At the end is the OLPC, whose keyboard was as bad as as it looks. Like typing on a Silpat. Yet I used the hell out of it, would take it hiking even - it was indestructible. Mine's logo was green and purple and I miss it every day
Very fun to peruse! Curious why the olivetti typewriter has such strangely shaped key caps.
While it seems like OLPC didn't really achieve the full vision of the project, I have some anecdata of success - my coworker got an OLPC when young (otherwise without access to computers), learned to code on it, and is now an awesome programmer.
Number 17: The Atari 2600 keyboard... It came with a BASIC cartridge and the keyboard was to be plugged in the joystick port: that's how I wrote my first BASIC programs.
It was extremely limited (and needless to say my parents thankfully realized I needed something a bit more powerful so I then got an Atari 600 XL) but that's how it all started for me!
I don't know if there's anyone else on HN who actually used that Atari 2600 BASIC cartridge+keyboard as a kid?
P.S: I can't compete with such a collection... My rarest keyboard is a Cherry MX-5000 (it's a split keyboard) and second rarest is a venerable IBM Model M, but in "industrial" livery (olive grey instead of beige).
> And here’s the most modern version of a practice keyboard I know of – itself a small computer.
The author should check out the AlphaSmart line of devices made into the early 2000s, especially the early pre-PalmOS devices! I was kind of surprised not to see any on the list.
My Neo2 is basically a very simple buffer you can type into and dump into a computer later. It transmits to computer by emulating a USB keyboard and dumping the contents keystroke by keystroke into whatever program you happen to have running.
In addition though it has a very simple typing tutor. There's not much to it, it's no true Mavis Beacon alternative but it's a fun little addition to such a simple device.
I actually work with a number of former AlphaSmart employees, which is funny because I bought my Neo2 as a writing aid before I knew any of this. I was telling a coworker about it and he replies "You know I worked on that, right?" No, I did not. Small world.
Of course I'm going to focus in on the one thing I was involved with. The Nintendo PowerGlove should be compared with devices of its class from its own time rather than modern cherry key keyboards. Yes.. the membrane keyboard was bad when compared to a modern keyboard. But you know what else it was? Affordable. The whole power-glove cost only slightly more (in 2025 dollars) than the last keyboard I bought. And it hooks up to a NES and lets you point at stuff using your hand.
I love my keychron, but last I checked I could not use it to point at virtual squash balls on my TV.
Which is to say, if the only comment you can come up with about the PowerGlove is "This keypad... is so bad," then you seriously missed the point.
[ And while I'm here and b*ching about things... how does the Olivetti Praxis 48 use the same palette as the NeXT ADB Keyboard? ]
[ And I can't stop... Yes, the Canon Cat keyboard is awesome. But it's somewhat weird to use as you don't have arrow keys, just creep/leap forward/backwards. It takes a little getting used to and the keys themselves don't have the best feel. I've been thinking about replacing the key mechanisms with something modern. ]
Microsoft sold their Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard design to Incase and it has been "coming soon" for 3+ years. I don't look forward to finding an alternative.
Excellent and super interesting collection! I have the NeXT keyboard, and I used it as my daily driver on my Mac for a while. It has a regular ADB port, so depending on the vintage of your Mac, you can use it directly or with an iMate USB adapter. Once you get used to the convenience of the Command bar, it's really hard to go back to regular ⌘ keys. Weird how this didn't catch on. The lack of function keys is a big minus, though.
And I always wanted an Avid keyboard just because it looks cool (the Extended Keyboard II version, though), but they were always rare and/or expensive.
The Xbox 360 keyboard attachment was underrated in its time. It had almost no impact on use for gameplay, but was a vast improvement to using the d-pad to navigate an on-screen keyboard when typing messages.
23 comments
[ 2.4 ms ] story [ 124 ms ] threadAt the end is the OLPC, whose keyboard was as bad as as it looks. Like typing on a Silpat. Yet I used the hell out of it, would take it hiking even - it was indestructible. Mine's logo was green and purple and I miss it every day
While it seems like OLPC didn't really achieve the full vision of the project, I have some anecdata of success - my coworker got an OLPC when young (otherwise without access to computers), learned to code on it, and is now an awesome programmer.
It was extremely limited (and needless to say my parents thankfully realized I needed something a bit more powerful so I then got an Atari 600 XL) but that's how it all started for me!
I don't know if there's anyone else on HN who actually used that Atari 2600 BASIC cartridge+keyboard as a kid?
P.S: I can't compete with such a collection... My rarest keyboard is a Cherry MX-5000 (it's a split keyboard) and second rarest is a venerable IBM Model M, but in "industrial" livery (olive grey instead of beige).
The author should check out the AlphaSmart line of devices made into the early 2000s, especially the early pre-PalmOS devices! I was kind of surprised not to see any on the list.
My Neo2 is basically a very simple buffer you can type into and dump into a computer later. It transmits to computer by emulating a USB keyboard and dumping the contents keystroke by keystroke into whatever program you happen to have running.
In addition though it has a very simple typing tutor. There's not much to it, it's no true Mavis Beacon alternative but it's a fun little addition to such a simple device.
I actually work with a number of former AlphaSmart employees, which is funny because I bought my Neo2 as a writing aid before I knew any of this. I was telling a coworker about it and he replies "You know I worked on that, right?" No, I did not. Small world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomic_keyboard#/media/File...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/triplehaata/collections/721576...
I love my keychron, but last I checked I could not use it to point at virtual squash balls on my TV.
Which is to say, if the only comment you can come up with about the PowerGlove is "This keypad... is so bad," then you seriously missed the point.
[ And while I'm here and b*ching about things... how does the Olivetti Praxis 48 use the same palette as the NeXT ADB Keyboard? ]
[ And I can't stop... Yes, the Canon Cat keyboard is awesome. But it's somewhat weird to use as you don't have arrow keys, just creep/leap forward/backwards. It takes a little getting used to and the keys themselves don't have the best feel. I've been thinking about replacing the key mechanisms with something modern. ]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-cadet_keyboard
And I always wanted an Avid keyboard just because it looks cool (the Extended Keyboard II version, though), but they were always rare and/or expensive.