Programmer Goes on Mission to Build a Better Keyboard

[rpgplayer]

I'm using the same Dell SK-8125 from the first Dell computer that I bought in 2000. This keyboard is a beast. It's been through 9 PC builds and counting. As long as you pop the keys off about once a year and clean it out it'll never die.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Provided the keycaps are not progressively sloped, you could swap them over to the Dvorak layout without much fuss, and according to the article the keyboard already supports Dvorak output. It would be nice for more manufacturers to advertise whether their keys are of differing heights before purchase. I think the only feature that caught my attention was the white backlighting, and that's hardly worth the grotesque cost of this particular keyboard.

 

[mcgee101]

Wow this is such a revelation I am sure to drop my split egernomic MS keyboard just so I can look at the keys in the dark. This dude needs to be given the all knowing god of all things award. It makes so much sense omg.. I bow to thee all knowing god.

 

[pstreitz]

For those of you interested in keyboards, I would take a look at www.aeioukleyboard.com. This is my new invention and it has a patent with the US Patent Office. QWERTY was designed to be slow. Dvorak was designed to be fast. But neither was designed to be easy to learn. The AEIOU Keyboard was designed to be easy to learn by placing the letters in color coded groups. You can download from Google Play. There is a hard keyboard being manufactured in China. If questions, let me know.
Paul Streitz
Inventor

 

[Novuake]

For those of you interested in keyboards, I would take a look at www.aeioukleyboard.com. This is my new invention and it has a patent with the US Patent Office. QWERTY was designed to be slow. Dvorak was designed to be fast. But neither was designed to be easy to learn. The AEIOU Keyboard was designed to be easy to learn by placing the letters in color coded groups. You can download from Google Play. There is a hard keyboard being manufactured in China. If questions, let me know.
Paul Streitz
Inventor

Fix your link

 

[udg]

"but I wasn't satisfied with any of them, either: they didn't have backlighting"

To be fair I've lost count of the days lost when I could not use my keyboard due to poor backlight.

This man is a champion to us all and deserves a medal for sorting the backlight problem.


I salute you sir.

 

[coolitic]

Dont flame this, but, how is this worth $150? It is a minimalistic keyboard, so it should be much cheaper. If only there was a keyboard just like my M17X R3, except mechanical and for desktop (tactx doesnt count because it is no where as good as the laptop one)

 

[tolham]

"I've owned and used at least six different expensive mechanical keyboards, but I wasn't satisfied with any of them, either: they didn't have backlighting, were ugly, had terrible design, or were missing basic functions like media keys."

then how come your custom keyboard looks like every other mechanical keyboard on the market? this is hardly the first keyboard that comes with media keys and backlighting, and this is the same design as every other keyboard ever.


having said that, the backplate and key remapping are nice features, and it has a cleaner look some other mechanical keyboards. however, $150 is NOT a competitive price point.

 

[InvalidError]

however, $150 is NOT a competitive price point.

I'm guessing being "competitive" in the market-at-large sense ($30-50 premium keyboards) is not quite at the top of the priority list of someone who's going after a niche market.

I wouldn't pay for backlight since I would likely want to turn it off anyway... no point in wasting power and money on lighting up a keyboard I rarely look at anyway. My current keyboard's keys are almost blank from wear but that does not bother me since the layout is burnt into muscle-memory.

 

[martel80]

Fortunately, it's not yet another <|>-key-instead-of-a-wide-left-shift "programmer" idea. Is really everyone "programming" XML/XHTML that half of all keyboards need such a crappy layout?
I have a Chicony KU-2971, a $6.99 keyboard (now around $10), where letters did not wear out a bit after 5 years of having a C/C++ programmer job. Only some keys are now glossy instead of the original matte finish.

 

[eddieroolz]

The desigh looks more or less great. I'm used a slightly larger back key, but any keyboard without the dreaded French Canadian layout will win my vote.

 

[JohnMD1022]

bean...

The letters are fine on my 1987 IBM Model M keyboard.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

If I could be bothered learning a new layout, the main thing I'd like is separate, no modifier needed, brackets of all types. I swear my shift key is going to disintegrate from all those {}s.

EDIT: Sensibly arranged $, #, &, |, and @ keys would be nice. Programmers' jobs would be a fair bit easier...

 

[coolitic]

however, $150 is NOT a competitive price point.

I'm guessing being "competitive" in the market-at-large sense ($30-50 premium keyboards) is not quite at the top of the priority list of someone who's going after a niche market.

I wouldn't pay for backlight since I would likely want to turn it off anyway... no point in wasting power and money on lighting up a keyboard I rarely look at anyway. My current keyboard's keys are almost blank from wear but that does not bother me since the layout is burnt into muscle-memory.

The amount of power led backlights use are negligible, it wont really cost anything.

 

[InvalidError]

The amount of power led backlights use are negligible, it wont really cost anything.

Still an unnecessary material and energy cost for something I do not look at anyway.

