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From: koziarz@halibut.nosc.mil (Walter A. Koziarz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Keyboard mystery...
Message-ID: <3333@nosc.NOSC.MIL>
Date: 2 Jan 91 19:35:54 GMT
References: <1991Jan2.124323.1824@vax5.cit.cornell.edu>
Sender: nobody@nosc.NOSC.MIL
Distribution: comp
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Lines: 28

In article <1991Jan2.124323.1824@vax5.cit.cornell.edu> rev@vax5.cit.cornell.edu writes:
>Hi, folks -
>Here is my true brainteaser:
>The PC's numeric keypad looks like this:
>        7 8 9
>        4 5 6
>        1 2 3
>        0
>On the other hand the phone looks like this:
>        1 2 3
>        4 5 6
>        7 8 9
>          0
>Any idea why the difference:
>
Why, yes, as a matter of fact.

The PC's numeric pad was 'styled' after the numeric pads found on all sorts of
mechanical calculating machines, cash registers, business machines etc. since
the PC was intended to be a business machine.  I.e. those persons used to
keying-in figures with the earlier office machines would 'feel at home'.

Counter-question:

Why didn't I(nferior) B(ut) M(arketable) pattern the alpha keys on the
'defacto standard keyboard' -- that of the 'Selectric' typewriter???

Walt K.