Saturday, June 22, 2002

Real Keyboards -- 9:40 am CST, Update by A.T. Hun

VipersLair has an article on a subject that you don't hear about very much, but affects each and every computer user. The subject? Keyboards. The author gives some background on keyboards in general and goes into the differences between the new silent keyboards and the older click (buckling spring) ones. Thanks HardOCP.

I couldn't agree more with him more. I'm using the same IBM Model M keyboard he is. It's built like a tank and will last forever. In a pinch, you could use it to beat an intruder to death. Afterwards all you'd have to do is rinse it off. The new keyboards today (including 99% of the ones you find in stores), ahem, suck. I feel like I'm going to dislocate my fingers every time I use one.

Northgate (remember them?) made a very nice keyboard in the IBM Model M tradition. The keyboard was one of the main selling points for their boxes. Back when I bought my first computer, I got a Northgate keyboard for it, which is still in service. The only gripe I had with it was that the left Ctrl key died early. I think all that Wolfenstein/DOOM playing did it in.

Finally, the author points to PC Keyboard.com, a site run by a company called Unicomp which purchased IBM's keyboard technology from Lexmark. They build their own buckling spring keyboards. There is even a model list of IBM and Lexmark keyboards. They can build one just like any of them with their own logo on it. Way too cool.

Thursday, June 20, 2002

NWN First Impressions -- 9:42 am CST, Update by A.T. Hun

Elysium at Evil Avatar posted his first impressions of Neverwinter Nights, the latest AD&D game from Bioware. I really like the idea of controlling only one character instead of six as it was in Baldur's Gate II. Even better is the fact that there is a Linux client and server! I'm going to wait until Linux Games or Evil3D posts a review of the Linux version. If it's favorable, I might just take the plunge.

J.t.Qbe comments: It'll be on sale next week at Best Buy for $54.99, not that that's much of a sale. I agree: the wise course is to wait and see how the Linux client turns out. I don't plan to get it before then, if I get it at all.

Bork -- 12:01 am CST, Update by The Master

Sorry about that weirdness. Cost of doing upgrades. I'll try not to let it happen again :-)

No Old News

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