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By Andy Thomas
In search of a minimalist keyboard without the gimmicks.
I know this may seem petty to some, but I have a serious problem with modern PC keyboards.
And it is this: I really dislike those ridiculous extra buttons that have become almost mandatory
over the last few years. You know what I mean, the "Email", "Web", "Search" and "My Favorite"
buttons. Not to mention, the "Sleep", "Power Down" and "Does Something Else" buttons.
And YES, it really matters!
My last keyboard had a "Shut Down" button just above the "Up Cursor" key. So you can imagine
how often I laughed with joy every time my finger missed the cursor key by millimetres and hit
Shut Down instead.
In fact, I've bought four keyboards over the last year while searching for one I would be happy
with. Three of these were the low-cost "value" variety which are one of the few options left if a
standard keyboard is all that you want. But even these as are now coming with gimmicky extra buttons,
and I was never happy with the spongy feel they have while typing anyway.
I know I'm not the only one who feels like this.
A friend of mine uses an old IBM keyboard because it was the only one he could find without any
silly extra buttons. He also loves the reassuring "clunk" you get with every key press, and I must
say that typing with it is a joy.
IBM Model M Keyboard
The older keyboards of the 1980s and early 90s had sprung keys which gave them a gorgeous tactile
quality — something lacking in modern keyboards which feel spongy by comparison.
In my case, I finally hit upon a keyboard I'm reasonably happy with — a compact Dell SK-8115.
I've always liked how Mac keyboards have a minimal footprint, so I love how this Dell keyboard doesn't
have any wasted space around the sides, bottom or top. I find the tactile feel of this keyboard OK — much
better than the sponginess of the low-cost "value" keyboards, but nothing like the positive clunkiness of a
sprung keyboard from yesteryear.
Dell Compact SK-8115 Keyboard
Dell typically supplies these with servers, but Amazon currently sells
them for 25 GBP (approx. $40). Personally I think this is expensive, but you know what? I think I would have
paid it to get my hands on a decent quality simple keyboard without the gimmicks. In the end, however, I went
for the "used" option from Amazon which cost me around 10 GBP (approx. $16), including postage.
And finally, while researching this article, I discovered that the design rights to the IBM Model M Keyboard
are now owned by a company called Unicomp which still makes and sells
keyboards based on IBM's buckling-spring technology. If you really want a keyboard which has a retro tactile
feel to it, Unicomp is the place to go.
Copyright © Andy Thomas
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