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  • Unicomp Model M Keyboard Opinions?

    From Jim Beard@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 00:36:13 2019
    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M keyboard?

    I tried searching for Model M and Unicomp at http://groups.google.com/advanced_search and at http://groups.google.com/
    but I do not have a Google account and Google apparently no longer
    approves of my using their site without membership.

    My two Logitech keyboards are getting a bit long in the tooth, and the
    idea of a truly good keyboard has its attractions. I have used an IBM electric typewriter in years long past and liked that keyboard, but the
    Model M of renown came along years after I no longer used the IBM
    electric.

    Is anyone familiar with the Model M? Have opinions on the best keyboard available at vicinity $100 or less?

    Cheers!

    jim b.

    --
    UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely expects users to be computer-
    friendly.

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Aragorn@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 01:29:01 2019
    On 12.11.2019 at 00:36, Jim Beard scribbled:

    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M
    keyboard?

    Yep. ;)

    I tried searching for Model M and Unicomp at http://groups.google.com/advanced_search and at
    http://groups.google.com/ but I do not have a Google account and
    Google apparently no longer approves of my using their site without membership.

    Try here...

    http://pckeyboard.com

    Note: There are yet other search engines beside Google. ;)

    My two Logitech keyboards are getting a bit long in the tooth, and
    the idea of a truly good keyboard has its attractions. I have used
    an IBM electric typewriter in years long past and liked that
    keyboard, but the Model M of renown came along years after I no
    longer used the IBM electric.

    Is anyone familiar with the Model M? Have opinions on the best
    keyboard available at vicinity $100 or less?

    The Unicomps are very good, but not cheap. Personally, I use Cherry
    G81 Professional Line keyboards. Not cheap either, but very decent
    quality, and quite renowned.

    As an alternative, there is also Das Keyboard, which uses the switches
    from Cherry.

    --
    With respect,
    = Aragorn =


    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Strider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Bit Twister@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 02:20:52 2019
    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:36:13 -0000 (UTC), Jim Beard wrote:
    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M keyboard?

    I tried searching for Model M and Unicomp at http://groups.google.com/advanced_search and at http://groups.google.com/
    but I do not have a Google account and Google apparently no longer
    approves of my using their site without membership.


    Ok, delete those old bookmarks and go ahead and use
    https://www.google.com/advanced_search
    or https://www.google.com

    About 28,000,000 results (0.40 seconds)

    or https://duckduckgo.com/


    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From faeychild@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 03:11:25 2019
    On 12/11/19 11:36 am, Jim Beard wrote:
    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M keyboard?


    Yes I've had two over many years
    Both were damaged by me
    I am in the process of getting another but the price has risen since.

    They are buckling spring keyboards using he same tools from IBM.
    The story goes that several ex employees bought the tools from IBM and
    set up there own shop

    Nice feel nice "clack"

    regards
    --
    faeychild
    Running plasmashell 5.15.4 on 5.3.7-desktop-4.mga7 kernel.
    Mageia release 7 (Official) for x86_64 installed via Mageia-7-x86_64-DVD.iso


    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Jim Beard@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 16:20:47 2019
    On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 20:20:52 -0600, Bit Twister wrote:

    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:36:13 -0000 (UTC), Jim Beard wrote:
    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M
    keyboard?

    I tried searching for Model M and Unicomp at
    http://groups.google.com/advanced_search and at
    http://groups.google.com/
    but I do not have a Google account and Google apparently no longer
    approves of my using their site without membership.


    Ok, delete those old bookmarks and go ahead and use
    https://www.google.com/advanced_search
    or https://www.google.com
    About 28,000,000 results (0.40 seconds)

    Thanks. I routinely use duckduckgo.com, and rarely use Google Advanced
    Groups these days. As you recognized, the old url name did not work too
    well.

    Duckduckgo did not provide Usenet Newsgroups. Or am I omitting something there? Getting the magic incantation wrong?

    Cheers!

    jim b.

    --
    UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely expects users to be computer-
    friendly.

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Bit Twister@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 16:27:57 2019
    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 16:20:47 -0000 (UTC), Jim Beard wrote:

    Duckduckgo did not provide Usenet Newsgroups. Or am I omitting something there?

    Pretty sure if you use the given google urls, you may find they also
    do not provide current Usenet threads.

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 16:58:20 2019
    On 11/12/19 8:20 AM, Jim Beard wrote:
    On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 20:20:52 -0600, Bit Twister wrote:

    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:36:13 -0000 (UTC), Jim Beard wrote:
    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M
    keyboard?

    I tried searching for Model M and Unicomp at
    http://groups.google.com/advanced_search and at
    http://groups.google.com/
    but I do not have a Google account and Google apparently no longer
    approves of my using their site without membership.


    Ok, delete those old bookmarks and go ahead and use
    https://www.google.com/advanced_search
    or https://www.google.com
    About 28,000,000 results (0.40 seconds)

    Thanks. I routinely use duckduckgo.com, and rarely use Google Advanced Groups these days. As you recognized, the old url name did not work too well.

    Duckduckgo did not provide Usenet Newsgroups. Or am I omitting something there? Getting the magic incantation wrong?

    Cheers!

    jim b.

