Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!husc6!panda!genrad!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-nonode!cherson
From: cherson@dec-nonode.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.internat
Subject: BREAK & DELETE, etc.
Message-ID: <3123@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Tue, 20-May-86 14:24:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3123
Posted: Tue May 20 14:24:04 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 24-May-86 01:46:27 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 22


 
>Several people have suggested moving the BREAK key away from the main
>keyboard.  This is really unnecessary if you vary the spring stiffness of
>the different keys.  The keyboard I regularly use has (I think) 15 lb.
>springs for most keys and a 40 lb. spring for the break key.  With this
>approach, even if you accidentally hit the BREAK key, you are not likely to
>hit it hard enough to activate it.

Has this person come into contact with the wide spectrum of end-users?  In my
opinion the BREAK key does not belong on the main keyboard.  I think that this
was the main fault with the VT100 keyboard, several times I would make that
fatal error of hitting BREAK, when I actually wanted DELETE.

The issue of fitting the two keys with different weight springs is a good one
on the surface, but many typists tend to use enough force when striking the
keys to overcome the differential.

The answer is to reduce the chances for error by separating these two crucial
keys by a considerable distance.

David Cherson