Okay, so apparently LOTS of people hate silent, squishy keys. You'd think we were a tiny minority based on reviews and what the manufacturers are advertising.

The keyboards with cherry MX switches are not cheap! Might be worth it though if I ever have some extra cash laying around. Don't laugh - it could happen!

Edit: Sparky!

chemvictim wrote:

You forgot to say Sparky!
And yes who knew that wine geeks would also be keyboard geeks.

Cesare wrote:You forgot to say Sparky!
And yes who knew that wine geeks would also be keyboard geeks.

Corrected. All kinds of geekery around here, it seems. Anybody else playing Guild Wars II?

Cesare wrote:You forgot to say Sparky!
And yes who knew that wine geeks would also be keyboard geeks.

Perhaps mostly those of us that grew up with typewriters, first manual and later electric, and finally the original IBM clicky keyboards?

rjquillin wrote:Perhaps mostly those of us that grew up with typewriters, first manual and later electric, and finally the original IBM clicky keyboards?

I remember our family having a big Underwood manual and my grandfather using an old Oliver with a pre-QWERTY keyboard! Typing class (which all of the college prep kids in my school took, to the amusement of the kids in the 'commercial' course) was on Royal manuals. I went off to college with a Smith Corona manual portable and didn't get an electric portable until grad school. Used an IBM Executive (proportional type) in one job and IBM Selectrics in many over the years - actually owned one until three or four years ago.

I surely remember the clicky keyboards on the key punch machines we used to program computers in the '60s and (early)'70s.

The thing I like about the IBM and Northgate keyboards is less the noise (though that does give oral feedback as well as the tactile feed back of the stroke) is the touch and the positive feel that you've actually typed what you intended.

I did find around 2000 that people often complained if was typing on my Northgate during a phone conversation, but that's really the only objection. Using a good keyboard is substantially more accurate and faster.

And, of course, I use IBM/Lenovo laptops, which have the best laptop keyboards around. Not quite a clicky, but much better than anything else.

rpm wrote:Using a good keyboard is substantially more accurate and faster.

Funny, for me, the loud clicky keyboards with the giant keycaps actually slow me down and make me less accurate. "Good keyboard" to me translates to the chiclet-keycap style keyboard that I have for work that I just love. Big fan of laptop style keyboards. Hate the loud clicky ones. They drive me nuts. I have a few coworkers who insist on using those things and I glare at them regularly.

cheron98 wrote:Funny, for me, the loud clicky keyboards with the giant keycaps actually slow me down and make me less accurate. "Good keyboard" to me translates to the chiclet-keycap style keyboard that I have for work that I just love. Big fan of laptop style keyboards. Hate the loud clicky ones. They drive me nuts. I have a few coworkers who insist on using those things and I glare at them regularly.

Perhaps it's also the option to configure the control key where it belongs, just to the left of the 'a' key, I so like.

rpm wrote:Which model? I've used 101, 102 and one of the Ultra models, but I only have the 101 left....

I have two of the Ultras (the full Ultra, not the Ultra-T). Unfortunately, both have the bug where when you type with just the right tempo the last key will self-repeat a random number of times. I just have trained myself to not type in that particular tempo.

When Northgate went under, Creative Vision Technologies bought the rights and the tooling, and produced the keyboards under the Avant Prime and Avant Stellar brand names. I persuaded my previous company to buy me one, and the producer assured me that they didn't have the bug, and I never ran across it. Unfortunately, they only did the 101 key and the Ultra-T; they never did the full Ultra. Even more unfortunately, the keyboards were a side project for Creative Vision Technologies, and when they were absorbed by another company earlier this year, the product line was dropped.

I haven't figured out what adapters I need to use the keyboard on a modern machine; my home system is old enough to take the old keyboards as-is.

Tangential story; I used those keyboards like crazy, and they got dirty. One day my project at work was to clean the keyboard, so I brought in an empty soup can and some dish soap. I popped off all the keycaps (I still have the tool that was supplied with the Northgates) and threw them all into the soup can with hot water and dish soap. Let them soak for a bit while taking the covers off the rest of the keyboard and cleaning them up. I then used a toothbrush on the soaking keycaps, and rinsed them off with hot water. Worked great. While doing that, a cow-orker wandered by and couldn't believe that I putting computer parts on the copier and copying them; I asked them else was I going to know where the keys went back on the keyboard. They got a thoughtful look on their face and wandered off.

JOATMON wrote:

Good info...

I haven't figured out what adapters I need to use the keyboard on a modern machine; my home system is old enough to take the old keyboards as-is.

Great story....

You do have to have the right adapters, or they won't work. Check out Northgate Keyboard Repair. Bob Tibbets will sell you a PS2 cord if you need one (some had an AT cord like my 101) and the correct adapters. He'll also clean and refurbish if you like. Good guy.

I'm using my 101 full time with my docked T420s and a nice big 24" monitor as my main machine.

Keyboards?

depending on how my back is doing and if I have to do jury duty.... I think I will go to Trader Joes this week... suggestions on wine I should be looking for?

mommadeb1 wrote:depending on how my back is doing and if I have to do jury duty.... I think I will go to Trader Joes this week... suggestions on wine I should be looking for?

The VNTJS Sauv Blanc is St. Supery. Lance and Windmill PS is Quixote. And the Trader Joe's Chilean CS is very serviceable for the $3ish price. Lastly, there's a $5 black label Cava that, again, is serviceable for the $$. Also, buy the 100 calorie oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and the sweet potatoe fries.

kylemittskus wrote:The VNTJS Sauv Blanc is St. Supery. Lance and Windmill PS is Quixote. And the Trader Joe's Chilean CS is very serviceable for the $3ish price. Lastly, there's a $5 black label Cava that, again, is serviceable for the $$. Also, buy the 100 calorie oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and the sweet potatoe fries.

thanks..... I LOVE just about everything food wise that TJ has...before TJ opened here, if I knew I was traveling to an area that had one, I would bring an empty suitcase and have to go and shop.. usually filling the suitcase.... people look at you funny when you get excited to go grocery shopping when you are on vacation!!

mommadeb1 wrote:thanks..... I LOVE just about everything food wise that TJ has...before TJ opened here, if I knew I was traveling to an area that had one, I would bring an empty suitcase and have to go and shop.. usually filling the suitcase.... people look at you funny when you get excited to go grocery shopping when you are on vacation!!

TJ's Late Harvest Moscato for $6 is quite the deal.

cheron98 wrote:TJ's Late Harvest Moscato for $6 is quite the deal.

sounds yummy... thanks!

we went to see the Mummies Exhibit today... It was really neat!!