[rescue] Re: [geeks] ANYONE WANT A GMAIL ACCOUNT?

[Joshua Boyd]

On Wed, Jun 23, 2004 at 01:01:31PM -0500, Mike Parson wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 23, 2004 at 12:52:16PM -0500, Mike Hebel wrote:
> >> On Wed, Jun 23, 2004 at 12:16:05PM -0500, Mike Hebel wrote:
> >>>> email to me please if you want one.
> >>>
> >>> ANYONE WANT A KEYBOARD WITHOUT A CAPS LOCK KEY?
> >>
> >> Why?  Are you thinking of starting a company to make them?
> >>
> >> I'd like:
> >> * No Caps Lock key
> >> * Ctrl in the right place (where caps lock usually is)
> >> * Esc in the right place (where ` is)
> 
> The store mentioned below can do that much.  Having used enough
> keyboards w/o an ESC key in the past, I'm about as likely to hit ^[ as I
> am to reach up with my pinky.

So can a Sun Type 5 Programmers model.
 
> >> * Meta key (instead of Alt)
> 
> How about Meta instead of 'Windows' 
> 
> Being a vi guy, I don't use meta anyways, so that key is pretty much
> unused on my systems.

No.  I would settle for both Meta and Alt written on the key though.  

> >> * Hyper and Super keys (instead of the windows keys, or whatever the
> >>  icon is on the linux and mac keyboards).
> 
> Sorry, don't have that.

I have some emacs code that remaps the two windows keys to be Hyper and
Meta.  However, as those two keys are standard on all but a few systems
(which aren't unix systems anyway) they are largely unused.  Still worth
doing, if only to remove the windows/tux/apple icons while giving the
user more keys to map actions to.
 
> >> * A choice of clicky 4mm throw models and non clicky 2mm throw models.
> 
> These are just non-clicky.

No they aren't.  The bubble switch keyboard on my desk has a key throw
of about 4mm (seems to be closer to 5mm really).  Is it more or less
standard on most non-clicky keyboards, except notebooks.  Notebooks tend
to have about a 2mm key through. There are also a few desktop keyboards
out there that have a 2mm key throw.  Most of them are notebook sized,
but I've seen a few that were regular sized.
 
> >> * Make ( and ) not require a shift.
> >> * make { and } not require a shift.
> >> * [ and ] are allowed to require a shift.
> 
> xmodmap
> 
> Then again, xmodmap can move/swap the caps & ctrl too.

Just remapping everything is not the same as have a keyboard properly
printed with the labels.
 
> >> Anything else?  Anyone?
> >
> > I'm not the one to ask but these guys are:
> >
> > http://shop.store.yahoo.com/pfuca-store/
> 
> I've been using them ever since I tried them out in the lab at LISA '98.
> 
> Bought two of them, one for home and one for work.  People complain
> about having to type on my keyboard, upset that it's too small, but the
> keys really are full-sized, just none of the extra crud you don't need.
> The new ones even have the inverted 'T' cursor keys, which were missing
> on the model I've got.

I've seen those keyboards around.  I haven't been motivated to get one
though.  

One possible product that I might buy would be a good Sun->PS/2
adapter.  Especially if it would allow me to map the function keys
(front, stop, cut, etc) to the left.

There is a company that has keyboards with most of the attributes I
want.  It's just that they are incompatible with all of the machines I
use, and they cost $200.