-non mangled layout.
-Slightly warped for ergonomic comfort, but not ‘grotesquely’ ergonomic or split.
-Profile is modest, weight is light.
-Key profile is the perfect middle ground between the low laptop feel and the high typewriter feel.
-At $20, there’s no reason why this keyboard shouldn’t be given away at every programmer’s convention.
-Love the calculator launch button over the num pad.
-Volume controls are super convenient gravy.
The only reason I held out on this keyboard for such a long time is that I refused to believe that programmer typing zen could be achieved for only $20.
Don’t put your 4000 through the dishwasher! There are ribbon cables inside that water will infiltrate, and the conductive material (whatever it is) will dissolve.
I found that out when someone took a shower in our guest bathroom and left the curtain outside the tub. My office desk in the basement is pretty much right underneath the bathroom. Drip drip drip…
Love the Canada comment you threw in on your blame list.
I’d suggest to get the apple keyboard, I have one myself that I use with my PC and its simply amazing, I absolutely love that thing. It is also surprising how little space it takes up compared to other keyboards. Though it is a little pricey for a simple keyboard.
I have a major keyboard concern that I haven’t seen listed here. (I did skim through the previous comments, though, so I may have missed something.)
Does anyone else out there have a recommendation for a big and tall keyboard? I’ve got large hands, and I haven’t been able to find a standard keyboard to my liking. And let’s not even mention laptop keyboards.
Does anyone else have this problem? Have you found something that works well for you?
As a Lisp programmer, I am somewhat surprised my bracket keys haven’t gone yet…
I’ve one of the IBM Model Ms from the early 90s, though; they seem to be basically indestructible.
That Apple keyboard is actually surprisingly nice. I just assumed it would be terrible due to being laptop-like, and the dreadfulness of all Apple’s recent conventional keyboards, but it turns out to be pretty good. Has Apple’s evil version of the UK layout, though.
Absolutely can’t STAND those weird split MS keyboards, or any other sort of deformed keyboard for that matter.
I think #1: Thou shalt not deviate from the standard layout. would be enough.
My keyboard had extra useless keys (shut down, sleep, wake up; I think) which I removed, in addition to those pesky Windows and Menu keys. Unfortunately, being a Turkish-Q keyboard, there’s another extra key where the rest of my backspace should be. Removing it wouldn’t help much.
Oh, and as it turns out, the Function key I’ve quite ungracefully removed had a purpose after all: This stupid keyboard doesn’t comply with software typematic rate settings. Pressing Fn+F1~F7 seems to be only way to change them…
Come to think of it, I think it’s time to change my keyboard.
Had it and switched to wireless Natural 7000 bundle - what a mistake to make. 7000 is less responsive, slower and receiver can act funny (at least on Vista 64).
I love the Model M but not as much as its Space Saver 84-key variant, sans numpad. I play Nethack using the vi keys to move, so I can’t think of why I’d ever need a numpad.
I have the DIN-5 version. I wish it came in USB. I’d never use anything else.
I use the Natural 4000 at work because I like the split design for when I do tons of typing at once (plus it helps my Emacs pink), but the keys themselves on the Logitech are sooo much nicer to strike. Plus the backlight looks awesome especially in the dark, and it’s incredibly thin yet sturdy.
Interestingly, it actually messes with the Home Key Cluster a bit, which worried me when I was trying to decide to buy it, but in my opinion they actually managed to make it better!
I have arthritis in my hands, so I prefer a keyboard with a good tactile response but still relatively soft and not requiring much force or travel. I also like large-ish keys because at high speed I can be a bit inaccurate.
The IBM Thinkpad keyboards are pretty much perfect for this. I have a Japanese X32 (12 screen) and despite the compact size the keys are big and have a perfect feel to them. They are also a lot sturdier than most laptop keyboards. You really have to try one to believe how good they are - I can type faster and more accurately than on any other 'board.
You can get desktop versions too, with a built in Ultranav (nipple) which IMHO is also far superior to a trackpad. It means you have to spend less time moving your hand to the mouse just because no-one wants to implement a replace-last-misspelt-word-with-first-suggestion keyboard shortcut.
The only thing they lack is multimedia/programmable keys. I make my own USB 8 button keypad just for that. I’ll post details on my web site eventually.
The Apple think keyboards are horrible. There is very little travel or resistance to the keys, which makes them feel hard. Your fingers crash against them rather than being cushioned like normal keyboards.
I’m tempted to try the MSNK 4000, but it’s a little bit expensive to take a chance on. If they do a Japanese version I’ll be able to find a shop with one over there.
For a really cheap but much better than average keyboard try HP or Dell business keyboards. They are surprisingly good for something that comes free with a system.
I have never understood why people need noise from the keyboard to know that they are typing. You know, when I’m typing, I’m typing because I want to, so I kind of know already that I’m typing. And never once, I have looked down, and to my surprise found my fingers typing wildly without me already knowing.
What I have understood though, is that some people want the rest of the office space to know that they are typing. They’re hammering on the keys while muttering ‘These letters want go away! I will type them so hard that they will survive even the longest power failure’.
And for the ‘mangled’ home-keys: I will never go back to an non-mangled one. The keys are easier to reach, and I never accidentally hit the insert key anymore.
At least one programmer disagrees with all three of your keyboard rules. My only rule is control key directly to the left of ‘a’. Happy Hacking Keyboard works for me.
I’m quite happy with my model M. According to the sticker on the back, it will be 20 years young in June, and it’s still going strong. Completely reliable, although I probably ought to give it a clean at some point…
The only (occasional) downside is the noise: mostly as my study’s next to bedroom, and I’m in danger of waking t’other half up late at night or early morning if I’m not careful with it…
I like the Home/End key layout on the Microsoft Basic keyboard.
It has Home on the left and End on the right, but it doesn’t have those new-fangled function keys, so Insert, Pause/Break, and Scroll Lock still work, as do F1-F12.
They’re only about $25 Australian, so they would be cheaper in the US.
