IBM used to do massive amounts of research on ergonomics. Their white papers are still available on their web site. One of the things they discovered early on was that every key needed equal weighting, and that there was an ideal weighting that put the least amount of physical stress on a person's fingers. (There's another school of thought that says keys on the outside, where your pinky works, should be lighter. But that's not what IBM's research showed.)
People who haven't used IBM Model M's much always think they're heavy and hard to type on. But there's a reason why that keyboard has so many diehard fans. When you use one for a while, you realize how absolutely amazing it feels. You just cannot get tired typing on one. (Ok, maybe your ears will start to ring, but your hands won't hurt.) I know I can also type much faster. I think the physical effort required to type on it is far less than most membrane keyboards. Only the best laptop keyboards really come close.
But the point I'm trying to make is that the Model M has equal weighting for all the keys, regardless of size. It takes no more effort to press the space bar or enter key than it does to type an "M". (The space bar might be slightly heavier and have more inertia just due to the physical size of it, but the effort required to press it is no greater than the other keys.) The Optimus obviously does not follow that philosophy, meaning it has to feel much different. If the key effort varies in relation to the size of the key, well, that's going to be a big problem. Probably, the larger keys have multiple springs that are all of the same tension... meaning double the number of springs and you double the effort to press the key. Not good if that's the case.
I had to use an IBM 3151 terminal for a long time and it had a model M keyboard. A model M in black with OLED keys would be perfect. I'd even pay $400 for one. $1500 for a keyboard, no matter how cool it is, is not in my future.
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When you say it is hard to type on, how does it compare to a hefty keyboard like an IBM model M?
They already answered that in a roundabout way.
IBM used to do massive amounts of research on ergonomics. Their white papers are still available on their web site. One of the things they discovered early on was that every key needed equal weighting, and that there was an ideal weighting that put the least amount of physical stress on a person's fingers. (There's another school of thought that says keys on the outside, where your pinky works, should be lighter. But that's not what IBM's research showed.)
People who haven't used IBM Model M's much always think they're heavy and hard to type on. But there's a reason why that keyboard has so many diehard fans. When you use one for a while, you realize how absolutely amazing it feels. You just cannot get tired typing on one. (Ok, maybe your ears will start to ring, but your hands won't hurt.) I know I can also type much faster. I think the physical effort required to type on it is far less than most membrane keyboards. Only the best laptop keyboards really come close.
But the point I'm trying to make is that the Model M has equal weighting for all the keys, regardless of size. It takes no more effort to press the space bar or enter key than it does to type an "M". (The space bar might be slightly heavier and have more inertia just due to the physical size of it, but the effort required to press it is no greater than the other keys.) The Optimus obviously does not follow that philosophy, meaning it has to feel much different. If the key effort varies in relation to the size of the key, well, that's going to be a big problem. Probably, the larger keys have multiple springs that are all of the same tension... meaning double the number of springs and you double the effort to press the key. Not good if that's the case.
I had to use an IBM 3151 terminal for a long time and it had a model M keyboard. A model M in black with OLED keys would be perfect. I'd even pay $400 for one. $1500 for a keyboard, no matter how cool it is, is not in my future.
Agreed, I've always been a fan of the IBM Model M. I wish there were more like it.. Maybe silence it slightly to make it more cube compatible.
I also really miss my Northgate Omnikey keyboards. If this thing has well functioning weighted keys like the Model M or Omnikey I might be sold.
I type at a keyboard for 10-14 hours a day, thankfully half of that is on the wonderful thinkpad keyboard.