 

[coolitic]

you shouldn't worry about it and it can be turned off anyways.

 

[yay]

a lof of people in the comments have said that they have ducky keyboards and i would just like to say so do i, and it is incredible. I have the zero with back lighting, it is the best made keyboard i have ever used. Even better so than the first g15 which you could use to break down a door if you had to, it is comfortable, comes with whatever switches you want (brown for me) and was VERY well priced. Oh and it also has replacement keys in whatever colour you want, and comes with a key remover to swap or clean them easily. Also the keys are dual molded type so they never wear off. And has N key rollover.

 

[RedJaron]

As the article clearly says, this is a keyboard for software developers. Yet it fails to address the biggest issue virtually all keyboards have today - the small Enter key. A real productivity keyboard needs both a large Enter key and a large Backspace key so a sloppy aim with my little finger hits it every time. You can't imagine how many accidental backslashes I've had to erase over the years...

if it were perfect it would have the backslash key where it belongs in the bottom left of the board rather than hovering above the return key resulting in an unnecessarily small return key.

Iamadev and this keyboard disappoints based on that point alone.

I'm also a developer, and I can't stand a double-height enter key. I find having the backslash next to the braces and brackets is handy. Are you really suggesting you type code eight hours a day yet lack the proper motor precision to correctly press a key more than twice the size as the rest? You really need it even bigger? However do you mange to properly press the remainder of those itty bitty keys with "sloppy aim"?

Yet he fails to address the biggest concern I have for a keyboard: Key rollover. Far too many keyboards stop at 6kro over USB because that's the maximum you can do without being fancy, but higher key roll over is mandatory for me.

Pray tell, what exactly are you doing when you hold more than six keys down simultaneously? Remember, it explicitly says the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys aren't included in the six count for this model. And if you use the PS/2 adapter you'll get true NKRO. But again, why do you actually need it?

He insists on back-lighting on his keyboard. I would insist on NO backlighting. I hate all lights on computers, the only lights a computer should have is that which comes from the screen, and maybe.. *maybe* a very dim LED to indicate num/caps lock on the keyboard.

Just because you do, sir, does not mean many other people, myself included, don't like backlighting. I'm often gaming or writing in the early morning or late at night when everyone else is asleep and the lights are out. Not everyone is or wants to become a touch typist.

Change this to a Dvorak keyboard and I am sold!

It does support that layout, and it comes with a key puller so you could rearrange the keys as well.

Wow this is such a revelation I am sure to drop my split egernomic MS keyboard just so I can look at the keys in the dark. This dude needs to be given the all knowing god of all things award. It makes so much sense omg.. I bow to thee all knowing god.

Such vitriol for a commonly desired feature. Where is the hate coming from?

Dont flame this, but, how is this worth $150? It is a minimalistic keyboard, so it should be much cheaper. If only there was a keyboard just like my M17X R3, except mechanical and for desktop (tactx doesnt count because it is no where as good as the laptop one)

Cherry MX switches are comparatively expensive to membrane pads and much better quality. You usually don't see those keyboards under $70. Considering the steel backplate, extra programmability, and lower manufacturing counts, $150 isn't bad considering a nice programmable gaming keyboard starts around $120.

 

[InvalidError]

Cherry MX switches are comparatively expensive to membrane pads and much better quality.

I do not see the "quality" problem with cheap membrane keyboards - my current $15 ~15 years old membrane keyboard still works fine so I haven't felt an urge to change it despite half its keys becoming blank from wear.

 

[RedJaron]

I do not see the "quality" problem with cheap membrane keyboards - my current $15 ~15 years old membrane keyboard still works fine so I haven't felt an urge to change it despite half its keys becoming blank from wear.

I can't discount your experience. Personally, I seem to go through a keyboard about every two - three years ( the shift and escape keys wear out the fastest for me. ) He asked why it was expensive, I explained the cost of the materials.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

To all those complaining about backlighting, just turn it off. There are times that it's useful, though.

 

[Tuishimi]

MUST HAVE KEYBOARD!

 

[Tuishimi]

For those of you talking about price... this keyboard should easily be the equivalent of the HHKB PRO 2, which I owned, which died after a couple of years, but with slightly better key position and more keys. It is firmly built... tactile, no click like my current cherry keyboard... it sounds like a dream. OH! My point was the HHKB cost $250.00 +

 

[GoldenI]

I decided to bite the proverbial bullet, and purchase a new mechanical keyboard. I am not disappointed. c:

 

[Tuishimi]

The reason for the cost are the cherry clear keys, the heavy build and the back lighting. It is also programmable (per dip switches). This is a solid keyboard and as I said above it should be close to the HHKB I owned which was a dream to type with, except for some oddly placed keys that took getting used to.

My current keyboard is a CHEAP mechanical keyboard that also uses cherry mechanics. The pressure and range is good, but the clicking is loud and can be annoying. Oh... CHEAP means it cost me ~100.00 USD.