention this, will not endear you to this community.

[Data]

In other words, we'd better not bring up anything historical at all, if there's going to be a time limit on it. Yeah, that makes complete sense to me.  :?|

Hi, you must be new.  Welcome to the Internet.

People don't like thread necros anywhere.  It's one of those universal properties of forum-based communication.  If you've got something new and relevant to discuss on the topic, then yeah it's totally cool and even encouraged.  But bumping old threads for essentially no reason is bad etiquette and in some circles is even considered malicious.

It's cool though, you'll figure it out in time.   

[ander]

Oh wow in your 6 weeks on GH you've got this place totally figured out. Oh wait, no you haven't.

[sigh]

Wow.... Ander is not making himself popular with all these necros. One thing I'd like clarified, though... How exactly is an April Fools joke from last year suddenly useful to discuss?

Guys, I am not a villain. I just saw this—for the first time, because I wasn't here last year when it was posted, because I didn't appreciate MKs back then. As I'd just bought a Unicomp, and saw their, er, logo first-hand (something that's remarked on here from time to time), I thought it might be a chuckle to add my little note.

I was quite surprised you responded so harshly. I didn't realize you were so rigid about this. The rest of the forum seemed so cool and welcoming.

If it's this annoying when anyone posts to a topic over a certain age, and you consider it this important to prevent it, forums can easily be configured to remove the reply links automatically after a specified period. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was deliberately left unconfigured, just so you could wait for someone to post where they shouldn't, then leap out and shame 'em. I'm sure that's not true—but if it were, the expression "get a life" wouldn't seem entirely out of place.

My replies have just been requests for you to try to step back a bit and figure out what's really important: Seizing a chance to stomp on one of your fellow KB guys? Or just enjoying all this as usual, without being anal about something as inconsequential as a date stamp?

People don't like thread necros anywhere.  It's one of those universal properties of forum-based communication.  If you've got something new and relevant to discuss on the topic, then yeah it's totally cool and even encouraged.  But bumping old threads for essentially no reason is bad etiquette and in some circles is even considered malicious... It's cool though, you'll figure it out in time.

First, believe it or not, I've been on forums since the beginning of the Internet. Before that, I used BBSs (computer Bulletin Board Services, the precursor of Internet forums), and operated a successful one of my own for several years. (You're talking to someone who actually used MS-DOS—yikes! Ancient!) I'm well aware of forum standards; I've seen them take shape, and even had a hand in creating them. It makes me feel pretty old to say this—but I've been doing this longer than many of you have been eating solid food.  :?D

I simply wanted to add my single, VERY brief remark to this existing topic. It would've been goofily inefficient to start a whole new one for that. What's more, I would've had to copy text from this topic to the new one for my comment to make any sense. Finally, it would've seemed pretty conceited. ("Hey, look everybody, I'm so funny, I'm starting a whole new topic just for this lame little quip!")

I was actually trying to spare you all that. No one was obligated to post follow-ups here, or even pay any attention if they didn't want to.

I'll stop watching this thread now, as I don't want to bug you any further... That'd be completely opposite from my original purpose, which was just to have a little fun. Sorry.

[golliwog]

I wish this existed

[ander]

Shhh, dude—you're necroing.  :?D

[mougrim]

Hell no, you're not necroing, cuz I'm the Necro champion here who revived 7.5 y.o. thread last month

By the way, I wish that existed too - in F version