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Gigantic Keyboard

Everything Counts in Large Amounts
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Redundancy. *Good* programs have many ways to execute the same function. A *good* keyboard would have many more keys. An aditional number pad on the left, for instance. A space bar at the top. Programable keys galore. A door on the bottom to allow the removal of staples, hair, etc.
onefish, Jan 26 2002

The 'gigantic" space cadet keyboard http://www.tuxedo.o...cadet-keyboard.html
"A now-legendary device used on MIT LISP machines, which inspired several still-current jargon terms and influenced the design of EMACS. It was equipped with no fewer than seven shift keys: four keys for bucky bits (`control', `meta', `hyper', and `super') and three regular shift keys, called `shift', `top', and `front'. Many keys had three symbols on them: a letter and a symbol on the top, and a Greek letter on the front. " Kind of like what you are thinking. [bristolz, Jan 26 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

(Tangent) Giant Keyboard in Boston http://www.ttu.ee/i...desk/wtc2-3kids.jpg
Jim, on jim. Good thing he's not called Pat. [jutta, Jan 26 2002]

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       The olden days of computing saw big keyboards with lots of programmable and oddball keys. (linkie). Personally, though, I think a good keyboard has less keys--many less. I use a chording keyboard some of the time (at home, Bat) and I like it, a lot.
bristolz, Jan 26 2002
  

       Symptoms: Pain in fingers, elbows, shoulders, shooting back pains. Numb extremities. Pain. Did I say PAIN? We need better input devices.
onefish, Jan 26 2002
  

       Sounds like what you need is a higher monitor stand and a user interface that doesn't require you to use a mouse.   

       I don't think redundancy in itself is good (unless keys somehow get "used up" and it's good to have a spare), and it may conflict with other important goals like simplicity.   

       Make mine a small, short one, and keep the numeric keypad and the line of F1..F12 I never use.
jutta, Jan 26 2002
  

       I was hoping this was going to be a gigantic keyboard with keys you could stand on, and jump from letter to letter, like those giant piano keyboards.
Helium, Jan 26 2002
  

       Yeah, me too - except then someone who has seen the 20-foot-long keyboard in the Boston Computer Museum (now part of the Museum of Science) would yell "baked".
jutta, Jan 26 2002
  

       How about a huge petrol powered mouse you get into and drive around?
mcscotland, Jan 26 2002
  

       Perhaps the idea of USIBILITY has passed. I am all in favor of really big jump toys. Repetative Stress Syndrome is no joke. Millions if not Billions of sheckles are spent per year. Help me with this idea to make a better keyboard. The current one is not perfect.
onefish, Jan 26 2002
  

       Sp: usability, repetetive, shekel.
This whole category is about making better keyboards. When people come up with something to improve them, they post it. Explicitly asking doesn't really help.
jutta, Jan 26 2002
  

       My favorite text editors use the Wordstar command set. Worked even better when keyboards had the Ctrl key in the right spot, but even on today's keyboards one's hands never have to move far to do any of the necessary functions.
supercat, Jan 26 2002
  
      
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