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From: anderson@dogie.macc.wisc.edu (Jess Anderson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Function keys?
Keywords: function keys keyboard
Message-ID: <1991Feb7.002337.10397@macc.wisc.edu>
Date: 7 Feb 91 00:23:37 GMT
References: <3140@unccvax.uncc.edu>
Sender: news@macc.wisc.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: Madison Academic Computing Center, UW-Madison
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In article <3140@unccvax.uncc.edu> cs00jec@unccvax.uncc.edu (Jim Cain) writes:

>Is there any hope that NeXT or another company will make a keyboard
>with function keys or an f-key add-on module?

Having held my peace until I had more experience with the
NeXT keyboard, I must say it's my least favorite factor
about the machine.  The whole thing feels (under the
fingers, mainly, but in other ways too) *cheap*.  Of all the
keyboards I have used, nothing begins to be as good as those
made by MaxiSwitch (I think they may have gone belly-up,
though).  I have two of them, which I used to replace OEM
keyboards on 286 and 386 clone machines.  They're solid, the
touch character is perfect, they are quiet, and -- of course
-- they have functions keys.  I always hated the F-keys
across the top form, so I've gone out of my way to have the
F-keys on the left style.

The ones I have have cursor keys on the keypad, which I like
better than the second grouping one sees all the time now to
the right side.  But that area could be used for the two
groups of buttons now controlling loudness, power,
brightness, and cursor with only a little modification for
NeXT purposes.

The notorious power button should be outta there.  The shelf
are above the keys on most PC-style keyboards is a large
area where the thing could be.

Above all, the pipe/backslash key should be next right from
the plus/equals key, with an even bigger l-shaped return
key; the present location (as many have said) is absurd.

I hope NeXT will listen to all these keyboard complaints.
No other machine has ever been launched with such superb
design values as this one, but I think the keyboard was the
weakest part of the design, of any utilitarian point of
view.  I know many people in computing -- especially
programmers and software development people -- are not
especially proficient typists, and given a highly developed
GUI, many functions can be carried out by the mouse.  But to
saddle the keyboard with its present deficits is, I think,
basically unwise.

One more thing: the mouse should be thicker; people with big
hands -- me for one -- would appreciate a tool with a little
more heft to it.

One hopes that down the pike a way, NeXT will prosper enough
to be able to tool up for a few more options in these most
fundamental of all human factors in the user interface.

OK, NeXT, you listened the last time; please do it again.

<> The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while
<> Nature cures the disease. -- Voltaire
--
Jess Anderson <> Madison Academic Computing Center <> University of Wisconsin
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