Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!umix!nancy!eecae!netnews.upenn.edu!super.upenn.edu!eniac.seas.upenn.edu!hodas From: hodas@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Josh Hodas) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Third party keyboards for the Mac Message-ID: <5223@super.upenn.edu> Date: 29 Jun 88 12:28:31 GMT References: <5204@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <6500034@hpindda.HP.COM> <444@esquire.UUCP> Sender: news@super.upenn.edu Reply-To: hodas@eniac.seas.upenn.edu.UUCP (Josh Hodas) Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 35 In article <444@esquire.UUCP> sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten) writes: > >Just out of curiosity, is there an "extended" keyboard out there with >the control key in the right place (i.e., next to the 'A')? Apple's is >in a supremely stupid place, and it seems the DataDesk 101 doesn't have >one at all. > >-- > Steve Baumgarten | "New York... when civilization falls apart, > Davis Polk & Wardwell | remember, we were way ahead of you." > {uunet,cmcl2}!esquire!sbb | - David Letterman Not that I really want to start a massive netwar on the human factors of key- boards, but why is 'next to the "A"' the right place for the control key? I suspect it is only because that is the way it was on the keyboard you learned on. Personally, It makes sense to me to cluster modifier keys together, and the only place you can do this is the way its done on the extended keyboard (also, I think its imperative that they appear on both sides, not just one.). I use my machine as a Terminal more than for anything else, and having used Quickeys to redefine my option key as a true Meta key (for emacs), I really prefer having the control (and squiggle) and option keys clustered together. Just my thoughts. Josh ------------------------- Josh Hodas (hodas@eniac.seas.upenn.edu) 4223 Pine Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 222-7112 (home) (215) 898-9515 (school office)