On Keyboards - Eureka (I found it)

[Vin DSL]

Anyone tried to find a 'normal' keyboard lately?

Definition:

• 104-key "Enhanced" keyboard layout – additional navigation and control keys; 12 F keys in row along top.
• 6-pin Mini-DIN (DIN 45322) "PS/2" connector (wired).

Should be a simply task, yes?

Wrong! It took me two weeks to find one locally!

Finally, on my second go around, I found Logitech Deluxe 250 DTP OEM keyboards @ PCClub. w00t!

Price: $19.99

They also had PS/2 wired Logitech wheel mouses...

Price: $14.99

This keyboard was EXACTLY what I was looking for - looks every bit as good as the classic Dell keyboards I use at work!

I've been using the Logitech wheel mouses for several years. They're great, but only last me for a couple of years (left button switch goes bad after a few million clicks). However, I like the look n' feel of their opti-wheel mouses, so I keep buying them.

Now that I got the hot setup, I found them online for pennies on the wholesale dollar, of course...

http://www.superwarehouse.com/p.cfm?...MP=KAC-Froogle

Guess I'll buy 4-5 sets and put them in the closet!

Question: Does anyone, besides me, type with the keyboard in their lap?

I know this seems odd, but I'm at the keyboard 24 hours a day, at times. So, I kick back in the chair and type from my lap. I've been doing this so long that I cannot use a keyboard sitting on a desk...

[Vin DSL]

Eureka!

Same Logitech Keyboard/Mouse Combo: $14.99 +FS

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...uctCode=213713

[Rob]

My keyboard is on my desk. Always has been always will be.

[jason]

I sometimes put my keyboard in my lap, but it is usually on my desk.

I just got a new Dell at work and I absolutely hate the new compact keyboards they are shipping. I don't know if anyone has seen them, but they are full size keyboards with keys that go right to the edge. They are so light weight that they feel cheap. I have one of those mouse pads with a built-in wrist wrest and the thing keeps sliding over and hitting the enter key on the numeric keypad and drives me nuts.

Here's a pic of the "enhanced" model...I have the basic--no extra buttons or wrist rest, but the look is about the same: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p... &sku=310-7940

On the plus side, the new monitors have built in USB hubs and the keyboard is USB, so I can have the keyboard plugged in to one of my monitors and not have to worry about the length of cord when moving it to my lap. But there are plenty of other USB keyboards out there that are as good or better, so I think it is already time to shop for an upgrade.

--Jason

[Rob]

Yeh ive used those before... not that bad

[mattsiegman]

I haven't used one of those Dell keyboards since I worked at Cargill :-o They ticked me off, and since I was in IT, specifically the people who give people new computer stuff, I got myself a decent one (We did computer & phone support and purchasing, annoying ass job)

Anyhow, most keyboards use USB now. With USB, you can plug & play, and you don't have to reboot before the computer realizes you plugged the keyboard in.... (newer computer can do plug&play on PS2, but some of the slightly older ones can't, and a lot of computer don't even have the ports anymore)

[Vin DSL]

I just got a new Dell at work and I absolutely hate the new compact keyboards they are shipping.

Seen 'em - hate 'em too! Dittos for 100% of everything I saw at Fry's Electronics, Best Buys, Staples, et cetera.

I just want the same old enhanced 'IBM' QWERTY keyboard I've used for the last umpteen years!

Anyhow, most keyboards use USB now. With USB, you can plug & play, and you don't have to reboot before the computer realizes you plugged the keyboard in...

I never did like USB keyboards in general, and USB mouses in particular. Why? In the old days (and I still run some OLD machines), USB ate up a lot of resources, e.g. slowed down the machine. That's really NOT a concern these days, but once burnt, twice shy!

Take the dinosaur that I'm typing on right now - 500MHz AMD Slot-1 (circa 1999) with 128MB RAM, Windows XP Home, 56-gay dial-up. Dude, this thing needs all the help it can get, you know?

Also, I use a IOGear MiniView SE KVM switch, here at the house. It has buffers built into it, so I can plug, unplug, or not even have a keyboard & mouse hooked up at all, and all my machines, regardless of age will run just fine. That's one of the side benefits of running a KVM switch, but I'm sure you know that already.

Anyway, I'm tickled pink with this setup! Gonna buy some spares, so I don't have to go through this again for a while.