Take a look at the Cherry Stream.
Very nice kb, using it now 
Curiously, I donāt mind too much about rule 1. Certainly if anything, Iāve chosen a keyboard with several properties programmers wouldnāt like, that being the MS Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 keyboard. Chosen largely for its backlight along with light ergonomics and light keys. It has a completely strange Homekey area, the F-keys are touch based and its got a strange Windows orb button rather than key.
But really, once you get a new keyboard and work with it everyday, you adjust to it and your muscle memory resets. Likewise, having one laptop layout and one desktop layout I can deal with also. But more than that and I get confused. 
Iāve become very partial to the Sun UNIX keyboard layout. Getting the Esc key closer and having the Control key bump the Caps Lock key out of the way makes for much easier use as a programmer.
http://www.npkdesign.com/projects/HomeOffice/Dell/Dell_keyboard_1.jpg
I really like that Dell keyboard. A lot.
I love my Apple keyboard. It feels almost as an extension of the fingers.
I have an old Elonex keyboard from around 1992. It works perfectly; I donāt use it anymore because itās DIN connector canāt connect to any computer I own, but I did use it for an old linux box up until about two years ago, and it worked perfectly.
I currently use an IBM SK-8820 for my work desktop, and my (IBM) laptopās keyboard - I donāt have any working desktops at home, unfortunately.
I also like Microsoftās old āsimpleā keyboards the ones that had a few extra small round non-intrusive buttons (back, forward, calculator, my computer and a few others) and thatās it; but I think theyāve been discontinued.
Two other things I think are a must: a long backspace and a big enter key. I donāt mind the small shift as much, though it would be nice to have it the other way around - the reason why modern keyboards have the |\ key twice still eludes me.
This. Normal sized enter, backspace, , and shift keys is a MUST. Anything else is just an unholy abomination.
The DAS is not buckling spring itās Cherry-mx switches.
The reason the Apple slimline is quite good is that it uses scissor switches like many laptops. Switches and scissors are much better than any amount of Microsoft and Logitech rubber-mat mushy nonsense.
[)amien
I have to disagree with the first point as well. It took only a short time to get used to the new layout and I find I like the new one a lot more than the old one. The layout feels more natural given the behavior of the keys (mainly Home/End, but the larger delete key is nice too).
I suppose if you use the Insert key often it could be annoying, but I almost never do so I didnāt even notice its disappearance.
Iāve got a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 as well, and Iāve blogged about how you can hack at an XML file from the IntelliType Pro driver to change the zoom slider into a scroll slider. In other words, that little thingy in the middle suddenly becomes useful again and you donāt need to move your hands off the keyboard to scroll up and down the same way your mouseās scroll wheel would let you.
http://oliiscool.blogspot.com/2006/11/hacking-microsoft-natural-ergonomic.html
HTH,
- Oli
Yowza. As a model M user, it boggles my mind that someone could think that three years is an acceptable amount of time for a keyboard to last. My keyboard was made during the Reagan administration and itās still going strong.
Thou shall always provide both right- and left-side Windows keys.
Makes for an easy one-handed Win+L (lock computer). Very few keyboards have this anymore.
I too am a Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 follower. I have tasted the kool-aid and it is good.
Iām using a IBM model M right now! Manufactured January 18, 1988. I have a few more spares at home Iāve picked up. They are awesome! People are always shocked that thereās no Windows key on it! 
In know not of these standard keyboard things of which you speak. Weāve gone to laptops in our house. Yup, 6 lappers and no two of them have similar keyboard layouts. Arggg.
Also a curious note, the kids wonāt use a mouse. They prefer the touch pad.
As someone who does all their programming within Eclipse and vi, I never, ever use the function keys.
Does anybody know a bluetooth ergonomic keyboard?
I know thereās the apple wireless keyboard, but it doesnāt have the wrist rest pad and is not V-shaped to make typing more natural, like in the Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 of the post.
[I donāt want to use an usb port and rely on an undisclosed protocol and manufacturerās wireless encryption utilities - just use the features already in my computers]
Iāve used Das Keyboard since some time in 2006 or 2007 and Iām not going back. I had to replace it (spilled soda into it, couldnāt get the sticky stuff out well enough) and after looking at various ones I ended up getting another Das Keybaord. The G15 was the other closest contender, but I tried it in a store and didnāt like the keypress action, it felt as if it took too much effort to press the keys. Another close contender was the Apple keyboard Jeff listed, simply because I really like the keyboard on my Macbook, itās by far the best laptop keyboard Iāve tried.
To the people who like having Ctrl where Caps is on most PC keyboards today: What fingers do you use to depress it? I canāt imagine using my left little finger to press it, nor any other finger on my left hand. I have to press it with left hand and then type letters with right hand to use a Ctrl key at that position.
I personally use a brand new model M style, USB, very noisy, but very pleasant to use. I bought it online.
At work, I have a Cherry, which is still pleasant but quiet.
I personally have a distaste for the ergonomic keyboards. To me, they are bulky and unpleasant to use.
Another important thing I always require when at work is a US keyboard. I worked in many different European countries, and in each and every case I was offered a local keyboard. I refused to do any coding until I had a US layout.
@WilyHacker, Sun keyboard layouts are a whole other topic. Type 4, type 5, and type 5c are all different layouts. I think youāre describing the type 4, while I prefer the more PC-like type 5 (but hate type 5c).
I have yet to find an ergonomic keyboard that does not have some caveat. The Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 is the closest, but the F-Lock annoys me and sometimes the drivers choke.
Still, itās worth it to have my wrists comfy all day.
I also have to say that once you get used to the touch pad, itās not bad. Having to use one under pressure a few times on site when you donāt have a mouse available will teach you to get the hang of it.
There are some tricks you can use to make those things fast (such as using two fingers), but they will never be quite as fast as a mouse.