Saturday, October 11, 2014
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I am a touch typist, and and I've been using computers since the late 1970's -- even before the original IBM PC was made. The first IBM computers were made with fabulous keyboards that had "buckling-spring" keys (in other words, under each key was an actual spring that buckled when it was pressed). Most modern keyboards now use what's called "rubber-dome" technology in which the key pushes down on a polyurethane membrane and causes an electrical connection to be made. The buckling spring keyboards have a positive, clicky feel which is very satisfying to a touch typist, whereas the rubber-dome keyboards feel mushy.
IBM made the original PC with an 84-key keyboard called the "XT" keyboard, but future versions of the PC came with a "Model M" keyboard which had 101 keys. The model-M keyboard layout is still the standard (although keys have since been added). The model-M layout is more spacious than the XT layout, and more of the keys are on the right side (which is good for most typists). In my view, the model-M keyboard is the best keyboard ever made, and it is the only one I want to type on.
(XT keyboard shown above)
(Model M keyboard shown above)
In the mid-1990's, Microsoft (which publishes the Windows operating system) inserted two new "Windows" keys into the layout of the standard IBM keyboard. That action immediately made most of the model-M keyboards obsolete, and millions of them undoubtedly went into the trash. This action on Microsoft's part is one of the reasons I dislike Bill Gates. Changing the layout of the standard keyboard was an unnecessary and egotistical act on his part, which he did to promote the Windows operating system, and it caused a huge amount of waste. He was able to get away with it because most computers came with Windows pre-installed (and they still do). To me, the extra keys just got in the way. I never used them.
(Red arrows indicate where Microsoft inserted two new keys into the standard layout; pressing either one of them would open the Windows Start menu.)
When I got my first PC (not made by IBM) in the mid- to late 1980's (I got a 386, remember those?), it came with a keyboard that had a model-M layout. It wasn't long before I got a real model-M keyboard for myself, and I have used them ever since. The early model-M keyboards required a PC to PS/2 adapter, but the later model-M keyboards came with a PS/2 plug, so there was no problem. Today, however, PS/2 ports are not included on most new computers -- only USB ports -- and to use an original model-M keyboard, you must get a special PS/2-to-USB adapter (such adapters don't always work). And now, finally, this gets me to the real point of this article:
THOSE FABULOUS OLD KEYBOARDS ARE STILL BEING MADE!!!
I didn't know this until just recently. IBM spun off its printer and keyboard division to a company called Lexmark in 1991. Lexmark then decided to discontinue the keyboards, and a group of employees bought the rights to them and formed a company called Unicomp in 1996. They also bought the manufacturing equipment, so the new model-M keyboards are being manufactured on the same original Lexmark equipment. The new model-M keyboards now come with a USB plug instead of a PS/2 plug, so they are compatible with new computers. You can also get the keyboards with the Windows keys (if you want them), and in a space-saver design. They also sell a model with a trackball. I am writing this article on a new Unicomp keyboard, and it is just heavenly. It actually makes typing a pleasurable experience.
IBM made the original PC with an 84-key keyboard called the "XT" keyboard, but future versions of the PC came with a "Model M" keyboard which had 101 keys. The model-M keyboard layout is still the standard (although keys have since been added). The model-M layout is more spacious than the XT layout, and more of the keys are on the right side (which is good for most typists). In my view, the model-M keyboard is the best keyboard ever made, and it is the only one I want to type on.
(XT keyboard shown above)
(Model M keyboard shown above)In the mid-1990's, Microsoft (which publishes the Windows operating system) inserted two new "Windows" keys into the layout of the standard IBM keyboard. That action immediately made most of the model-M keyboards obsolete, and millions of them undoubtedly went into the trash. This action on Microsoft's part is one of the reasons I dislike Bill Gates. Changing the layout of the standard keyboard was an unnecessary and egotistical act on his part, which he did to promote the Windows operating system, and it caused a huge amount of waste. He was able to get away with it because most computers came with Windows pre-installed (and they still do). To me, the extra keys just got in the way. I never used them.
(Red arrows indicate where Microsoft inserted two new keys into the standard layout; pressing either one of them would open the Windows Start menu.)
When I got my first PC (not made by IBM) in the mid- to late 1980's (I got a 386, remember those?), it came with a keyboard that had a model-M layout. It wasn't long before I got a real model-M keyboard for myself, and I have used them ever since. The early model-M keyboards required a PC to PS/2 adapter, but the later model-M keyboards came with a PS/2 plug, so there was no problem. Today, however, PS/2 ports are not included on most new computers -- only USB ports -- and to use an original model-M keyboard, you must get a special PS/2-to-USB adapter (such adapters don't always work). And now, finally, this gets me to the real point of this article:
THOSE FABULOUS OLD KEYBOARDS ARE STILL BEING MADE!!!
I didn't know this until just recently. IBM spun off its printer and keyboard division to a company called Lexmark in 1991. Lexmark then decided to discontinue the keyboards, and a group of employees bought the rights to them and formed a company called Unicomp in 1996. They also bought the manufacturing equipment, so the new model-M keyboards are being manufactured on the same original Lexmark equipment. The new model-M keyboards now come with a USB plug instead of a PS/2 plug, so they are compatible with new computers. You can also get the keyboards with the Windows keys (if you want them), and in a space-saver design. They also sell a model with a trackball. I am writing this article on a new Unicomp keyboard, and it is just heavenly. It actually makes typing a pleasurable experience.
www.unicomp.com
[Since writing this article, I've learned that the very first model-M keyboards -- the ones made by IBM themselves and not by Lexmark for IBM -- had even higher quality than the ones made by Lexmark. They had a steel plate in them and were significantly heavier, and the plastic they used was a heavier plastic. Those original keyboards apparently had a slightly superior feel to the model-M keyboards made by Lexmark, but they are no longer available. The ones made by Unicomp are the same as the model-M keyboards that were made by Lexmark for IBM. On the other hand, the later model-M keyboards were and are made with drainage channels in case a liquid is spilled on them, but the original IBM-manufactured keyboards didn't have the drainage channels.]
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