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From: dhac@ur-tut.UUCP (Darren Jay Hacker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: MAC SE keyboards
Message-ID: <46@ur-tut.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Sep-87 16:57:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: ur-tut.46
Posted: Fri Sep  4 16:57:09 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Sep-87 19:33:51 EDT
References: <2777@husc6.UUCP>
Reply-To: dhac@tut.cc.rochester.edu.UUCP (Darren Jay Hacker)
Organization: Univ. of Rochester Computing Center
Lines: 49
Keywords: SE, keyboard

In article <2777@husc6.UUCP> waldman@husc4.UUCP (benjamin waldman) writes:
>I'm planning to buy an SE soon, and I understand that there are two 
>different keyboards which I can purchase with it.  Although my school
>tells me that I only need the more expensive one if I want to be able
>to run MS-DOS programs (which is not something I'm planning), a friend
>tells me that he read a review which said that the cheaper keyboard was
>terrible.
>
>Can any of you out there offer some advice on this issue?  I hope that
>this doesn't start a war (my keyboard is better than yours, etc.).

Well, I pondered over the same problem as you, and I had decided to purchase
the extended keyboard.  I do not regret this decision.  First of all the
"unnecessary" keys (Esc, Control, etc) are out of the way, i.e. you won't be
confused when you are using your standard Mac applications (pre-ADB).
Secondly, if you use a word processor, such as Word 3, you will appreciate
the inverted-T cursor keys, allowing you to use the numeric keypad for what
is what intended -- entering numbers.
  Third, if you touch type, then hitting a combination of keys such as
Command-C is unnatural (as on the other keyboards), and since the Option key
could be thought of as a second "shift key", then there would be much sense
in having two (as there are two shift keys on any typewriter).  The Extended
keyboard has two of each of these and two Control Keys.
  Fourth, in the near future, we may be able to easily map the "Function
Keys" to execute keyboard shortcuts, or macros (we can put a template on
the keyboard).  (If there already is an application for this, somebody
PLEASE let me know!!!)  The six keys above the cursor keys may also come
in handy at some point, and I find the Caps-Lock light to be very convenient
(although I'd like to see the new System suppot the other lights, too).
  My big gripe over the Apple Standard Keyboard is unaesthetic placement
of the cursor keys in place of the right bank of modifiers (Ctrl,Cmd,Option),
moving the "accent gravure/tilde" and "backslash/rule" keys to the sides of
the ever-shrinking spacebar, and the placement of that ridiculous "on" key
which is only used on the Mac II (it is conveniently placed in the corner of
the extended keyboard).
  So, I hope this convinces you to go ahead with the Extended Keyboard.
While it may seem to have many extraneous features, it still has the
necessities that the Apple Keyboard lacks.  Besides, it may make the
transition from PC to Mac easier for our "blue" friends.  I hope you all
take my opinions into consideraation when deciding, and I hope you make
a decision that you will not regret.  I guess this opens this topic for
discussion.  Please send any doubts, disagreements and general gripes
to me.

							DJ Hacker

The fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars,
But in our software
	-- Wm. Macspeare