[rescue] For all the Model M keyboard fans:

[Bill Bradford]

On Mon, Nov 20, 2006 at 07:43:05PM -0500, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> As far as I know, there was never a Model M made with a rubber membrane
> instead of keyswitches.
> Are you sure it was a real Model M?

Here's the "rubber dome" one that I got off eBay:
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/9608/subcatid/0/id/102865

At work I was lucky enough to snag a Dell-logoed Lexmark-made 
non-removable-keycaps "Model M" out of the trash:
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/13198/subcatid/0/id/113064

Right now on all my Macs I'm using Unicomp USB "Customizer 104" keyboards that
have the Windows key(s) - they easily remap to the Mac-specific keys.

Unicomp bought the rights to the "Clicky Keyboard"/"Model M" from Lexmark,
and is the current producer of them if you want a brand new one.

I was even able to take the (better-feeling) keycaps off a "Real" IBM
Model M and exchange them onto the Unicomp board and vice-versa.  The
only ones that didn't work was everything between the left and right
CTRL keys on the bottom row, as those keys are slightly different-sized
on the 104-key model.

The "old" keycaps have a more textured surface and are slightly thicker,
as far as I can tell.

I just took pictures of my Unicomp "Model M" with the "original" Model-M
keycaps, and then pictures of the "Real" model-m with the Unicomp keycaps:

http://www.mrbill.net/modelm/

Bill

-- 
Bill Bradford 
Houston, Texas