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From: crs@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.internat
Subject: Re: What do we REALLY want?
Message-ID: <31711@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 10-Oct-85 12:03:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: lanl.31711
Posted: Thu Oct 10 12:03:39 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Oct-85 06:14:49 EDT
References: <723@inset.UUCP>
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 55

> I believe that the time is now ripe for the computer world
> to take a jump from the traditional viewpoint and realize
> that users' requirements in these days of networks and
> typesetters are already far ahead of anything that an
> enhanced character set can provide.

While we are at it, would it be asking too much for common sense and
the needs of touch typists to prevail in keyboard design?  The IBM-PC
keyboard is well known.  That of the VT-220 isn't much  better.  Who
designs these layouts?  Have they ever typed?

Item:  What is the one key that is used to enter *every* single line
of text?
			The return key!

Why, then, stick every off-the-wall key you can think of between the
home keys and the return key?  One key between the home keys and the
return key is acceptable; two is too many.  I happen to be typing this
on a VT-220, on which it is the vertical-bar/back-slash.  I don't
recall what it is on the IBM-PC but it is no more often used.  The
vertical-bar and the back-slash are fairly often used in Unix but
*not* as often as the return key.  Why not put it *outside* the return
key?  [Or where suggested at the end of the last item.]

Item:  The caps lock key is usually used infrequently, usually once
before typing at least a full word and often *only* once at the beginning
of a session to change to all caps for the *entire* session.  The control
key, on the other hand is used on a key by key basis.  That is to say,
the control key must be held down for *every* single control character
you want to type.  Why, then, put the lock key between the home keys
and the control key instead of the other way about (VT-220)?

Item:  The lock key on the VT-220 is a caps lock, not a *shift* lock.
Why, then, move the angle brackets to a separate key so that comma and
period are *both* unshifted and *shifted* versions of their respective
keys?  This is done on typewriter keyboards because *typewriters* have
*shift* lock, not caps lock.  On computer terminals, I can think of no
reason not to put the angle brackets at shift comma and shift period.
This would eliminate an unnecessary key.  [Perhaps this would have
been a good place to put vertical bar & back slash.]

I'm sure that the designer of this keyboard (and all the others)
thought that he or she had good reasons for using this layout.  I
happen to disagree.

Perhaps keyboard designers should all be required to learn touch
typing and then should be required to spend many hours typing on a
prototype of their creations before being allowed to select a final
design.
-- 
All opinions are mine alone...

Charlie Sorsby
...!{cmcl2,ihnp4,...}!lanl!crs
crs@lanl.arpa