arundelo comments on Spend Money on Ergonomics - Less Wrong

43 Post author: Kevin 23 December 2011 06:40AM

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Comment author: arundelo 23 December 2011 06:14:06PM 1 point [-]

I'm typing this on a Unicomp keyboard that is a (licensed) clone of the IBM Model M, but with a USB connection.

When I've used PS/2-to-USB adapters with my PS/2 Model Ms, I've had trouble with dropped keystrokes. (Maybe I need better adapters; the ones I've used have just been whatever the store had.)

My keyboard at the office is a Kinesis Advantage.

Comment author: David_Gerard 23 December 2011 07:40:48PM *  1 point [-]

Yes, a Unicomp is on my shopping list.

PS/2 to USB adapters are iffy because they're not actually electrically identical.

That Kinesis looks fantastic! (And I see that, unlike the Microsoft Natural, they put the 6 key on the correct hand ...) Is it membrane or mechanical? Does it go >clickety-click< ?

Comment author: lincolnquirk 24 December 2011 07:41:19AM 2 points [-]

I have used a kinesis contoured for 4 years or so. It uses Cherry Brown switches. They're not especially clicky, but they have long travel and they have served me relatively well ergonomically over the last few years. The kinesis also has a "click" sound it plays on every key press (optional, but recommended).

Comment author: arundelo 27 December 2011 02:38:36AM *  0 points [-]

Presumably mine has the same switches lincolnquirk's does; I have (at least roughly) the same model and his description matches my experience. I also keep the electronically generated click turned on. It's not very loud, but that's good, because one of the main downsides of model M keyboards is the worry about bothering fellow cubicle dwellers with the clackity-clack.

My mods:

  • Remapped (via the Kinesis's programmable firmware) <Caps Lock> to <Esc>. The built-in <Esc> key is too tiny, wobbly, and close to the <F1> key for a user of a vi-style editor.
  • Swapped the mappings and keycaps of the up- and down-arrow keys, so that each is in the same column as the corresponding vi movement key.
  • Remapped the extra <\> key (below <X>) to <Insert>. (This key is already <Insert>, but only if you switch keypad modes. I use this mainly for pasting into PuTTY with <Shift>+<Insert>.)
  • Remapped some of the thumb keys (and used the included extra keycaps) so that I have a <Ctrl> and an <Alt> for each hand (and no Windows key or Menu key). (A nice side-effect of this is that I have two <Alt>s and not an <Alt> and an <AltGr>. I know it's possible to do this in Linux, but I haven't gotten around to figuring out how yet, which means when I use rdesktop to access my work computer from my home computer I have to remember to use only the left <Alt> key on my Unicomp.)
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