Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnewsl!coco
From: coco@cbnewsl.att.com (felix.a.lugo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Those Damn Keyboards
Message-ID: <1991Feb7.163639.26834@cbnewsl.att.com>
Date: 7 Feb 91 16:36:39 GMT
References: <5137@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 56

In article <5137@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> lacsap@plethora.media.mit.edu (Pascal Chesnais) writes:
| 
| ISO KEYBOARDS - JUST SAY NO!!!
| Bring back the "Classic Keyboard"!
| 
| pasc
| 
| V. QUESTIONS ABOUT NeXT
| 
| The NeXT keyboard
| 
| As you may know, NeXT changed its keyboard when we began shipping the
| NeXTstation and the '040-based NeXTcube. As NeXT has grown and
| expanded distribution channels, it's become important that we be able
| to ship our systems to Europe and other parts of the world.  In
| Europe, there are much more stringent ISO standards for keyboard
| layouts.  Our original keyboard did not meet those standards.
| 
| One of the key requirements was that the return key had to be "L"
| shaped.  To accomplish this, one of the keys had to be removed and the
| key codes remapped.  In lengthy discussions with our engineers and our
| European and Asian teams, the new key layout was approved.
| 
| During this transition period, you may recommend to the UNIX folk that
| they remap their keyboard.  In the developer directory, there is an
| application called Keyboard which allows anyone to remap the keyboard.

	You mean that the European and Asian markets dictate US market needs?
	What happened to NeXT engineers?  If they were going to re-design the
	keyboard, why didn't they just add more keys to it, or followed some
	of the already existing keyboards standards around.

	From the last paragraph, it appears that NeXT doesn't intend to REVERT
	to the old layout!

	NeXT!  A UNIX workstation for non-UNIX users !!!!   8^)

To NeXT:
	In the future, why don't you request, through this newsgroup or
	through the registered developers program, what impact a re-design
	of certain components have on the already existing NeXT community.
	You'll be amazed at how helpful this group can be!

/*
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**  Felix A. Lugo					AT&T Bell Laboratories
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**	(708) 515-0668	coco@alien.att.com	alien.att.com!bootsie!coco
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