[geeks] Ergonomic keyboard styles

[Dan Sikorski]

On 4/29/2010 10:55 AM, Andrew Jones wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 09:27:27PM -0400, Dan Sikorski wrote:
>    
>> On 4/28/2010 4:51 PM, Andrew Jones wrote:
>>      
>>> The major mis-feature: "chiclet" f-keys.  I've become accustomed to
>>> them, but they're still really awful.
>>>
>>>        
>> I hate those F keys.  I really don't understand why they're like that
>> other than assuming that the keyboard is really intended for
>> alphanumeric data entry and minimal use of them.
>>
>>      -Dan Sikorski
>>      
> The f-keys had to fit without stretching your fingers, so they have to be
> really close to the main body of keys.  As close as they are, if they were
> regular keyswitches, they would bump into the other keys.
>
> The "chiclets" are the only way to get the density. One gets the feeling
> they designed the damn thing without f-keys, then added them as an after-
> thought.
>    

I have had cell phone keyboards keys with better feel and feedback, the 
density needs can explain the key size, but not the bad feel and 
action.  The keys on the HP48G calculator come to mind as being both 
smaller and better feeling than the F keys on the kinesis.  I can accept 
that they couldn't use full size keys, I can't accept how bad the ones 
they used are.

I should qualify my complaints though, my kinesis keyboard is old enough 
that it has a AT style connector on it, they could have fixed that flaw 
on newer keyboards.

     -Dan Sikorski