3 ms·

I am not sure why people would be so upset about a keyboard. If you need an ergonomic keyboard, use one, but don't complain about a product not being ergonomic.

I am not sure why people would be so upset about a keyboard. If you need an ergonomic keyboard, use one, but don't complain about a product not being ergonomic. That's like complaining about a bicycle not having 4 wheels and an engine when what your really want is a car.

Shorel 13y ago
We complain now and we will keep complaining about it, because no current ergonomic keyboard has good quality switches, or even good quality in general. I had two MS Ergo 4000 in one year and both are damaged now. I have a cheap Amazon Basics keyboard for now. Ergonomic keyboard users don't have enough alternatives. So we will complain until we get them.
- yangyang 13y ago
  The Kinesis Advantage comes with Cherry MX browns or reds. The function keys are a bit dodgy though.
  - Shorel 13y ago
    Now that's way too ergonomic for my taste. It also requires huge space that I don't have right now. I am happy with a split keyboard in two pieces and no numpad.
    - jfb 13y ago
      It's not nearly as big as the pictures make it seem, although there's plenty of volume to them.
    - wonderzombie 13y ago
      It looks big from the pictures, but it's not. As I recall, MS' Natural 4000 takes up more space. On my desk, it fits into the space formerly occupied by a Goldtouch V2.
- korethr 13y ago
  It's not something you can just pick up at your local retail store or order from Amazon, but if you're willing to use a soldering iron and a few other tools to assemble a kit, the Ergodox[1] might fit your needs. The Ergodox is a split design with a non-staggered key layout, thumb clusters, Cherry MX switches of your choice, and is programmable to have whatever layout you please. [1] http://ergodox.org/ http://ergodox.org/
  - Shorel 13y ago
    Now that is interesting, thanks :)
  - daurnimator 13y ago
    o.o thanks to this comment I just bought one!
- anotherevan 13y ago
  > I had two MS Ergo 4000 in one year and both are damaged now. Strange. I've got one of these keyboards* and have had it so long the type has worn off the middle row. The nubs of the J and F keys had also worn down that much that I ended up getting an old soldering iron and scarring those two keys again. Only maintenance I do is take it outside every now and again and blast it with the air compressor to clean it out (which is well past due). * Actually I have a spare one in the cupboard for when my current one actually dies for good. I used it for about two days after I spilled something on the other keyboard and had to leave it out in the sun for a couple of days to make sure it dried out completely.
smackfu 13y ago
I think some people are just generally a bit suspicious of the motivation behind Jeff Atwoods's blog posts. Like he writes "here's my thoughts on a bunch of products" and then every one is Amazon affiliate-linked. This keyboard thing is just kind of like the ultimate version of that.
- AYBABTME 13y ago
  What's wrong with using affiliate links? I'd use affiliate links for everything, good or bad. Free money?
  - smackfu 13y ago
    "Hmmm, my affiliate revenue is dropping, time to write a new product round-up blog post."
    - AYBABTME 13y ago
      I see the point, thanks!
lygaret 13y ago
It's not that we're upset about the keyboard, or at least, it's not that I am. I'm upset that, despite the incredibly vibrant community around interesting mechanical keyboards (ergo or not), Jeff Atwood came to "save us" all from the shitty keyboards we weren't using, without taking 30 seconds to actually look around. From coding horror: I'm just happy to live in a world where the first truly great mechanical keyboard finally exists now, in exactly the form it needed to, with every detail just so, and I can type this very post on it. To some of us, especially members of communities like GeekHack[1], that's a massive insult. [1]: http://geekhack.org/ http://geekhack.org/

Shorel 13y ago

We complain now and we will keep complaining about it, because no current ergonomic keyboard has good quality switches, or even good quality in general. I had two MS Ergo 4000 in one year and both are damaged now. I have a cheap Amazon Basics keyboard for now. Ergonomic keyboard users don't have enough alternatives. So we will complain until we get them.

yangyang 13y ago
The Kinesis Advantage comes with Cherry MX browns or reds. The function keys are a bit dodgy though.
- Shorel 13y ago
  Now that's way too ergonomic for my taste. It also requires huge space that I don't have right now. I am happy with a split keyboard in two pieces and no numpad.
  - jfb 13y ago
    It's not nearly as big as the pictures make it seem, although there's plenty of volume to them.
  - wonderzombie 13y ago
    It looks big from the pictures, but it's not. As I recall, MS' Natural 4000 takes up more space. On my desk, it fits into the space formerly occupied by a Goldtouch V2.
korethr 13y ago
It's not something you can just pick up at your local retail store or order from Amazon, but if you're willing to use a soldering iron and a few other tools to assemble a kit, the Ergodox[1] might fit your needs. The Ergodox is a split design with a non-staggered key layout, thumb clusters, Cherry MX switches of your choice, and is programmable to have whatever layout you please. [1] http://ergodox.org/ http://ergodox.org/
- Shorel 13y ago
  Now that is interesting, thanks :)
- daurnimator 13y ago
  o.o thanks to this comment I just bought one!
anotherevan 13y ago
> I had two MS Ergo 4000 in one year and both are damaged now. Strange. I've got one of these keyboards* and have had it so long the type has worn off the middle row. The nubs of the J and F keys had also worn down that much that I ended up getting an old soldering iron and scarring those two keys again. Only maintenance I do is take it outside every now and again and blast it with the air compressor to clean it out (which is well past due). * Actually I have a spare one in the cupboard for when my current one actually dies for good. I used it for about two days after I spilled something on the other keyboard and had to leave it out in the sun for a couple of days to make sure it dried out completely.

smackfu 13y ago

I think some people are just generally a bit suspicious of the motivation behind Jeff Atwoods's blog posts. Like he writes "here's my thoughts on a bunch of products" and then every one is Amazon affiliate-linked. This keyboard thing is just kind of like the ultimate version of that.

AYBABTME 13y ago
What's wrong with using affiliate links? I'd use affiliate links for everything, good or bad. Free money?
- smackfu 13y ago
  "Hmmm, my affiliate revenue is dropping, time to write a new product round-up blog post."
  - AYBABTME 13y ago
    I see the point, thanks!

lygaret 13y ago

It's not that we're upset about the keyboard, or at least, it's not that I am. I'm upset that, despite the incredibly vibrant community around interesting mechanical keyboards (ergo or not), Jeff Atwood came to "save us" all from the shitty keyboards we weren't using, without taking 30 seconds to actually look around. From coding horror: I'm just happy to live in a world where the first truly great mechanical keyboard finally exists now, in exactly the form it needed to, with every detail just so, and I can type this very post on it. To some of us, especially members of communities like GeekHack[1], that's a massive insult. [1]: http://geekhack.org/ http://geekhack.org/