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I don't normally comment, but this author and I strongly disagree on the ideal keyboard on almost .every. .single. .point., in fact there is no need to enumerat

I don't normally comment, but this author and I strongly disagree on the ideal keyboard on almost .every. .single. .point., in fact there is no need to enumerate them because I disagree with all of them. But, the most glaring problem is the idealized keyboard for a laptop being one with a 10 key area. When you sit down at a desktop you can position the external keyboard to center the G/H keys in the middle of your monitor and type comfortably. If you shift the G/H to the left it makes you move your arms to the left for 99.9999% of your typing - unless you still do 10-key data entry for some reason. The second overall problem I have is the idea that you need dozens of keys that are not essential to the function of your ability to TYPE on the laptop. Sure, you could have a button to disable the wireless on your laptop - but this is exactly the kind of key that SHOULDN'T be on a laptop. I have had to "fix" so many laptops by re-pressing the wireless toggle key that I have been tempted to physically break the key. I'm only ranting here just incase any keyboard designers think this article has any merit and tries to design a laptop-keyboard-from-hell like this. Just don't.

Terretta 9y ago
Also if you mouse, a vestigial numeric keypad makes you reach much farther right. Pointless unless you’re a data entry clerk.
- slantyyz 9y ago
  >> Pointless unless you’re a data entry clerk. A lot of heavy Excel users would disagree. You might make the argument that using Excel is like being a data entry clerk, but having actually having had a job as a data entry clerk in the 80s, I can tell you it is not the same thing.
- skykooler 9y ago
  Or a Blender user.
devwastaken 9y ago
https://youtu.be/doEZMNXz1JY https://youtu.be/doEZMNXz1JY Louis did a nice video on the older keyboard/trackpad vs the newer ones, which I agree with. Modern keyboards actually aren't bad, but the trackpads are terrible. The entire design of having left and right click as just one big flat button causes so many issues.
- Frank2312 9y ago
  That's because trackpads are now used to control as you would on a phone/tablet : tap for single click, double tap for double-click, two-finger tap for right click, pinch to zoom, etc. Ideally, there would still be buttons to allow both types of control though.
  - cryptonector 9y ago
    Talk about irritating. A laptop is not a phone/tablet. A laptop, even a tiny netbook, is big enough to allow the LUXURY of haptic feedback, so why not provide it?!
    - danieldk 9y ago
      Apple's trackpads provide haptic feedback. If you push them gently, there is a soft click, if you push them more, there is a hard click. An additional benefit over hard buttons is that applications can use it for additional feedback. E.g. OmniGraffle provides subtle haptic feedback via the trackpad when objects align, which I find extremely handy for quickly aligning objects.
      - cryptonector 9y ago
        I like distinct buttons. I like being able to tell by feel where my fingers are. I lose track of my finger's position on a big trackpad where the only clues to finger position are the edges of the pad. This leads to touch leakage: you go click but you touch halfway in the button area and half-way in the trackpad area and so the mouse pointer jumps as you click, thus clicking on the wrong thing. Talk about irritating!
- skofgar 9y ago
  I personally love the huge trackpads Apple builds. Especially the double tap right-click and all the swipe features. I think the dedicated button ones are super inconvenient, because you’d have to move your finger there instead of clicking/tapping anywhere
- 9y ago
zurn 9y ago
I think you misunderstood the article re. the number pad - it argues against number pads on laptops. "Last laptop ever made with excellent keyboard design? (Lenovo Thinkpad T520, fr 2011)" - no numpad. The IBM Model M keyboard is just raised as the prototypical desktop keyboard design, and the numpad there is commented as "Separate number pad possible on large keyboard without disturbing main keyboard" - which is hard to argue against.

Terretta 9y ago

Also if you mouse, a vestigial numeric keypad makes you reach much farther right. Pointless unless you’re a data entry clerk.

slantyyz 9y ago
>> Pointless unless you’re a data entry clerk. A lot of heavy Excel users would disagree. You might make the argument that using Excel is like being a data entry clerk, but having actually having had a job as a data entry clerk in the 80s, I can tell you it is not the same thing.
skykooler 9y ago
Or a Blender user.

devwastaken 9y ago

https://youtu.be/doEZMNXz1JY https://youtu.be/doEZMNXz1JY Louis did a nice video on the older keyboard/trackpad vs the newer ones, which I agree with. Modern keyboards actually aren't bad, but the trackpads are terrible. The entire design of having left and right click as just one big flat button causes so many issues.

Frank2312 9y ago
That's because trackpads are now used to control as you would on a phone/tablet : tap for single click, double tap for double-click, two-finger tap for right click, pinch to zoom, etc. Ideally, there would still be buttons to allow both types of control though.
- cryptonector 9y ago
  Talk about irritating. A laptop is not a phone/tablet. A laptop, even a tiny netbook, is big enough to allow the LUXURY of haptic feedback, so why not provide it?!
  - danieldk 9y ago
    Apple's trackpads provide haptic feedback. If you push them gently, there is a soft click, if you push them more, there is a hard click. An additional benefit over hard buttons is that applications can use it for additional feedback. E.g. OmniGraffle provides subtle haptic feedback via the trackpad when objects align, which I find extremely handy for quickly aligning objects.
    - cryptonector 9y ago
      I like distinct buttons. I like being able to tell by feel where my fingers are. I lose track of my finger's position on a big trackpad where the only clues to finger position are the edges of the pad. This leads to touch leakage: you go click but you touch halfway in the button area and half-way in the trackpad area and so the mouse pointer jumps as you click, thus clicking on the wrong thing. Talk about irritating!
skofgar 9y ago
I personally love the huge trackpads Apple builds. Especially the double tap right-click and all the swipe features. I think the dedicated button ones are super inconvenient, because you’d have to move your finger there instead of clicking/tapping anywhere
9y ago

zurn 9y ago

I think you misunderstood the article re. the number pad - it argues against number pads on laptops. "Last laptop ever made with excellent keyboard design? (Lenovo Thinkpad T520, fr 2011)" - no numpad. The IBM Model M keyboard is just raised as the prototypical desktop keyboard design, and the numpad there is commented as "Separate number pad possible on large keyboard without disturbing main keyboard" - which is hard to argue against.