Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!elroy!peregrine!zardoz!dhw68k!arcturus!felix!kehr
From: kehr@felix.UUCP (Shirley Kehr)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: DataDesk Keyboard
Summary: Bounced mail posted
Message-ID: <61008@felix.UUCP>
Date: 4 Oct 88 15:22:55 GMT
Sender: daemon@felix.UUCP
Reply-To: kehr@felix.UUCP (Shirley Kehr)
Distribution: comp.sys.mac
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 43

This was written to Charles Neil but didn't get through. I thought it of
sufficient interest to post, hoping Mr Neil also sees it. He asked for more
information about the DataDesk keyboard, specifically a real escape key and
reasonably located control keys.

Given these requirements I can't really recommend the DataDesk 101.  It has
no control key and the key you would consider the escape key is hard coded
to Cancel (Command-period) and Undo (Command-Z while holding down shift with
the cancel key).

I love the feel of the keyboard and I was only concerned with cursor movement
in Word, so it suits my purposes.  I found that I needed to reporgram the 
keyboard with QuickKeys instead of DataDesk's own DA because it was incompat-
ible with other DAs (Lookup at least).  Also, you had to turn on the keyboard
programming each session and after installing System Version 5 (Multifinder)
the hot key combination to do this caused a bomb on the SEs at work.  With
QuickKeys, the keyboard is ready to use immediately after startup.

Another manufacturer (Cutting Edge) makes a keyboard called CE 105.  From what
I can see in the ads, it looks like it has control keys (it appears to be
layed out like the Apple extended keyboard.  Does anyone on the net have any
experience with this keyboard?  I would call MacConnection or MacWarehouse as
both advertise the CE keyboard for $135.

I prefer the feel of the DataDesk keyboard over any other I've used, but in 
addition to the above problems, both the keyboard on the 512 and the one on
the SE at my former job have "frozen up" producing garbage a few times.  I
believe the keyboard thinks you are holding down the command key.  All you
can do is use the mouse to save and restart.

I wrote DataDesk about the incompatibilities mentioned above.  They did not
respond, while the people who wrote Lookup called to get more information.

Since you've waited this long, you have one other option - to wait longer for
the ADBridge that is supposed to let you put ADB devices on a non-ADB Mac (and
vice versa).  I recently saw a news item in either MacWorld or MacUser that
this device is still being delayed by problems, but it sounded like they are
still trying to get it out the door.  Does anyone have any more specific
information about this product?

Hope this helps (and I hope we get our comp.sys.mac news again soon).

Shirley Kehr