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Nice. Now this is out could we get a TrackPoint keyboard please? https://community.frame.work/t/thinkpad-keyboard-mod-super-early-stages/38484/55 https://commu

by chx 3y ago

Nice. Now this is out could we get a TrackPoint keyboard please? https://community.frame.work/t/thinkpad-keyboard-mod-super-early-stages/38484/55 https://community.frame.work/t/thinkpad-keyboard-mod-super-e... is getting there I am sure with a little support it would happen finally.

CoastalCoder 3y ago
I'm curious if there's (still?) a patent on TrackPoint-like devices. (This is a tangent question. IIUC from that community thread, people are considering adaptive real ThinkPad keyboards to work in a Framework.)
- NewJazz 3y ago
  According to Wikipedia: IBM introduced it commercially in 1992 on its laptops under the name "TrackPoint", and patented it in 1997 (but the patent expired in 2017) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick
  - chx 3y ago
    Wikipedia is wrong as always, it patented an improved version in 1997. I will try to edit but I am not holding my breath.
- Modified3019 3y ago
  The original patents on track point ran out years ago. Even dell has a (not great) version in some of their laptops. There could very well be some new patents on Lenovo’s recent stuff for whatever reason, but there’s nothing stopping anybody from copying what IBM put out.
  - chx 3y ago
    Dell and HP and Toshiba all had pointing sticks on their professional laptops even before the patents ran out. They were utter shit of course because it was negative inertia which made the TrackPoint usable and that was patented and by the time it expired everyone was high on trackpads which are , once again, obviously utter shit because they can not be as efficient as a TrackPoint which is where your fingers are compared to a trackpad where you need to move your hand to.
- chx 3y ago
  https://patents.google.com/patent/US5570111A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US5570111A/en expired 2014 (this is what makes the TrackPoint more than just a pointing stick) https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en expired 2017
nrp 3y ago
We've been watching this thread closely (and providing cscott with additional documentation as he finds missing info).

by chx 3y ago

CoastalCoder 3y ago

I'm curious if there's (still?) a patent on TrackPoint-like devices. (This is a tangent question. IIUC from that community thread, people are considering adaptive real ThinkPad keyboards to work in a Framework.)

NewJazz 3y ago
According to Wikipedia: IBM introduced it commercially in 1992 on its laptops under the name "TrackPoint", and patented it in 1997 (but the patent expired in 2017) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick
- chx 3y ago
  Wikipedia is wrong as always, it patented an improved version in 1997. I will try to edit but I am not holding my breath.
Modified3019 3y ago
The original patents on track point ran out years ago. Even dell has a (not great) version in some of their laptops. There could very well be some new patents on Lenovo’s recent stuff for whatever reason, but there’s nothing stopping anybody from copying what IBM put out.
- chx 3y ago
  Dell and HP and Toshiba all had pointing sticks on their professional laptops even before the patents ran out. They were utter shit of course because it was negative inertia which made the TrackPoint usable and that was patented and by the time it expired everyone was high on trackpads which are , once again, obviously utter shit because they can not be as efficient as a TrackPoint which is where your fingers are compared to a trackpad where you need to move your hand to.
chx 3y ago
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5570111A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US5570111A/en expired 2014 (this is what makes the TrackPoint more than just a pointing stick) https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en expired 2017

nrp 3y ago

We've been watching this thread closely (and providing cscott with additional documentation as he finds missing info).