Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!bellcore!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!panda!husc6!harvard!uwvax!uwmacc!uwmcsd1!marque!paulf
From: paulf@marque.UUCP (Flaherty)
Newsgroups: net.info-terms
Subject: RE: Keyboard Standard (or lack thereof)
Message-ID: <419@marque.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 7-May-86 11:56:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: marque.419
Posted: Wed May  7 11:56:53 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 8-May-86 22:15:20 EDT
Reply-To: paulf@marque.UUCP (Flaherty, Paul A)
Distribution: na
Organization: Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Lines: 44

[A sacrifice to the line eater god....]

	If you *really* want to design the ultimate keyboard, do the following:

	1) Some {yeech} Ergonomics Research on keyboard keyswitches.  
		What really makes a keyboard comfortable is positive tactile
		feedback, and properly sprung switches.  Examples of good
		keyboards w.r.t. these attributes include the DEC vt2xx series,
		the Teletype 44xx terminals, and the tty 43 keyboard that was
		made by Cherry.

	2) A *completely* user-defineable layout.  
		Why not? If I want Dvorak, or QWERTY, or lots of control keys,
		or a numeric keypad, or arrow keys, or delete instead of 
		backspace, or any other idiosyncracy, my "smart terminal"
		should be intelligent enough to adapt to my wishes.  This 
		mandates removable and swappable keycaps, and a large non - 
		volitile memory.  Not asking much here.

	In essence, the best "standard" keyboard is one that the user could
adapt to his/her own preferences...instead of the preferences of some ISO
committee.  Those of you with hp-41s should know the value of a customized,
adaptable layout; it allows the user to "move in" to the machine.  Why
standardize something that no two people can agree on, anyway?  Instead,
an effort should be made to offer a "flexible keyboard" as a standard
option, and perhaps to facilitate the transfer of the data in the NOVRAM.



-- 
							-=Paul A. Flaherty
							Marquette University
							Milwaukee, WI  53233

Usenet: ...ihnp4!uwvax!uwmacc!uwmcsd1!marque!paulf
Arpa: uwmcsd1!marque!paulf@rsch.wisc.edu
Bitnet: uwmacc!uwmcsd1!marque!paulf@WISCVM.BITNET

	"And because, in all the Galaxy, they had found nothing more precious
than Mind, they encouraged its dawning everywhere."
						    -- 2001: A Space Odyssey

Disclaimer:  Marquette doesn't know what I'm doing, and what they don't
             know won't hurt them, right?