Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!RUBIN@COLUMBIA-20.ARPA From: RUBIN@COLUMBIA-20.ARPA Newsgroups: net.works Subject: Re: Keyboards Message-ID: <3041@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 12-Jul-83 20:50:15 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3041 Posted: Tue Jul 12 20:50:15 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 15-Jul-83 10:47:15 EDT Lines: 25 From: Michael RubinPerhaps this is a halfway step between the usual keyboard and the IBM CHORD, or perhaps it's just an extrapolation of those concave "ergonomic" keyboards: Have a single row of keys which can slide as well as depress, so that depressing the key gives a home-row letter, but pushing the key away from you (toward the top of the keyboard) gives an upper-row letter, and pulling the key toward you gives a lower-row letter. A separate row of keys would still be necessary for the numbers, a little higher than the deeply dished letter keys, so the cross section would look like: __ <---number keys \_/ <---letter keys, move 3 ways ( < > and v ) This would take an ordinary touch typist about 15 seconds to learn, and besides being faster there's no more problems with homing on the wrong row. The space bar would remain in normal position but there would now be plenty of space around it for thumb-operated touchpads, trackballs, shift keys, light sabers, et cetera.... Oh yes, why doesn't anybody make a \real/ detached keyboard, one that runs on batteries and communicates via infrared or radio instead of trailing an umbilical cord? --Mike Rubin -------