Unpopular keyboard opinions

[mike52787]

Alps SKCL/SKCM are pure garbage. BRING 'EM ON!

seems someone hasn't had clean alps before

seriously condition is everything, trashed switches are trash

[madrobby]

My unpopular opinion: I actually sort of like the sound of old Cherry MX Blues. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[depletedvespene]

My unpopular opinion: I actually sort of like the sound of old Cherry MX Blues. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So does my mother. Then again, she's mostly deaf.

[madrobby]

My unpopular opinion: I actually sort of like the sound of old Cherry MX Blues. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So does my mother. Then again, she's mostly deaf.

I mean, it's well documented that you lose the ability to hear higher frequencies with age. So perhaps a key switch click that sounds terrible to a 20-year old is super nice and pleasant to a 40-year old (hard of hearing or not).

[abrahamstechnology]

I find (in-production) Alps clones much more interesting than actual Alps.

[abrahamstechnology]

I DON'T hate Cherry MY, I just got a Cherry G81-8000 and I seem to really like it for some reason, the increased force helps me not to bottom out and some WD-40 Specialist dry lube makes them very smooth. Typing on it right now.

[Half-Saint]

I came here for the blonde chick in the thumbnail. Where is she?!?

[andrewjoy]

Ml is better than MX blue and MX brown

Dunno if it was just my sample but it was amazingly smooth and had a thock to it and bottom out.

It may just had been made smooth with use ( one of my theories as why none vintage but old blacks are way better than modern ones) the plastic cover over it was almost worn through .

[Lanrefni]

Caps Lock is useless and pointless to have on a board,it's place should be occupied by Ctrl and Alt should be in the lower left corner.

[Hypersphere]

Caps Lock is useless and pointless to have on a board,it's place should be occupied by Ctrl and Alt should be in the lower left corner.

Exactly!

hhkb2.jpg (87.05 KiB) Viewed 12595 times

[Muirium]

In a similar vein: the standard ANSI and ISO 2.75u right Shift is an abomination. I loathe that space wasting key. The biggest key on the whole keyboard after Spacebar, and it’s not even my preferred Shift! Why waste so much room? It’s the ideal spot for a sneaky Fn, HHKB style. Every board is improved when it’s split.

But then I’m just pandering here. I bet this opinion, too, is far from unpopular at DT.

[Hypersphere]

In a similar vein: the standard ANSI and ISO 2.75u right Shift is an abomination. I loathe that space wasting key. The biggest key on the whole keyboard after Spacebar, and it’s not even my preferred Shift! Why waste so much room? It’s the ideal spot for a sneaky Fn, HHKB style. Every board is improved when it’s split.

But then I’m just pandering here. I bet this opinion, too, is far from unpopular at DT.

Couldn't agree more about the absurd 2.75u Right Shift.

After experimenting with many different keyboards and layouts, I've found that Right Shift is my preferred shift key, but I sometimes use a Left Shift-Command/Win-Right Arrow as a command for moving a window to a different monitor. I've also found that the mininum size for Right Shift for me is 1.25u. If it shrinks to 1.00u, I have difficulty hitting it accurately.

I also need a minimum of 1.25u for a Backspace key -- which must reside directly above Return/Enter.

However, I can get by with a 1.00u Return/Enter key.

[Muirium]

I’m not especially drawn to smaller keys in general. There’s nothing about 1.5 to 2.5 unit mods that I find distasteful. I like ANSI and HHKB style left Shift for instance. ISO’s ‘lil 1.25u Shift is much too small for my like, all stuck on the wrong side of an extra alpha. I’d be wary of doing the same to Enter or Backspace.

But I’ve a thing for itty-bitty spacebars: 4u is my reigning favourite. And right Shift is just too damn wasteful of some excellent real estate over there. Fn on its right end is simply inspirational design on the part of the HHKB.

[Hypersphere]

My potentially unpopular keyboard opinion: I prefer a mini-USB connector over any other kind, including USB-C.

Apologies if this opinion has already been voiced (I know -- I should use the search function).

[Muirium]

Mini is shite. When there’s a wrong way: you’re the wrong connector.

Of course, the other end of the cable is even worse. USB A is a pox on civilisation. All of those cumulative wasted man years from billions of first, second and third attempts at putting the bastard in! Such delightful evil.

[Hypersphere]

Mini is shite. When there’s a wrong way: you’re the wrong connector.

