Re: Old style keyboards ? ? ?
"Brian A." <gonefish'n@afarawaylake> wrote in
news:Oo7SdpgzHHA.2484@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl:
> <geotews6@______.com> wrote in message
> news:9h31a31oinjr9ure59anmuclne6i36mtth@4ax.com...
>> Does any company still sell keyboards that dont have the
>> windows keys? I hate those extra keys. I never use them,
>> and because the ctrl and alt keys are smaller I keep
>> hitting those useless things. I had several old keyboards
>> and have used them until now. This is my last one and
>> it's dying with a dead down-arrow key.
There is a switch underneath. You COULD get a replacement switch
from
www.mouser.com for about 50 cents. You'd just have to
carefully open and disassemble the thing to replace it. Maybe a
little soldering, I don't know.
>> I'd much prefer to
>> get a NEW keyboard since the old ones are usually pretty
>> well worn. Does anyone know of a source that still sells
>> them? (Not Ebay, please).
Your only chance would be to go searching in places where
businesses dump their old stuff, and where hundreds of such
keyboards may be sitting... And try some out or just buy a
few... But those places are NOT easy to find... And there aren't
many since most of the stuff ends up at the city dump.
Overall I totally agree with you, besides the superiority of
those keyboards lies in the fact they use actual switches under
each key AOT a membrane (like in remote controls) which is what
the $5 keyboards you get with all "quality brand name" computers
use. What garbage.
I had an old IBM keyboard WITHOUT the windows keys that a friend
gave me. I used Ctl/Esc for one of the windows keys that
actually has some use, and ignored the other. Alas, the poor
thing died after about 5 years (it was about 10 or more years
old when I got it from him).
I was lucky to find a couple of REAL (i.e. with switches, not
membrane) Dell keyboards for $6 each and I still have one as
backup... They DO have the Windows keys but they are VERY good.
Big and solid, too.
>> By the way, what do Macintosh keyboards have in place of
>> those things or dont they have them at all? I'd imagine a
>> Mac keyboard wont plug into a PC.
Correct. There are several totally different keys and a totally
different system overall.
> Something like this?
> http://onlinestore.siig.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=9&cat
> =Keyboards+and+Mice
Strangely, the site does not mention the dimensions, but I have
a feeling those are rather small, and the OP mentions "hitting
other keys by mistake due to small size". Also, if there is
anything worse than Windows keys, it's the Fn key and no
separate arrows and numeric keypad sections.
I'm afraid you may not be able to escape the Windows keys on a
NEW keyboard, but if you look around the web computer stores,
you may be able to find some nice full-size keyboards with real
switches, made by Saitek and other specialty brands. The good
ones are not cheap but they are very nice. Otherwise, buy five
of the $5 membrane ones and get ready to return 2 of them as
DOA, and to replace the "good ones" frequently.
t.
--
Any mental activity is easy if it need not be subjected to
reality.