    Try Usenet news servers. I just did at DuckDuckGo.
    That is how you get to find the organization or individual
    from which you will be able to find Usenet Newsgroups and subscribe
    to those of interest. I came up with 2 pages of references and
    many more waiting to be shown.
    But unless you want binaries in your newsgroup try eternal-september it
    is free and has many text newsgroups.

    bliss

    --
    bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: dis-organization (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Jim Beard@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 17:49:32 2019
    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 08:58:20 -0800, Bobbie Sellers wrote:

    eternal-september

    I susbscribe to a set of USENET Newsgroups, but that does not provide an archive to the years-ago Newsgroups.

    Google Groups did provide that for years. I could for example search for posts to alt.smokers.pipes going back to the early 1990s, 10 or 15 years earlier, and some of the best posts on topics of interest were there.
    The "early adopters" were often knowledgeable, and inclined to pass on
    their knowledge.

    Presumably the Wayback Machine could be used, but what it has in
    Newsgroups and how to access them is beyond my ken.

    Cheers!

    jim b.

    --
    UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely expects users to be computer-
    friendly.

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Jim Beard@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 18:02:38 2019
    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 14:11:25 +1100, faeychild wrote:

    On 12/11/19 11:36 am, Jim Beard wrote:
    Is anyone familiar with the Unicomp version of the IBM Model M
    keyboard?


    Yes I've had two over many years Both were damaged by me I am in the
    process of getting another but the price has risen since.

    They are buckling spring keyboards using he same tools from IBM.
    The story goes that several ex employees bought the tools from IBM and
    set up there own shop

    Nice feel nice "clack"

    I think I will give one a try, but which one?

    Classic 104 Black Buckling Spring USB or Classic 104 Trackball Black
    Buckling Spring USB would seem the best choices for a keyboard that will
    work smoothly with Mageia, Fedora Core, or other Linux OS, but how well
    does the trackball in the upper-right extension to the keyboard work is
    now the $14.00 question.

    At worst, I could simply ignore it and use a usb mouse as usual, I
    suppose.

    Any opinions on a trackball in an upper-left extention to the keyboard?

    Cheers!

    jim b.

    --
    UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely expects users to be computer-
    friendly.

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@2:250/1 to All on Tue Nov 12 21:21:38 2019
    Subject: Re: Tangent on Newsgroups (was Re: Unicomp Model M Keyboard
    Opinions?)

    On 11/12/19 9:49 AM, Jim Beard wrote:
    On Tue, 12 Nov 2019 08:58:20 -0800, Bobbie Sellers wrote:

    eternal-september

    I susbscribe to a set of USENET Newsgroups, but that does not provide an archive to the years-ago Newsgroups.

    Google Groups did provide that for years. I could for example search for posts to alt.smokers.pipes going back to the early 1990s, 10 or 15 years earlier, and some of the best posts on topics of interest were there.
    The "early adopters" were often knowledgeable, and inclined to pass on
    their knowledge.

    Presumably the Wayback Machine could be used, but what it has in
    Newsgroups and how to access them is beyond my ken.

    Cheers!

    jim b.

    Well Jim, i went to the Wayback Machine and typed in Dejavue which was the old Usenet archive. I really do not know what is there
    but it seems like a lot of stuff.
    Good luck
    bliss

    --
    bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: dis-organization (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From faeychild@2:250/1 to All on Wed Nov 13 00:08:03 2019
    On 13/11/19 5:02 am, Jim Beard wrote:

    Classic 104 Black Buckling Spring USB or Classic 104 Trackball Black
    Buckling Spring USB would seem the best choices for a keyboard that will
    work smoothly with Mageia, Fedora Core, or other Linux OS, but how well
    does the trackball in the upper-right extension to the keyboard work is
    now the $14.00 question.


    I had a classic black. UA40P4A

    I am currently suffering with one of those cheap rubber dome recessed
    keys junk - with considerable bounce

    I've never uses a track ball.
    Do they not get ra bit grubby and greasy, like the original mouse balls did?

    regards
    --
    faeychild
    Running plasmashell 5.15.4 on 5.3.7-desktop-4.mga7 kernel.
    Mageia release 7 (Official) for x86_64 installed via Mageia-7-x86_64-DVD.iso


    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)
  • From Jim Beard@2:250/1 to All on Fri Nov 15 21:10:27 2019
    On Wed, 13 Nov 2019 11:08:03 +1100, faeychild wrote:

    On 13/11/19 5:02 am, Jim Beard wrote:

    Classic 104 Black Buckling Spring USB or Classic 104 Trackball Black
    Buckling Spring USB would seem the best choices for a keyboard that
    will work smoothly with Mageia, Fedora Core, or other Linux OS, but how
    well does the trackball in the upper-right extension to the keyboard
    work is now the $14.00 question.


    I had a classic black. UA40P4A

    I am currently suffering with one of those cheap rubber dome recessed
    keys junk - with considerable bounce

    I've never uses a track ball.
    Do they not get ra bit grubby and greasy, like the original mouse balls
    did?

    My Model M keyboard arrived this afternoon.

    Typing is great.

    I am not yet accustomed to using the trackball. In some respects, it
    works better for me than a mouse did. Yet, in others it is a bit awkward,
    or requires more exacting use to scroll or perform some other task.

    The ring around the top of the ball has two indentations, and something
    pointy can be used to push on counterclockwise (to open) or clockwise to close. When open, I simply turn the keyboard upside down and the right
    and ball fall out. Hence, cleaning is easy.

    I expect that after some weeks I will either get accustomed to the
    trackball, or simply plug a usb mouse back in and use that when
    convenient.

    Cheers!

    jim b.


    --
    UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely expects users to be computer-
    friendly.

    --- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.12A (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)