Life In 19x19

Some PS/2 to USB adapters don't work with the Model M because it apparently draws more than the usual amount of power. There are various guides on the Internet that will direct you to the ones that work.

I learned to touch-type a... er... few years ago, and I really like mechanical switch keyboards. For me, nothing else has the same decisive feel, and without it my error rate goes up measurably. My typing is quick and loud, just like me! My personal keyboard is a Matias Tactile Pro, though mine is an older model than the one now offered, and looks like this:

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For work on PCs I have a collection of IBM Model M keyboards. There has never been a better keyboard.

Best Keyboard Ever

So, I've got a bit of a funny keyboard story. Some of you might be aware of it by now, but it deserves a telling in full. While was was watching the GSL Starcraft 2 finals, I saw the grand champion, Fruit Dealer, using a piece of equipment that was very familiar to me. I posted a screenshot earlier in the thread.



In fact, I had originally posted a thread on the Starcraft fourum, teamliquid.net, which I think is what prompted Araban to start this thread here. It actually got a pretty big response, going on for 12 pages so far. The mouse and the apple in the picture were also identified. Some other people noted that sSKS (AKA Tester) was spotted with the same keyboard, and CheckPrime was seen with a pink Filco (yes, they made pink ones at one point). This includes members of teams sponsored by other keyboard companies.

I also posted a thread on geekhack.org for serious keyboard geeks. Very serious keyboard geeks. They have a keyboard problem. Of course, half of them own the same keyboard (or a very similar model), because it's one of the nicest mechanical keyboards on the market today.

As it turns out, Filco keyboards can only be purchased from a single distributor in North America, elitekeyboards.com. And given Fruit Dealer's Cinderalla story, there was more than a little bit of interest in their wares. If you check out their product page for 104-key Filco Majestouch keyboards, you can see that they're sold out of Fruit Dealer's model, and three similar ones. They had stock as recently as last week when I ordered a second one for myself to use at work.

Geekhack.org members noticed:

1) the player "fruit dealer" wins the starcraft 2 GSL tournament
2) keyboard otaku points out the keyboard he is using
3) everybody conga cojones
4) rich brian

Yes, they're on a first name basis with the owner of Elitekeyboards.com. I said they have a problem, didn't I?

Anyhow, is it too late to ask for royalties?

Speaking of which, after finding out that not only is what I remember using not a Model-M but a Model-F, more reading told me that people prefer the Model-F springs to the Model-M!

So until I find a cheap Model-F on eBay or Goodwill or something, I've ordered a Filco with "Cherry blue" switches to tide me over.

Fwiffo! What have you done to me?! More particularly my wallet?!

And it looks like another well-known SC2 figure is a fan, I mean look at the way he's tapping his Hatchery hotkey: http://i.imgur.com/s3QlD.jpg

Arr. Ye all be landlubbers...



I'm a huge fan of the wired Apple keyboards, though. Bizarrely enough, I use and love both Apple keyboards and Microsoft mice; I just wish that both companies would stick to what they're good at and stop dabbling in software.

I use the Apple keyboard at work and at home if I'm in the mood to have a "proper" setup. Most of the time, though, I just use the built-in keyboard on my Thinkpad (X201) because I enjoy having an uncluttered desk with just the laptop on it.

I've always been lucky enough to enjoy typing on laptop keyboards, starting on a Toshiba Portege at school. That was also the time when I forced myself to forget my self-taught typing style and learn correct touch-typing; it took a few weeks and was worth every minute.

Nobody uses any of these?

I particularly like the blank keyboard palapiku posted!

I've been using the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard at my work now for about 6 months.
The space bar drove me crazy for a few months while I whacked the stiffness out of it, but now it works just fine.

My hands and wrists feel so relaxed using this type of split keyboard. I'm pretty happy that I switched instead of using the factory Dell keyboards everyone gets stuck with here.

The extra features are all pretty useless though, like most keyboards.

I would learn Dvorak if I didn't have to use Airline software. It was hard enough learning those wacky input formulas as it is.

Anyone here have complete fluency between both typing styles (Dvorak and Qwerty)?

If was going to switch layouts, it would be to Colemak. But I use vim, which isn't really compatible with non Qwerty layouts at all.

Finally got a second Filco for work to match the one I have at home.

Koosh wrote: Anyone here have complete fluency between both typing styles (Dvorak and Qwerty)?

I probably could if I tried, but I've been consciously avoiding Dvorak to make the switch to QWERTY less painful. And I'm not *entirely* fluent with QWERTY I guess (particularly having problems with g and h for some reason).

I can tell you Dvorak is indeed much nicer. QWERTY has some common and very annoying combinations, like 'rt' or 'be'. There's appreciably less finger movement and awkward stretches with Dvorak.

Fedya wrote:Nobody uses any of these?

I have the roll up keyboard!!! Mine is black though...

fwiffo wrote:If was going to switch layouts, it would be to Colemak. But I use vim, which isn't really compatible with non Qwerty layouts at all.

Sure it is. I used it with Dvorak for years.

How do you hjkl with hjkl in the wrong place?