4 ms·

There are probably several dozen of us reading this thread who are still using ancient Model Ms. I have a Greenock-made UK model (built 1988-11-15) which feels

There are probably several dozen of us reading this thread who are still using ancient Model Ms. I have a Greenock-made UK model (built 1988-11-15) which feels indestructible. The Greenock IBM factory closed down years ago, sadly, so there won't be any more coming from there. The factory has been the site of some interesting urban exploration. [1][2] [1] https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/ibm-greenock-dec-2008.35647/ https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/ibm-greenock-dec-2008.... [2] https://imgur.com/gallery/SZZ5z https://imgur.com/gallery/SZZ5z

pjsg 6y ago
My model M (daily use on a Mac) was built 24-sep-1987 plant code J1 which seems likely to have been Lexington KY. I really need to pop all the key caps off and clean them as some of them are pretty grungy.
- oflannabhra 6y ago
  Lexmark (the printer company, also an offshoot of IBM) bought the Model M design from IBM and continued production until 1996. Unicomp, another company in Lexington bought the rights from Lexmark and has been making them ever since.
  - 3dbrows 6y ago
    Do you happen to know if the design or build quality has changed much under new ownership?
quercusa 6y ago
ClickyKeyboards.com maintains a database of old Model M keyboards where you can find the siblings of yours. I've got a 1987 and a 1989. https://www.clickykeyboards.com/model-m-archive-project/ https://www.clickykeyboards.com/model-m-archive-project/
- 3dbrows 6y ago
  That is amazing, thank you. Seeing as IBM trivia is perhaps of interest to you, you might like to know that the extreme last vestige of IBM Greenock closed in Dec 2018, when the railway station attached to the plant closed. It served only an eerie, deserted brownfield site by its end. I once tried visiting to go dumpster diving for old keyboards, but there was nothing around and demolition was nearly complete. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_railway_station https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_railway_station

pjsg 6y ago

My model M (daily use on a Mac) was built 24-sep-1987 plant code J1 which seems likely to have been Lexington KY. I really need to pop all the key caps off and clean them as some of them are pretty grungy.

oflannabhra 6y ago
Lexmark (the printer company, also an offshoot of IBM) bought the Model M design from IBM and continued production until 1996. Unicomp, another company in Lexington bought the rights from Lexmark and has been making them ever since.
- 3dbrows 6y ago
  Do you happen to know if the design or build quality has changed much under new ownership?

quercusa 6y ago

ClickyKeyboards.com maintains a database of old Model M keyboards where you can find the siblings of yours. I've got a 1987 and a 1989. https://www.clickykeyboards.com/model-m-archive-project/ https://www.clickykeyboards.com/model-m-archive-project/

3dbrows 6y ago
That is amazing, thank you. Seeing as IBM trivia is perhaps of interest to you, you might like to know that the extreme last vestige of IBM Greenock closed in Dec 2018, when the railway station attached to the plant closed. It served only an eerie, deserted brownfield site by its end. I once tried visiting to go dumpster diving for old keyboards, but there was nothing around and demolition was nearly complete. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_railway_station https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_railway_station