Of course, the other end of the cable is even worse. USB A is a pox on civilisation. All of those cumulative wasted man years from billions of first, second and third attempts at putting the bastard in! Such delightful evil.

I rest my case.

[Muirium]

Your case for USB C?

Mini USB shines compared to USB A the same way a turd baguette shines compared to turd on rye.

[Hypersphere]

No -- I rest my case for having stated an unpopular keyboard opinion (i.e., that mini-USB is the preferred keyboard connector for a detachable keyboard cable).

In actual fact, I like the idea of a connector possessing C2 symmetry such as the USB-C connector. I wish it had been introduced first, before I had set up my office to cater [mostly] to mini-USB connectors.

Currently, most of my 60% keyboards have mini-USB connectors. However, most of the XT/AT Alps keyboards that I have refurbished and converted to USB have micro-USB connectors (the reasons for this are somewhat complicated). To accomodate these Alps boards, I keep a short micro-to-mini adapter cable sitting atop my KVM switch.When I feel like using my IBM XT, I need to rummage through a file cabinet drawer containing a tangle of cables of uncertain purpose to find (again) my USB-B cable for the USB-B connector that I foolishly installed on that board.

[depletedvespene]

In a similar vein: the standard ANSI and ISO 2.75u right Shift is an abomination. I loathe that space wasting key. The biggest key on the whole keyboard after Spacebar, and it’s not even my preferred Shift! Why waste so much room? It’s the ideal spot for a sneaky Fn, HHKB style. Every board is improved when it’s split.

But then I’m just pandering here. I bet this opinion, too, is far from unpopular at DT.

The real question on this issue is whether to split it on the right side or the left side. Right side: easier placement of an Fn key and of arrows on a compact layout. Left side: you gain an alpha key (that used to exist back in the day) and/or actually allows up right-shifting the entire keyboard.

[Hypersphere]

I’m not especially drawn to smaller keys in general. There’s nothing about 1.5 to 2.5 unit mods that I find distasteful. I like ANSI and HHKB style left Shift for instance. ISO’s ‘lil 1.25u Shift is much too small for my like, all stuck on the wrong side of an extra alpha. I’d be wary of doing the same to Enter or Backspace.

But I’ve a thing for itty-bitty spacebars: 4u is my reigning favourite. And right Shift is just too damn wasteful of some excellent real estate over there. Fn on its right end is simply inspirational design on the part of the HHKB.

Speaking of oversized Right Shift keys, I think this key on the Wang 725-3770 is 3.00u! It could also serve as a Spacebar.

My thumbs tend to rest near the center of the spacebar, so I might be able to make do with a 3u, and 4u should be ample. It's on my very long to-do list for future projects.

[zrrion]

See, I like longer spacebars personally, so I'd love a 9 or 10 u space-bar. I only use maybe 4 u of it, but I like the look of the thing. That said, a hhkb/focus style split shift is fantastic. It is a nice place for backslash and it frees up space for a BAE.

[Hypersphere]

But I need a good-sized Backslash to remap as my Backspace key!

Does anyone use the vertical part of a BAE?

[Myoth]

the TGR Alice is overrated, though I am circlejerking a bit considering the site I'm posting this on

[abrahamstechnology]

the TGR Alice is overrated, though I am circlejerking a bit considering the site I'm posting this on

Wrong key legends bother the heck out of me.

[XMIT]

I'm convinced that Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break, and Insert, are only there to provide spare switches for the other keys.

[Muirium]

Insert is the deviously subtle, second work of the devil. Right after caps MAKE IT STOP lock. I leave insert’s diabolism as an exercise for the .

[micrex22]

My unpopular opinion:
Caps lock is superior to the shift key for changing the cases of alphas.
#1 it's in a more ideal row than shift allowing easier access for my pinky
#2 I you don't have to 'hold down' caps lock like shift, you just toggle it

[Hypersphere]

My unpopular opinion:
Caps lock is superior to the shift key for changing the cases of alphas.
#1 it's in a more ideal row than shift allowing easier access for my pinky
#2 I you don't have to 'hold down' caps lock like shift, you just toggle it

But of course #1 is why you replace CapsLock with Ctrl!

[Muirium]

Unpopular? Using cAPS lOCK for routine capitalisation is iNSane!

Here’s a non keyboarding friend of mine’s unpopular opinion: the legends on my prized dyesub Cherry SAU set are “fuzzy and cartoonish” which is why he swapped in some SP DCS doubleshots for alphas the moment I wasn’t around to stick his keypuller where the sun don’t shine. Bad, bad!!