Leonard Erickson wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason:

 LE> I've still got that keyboard, but it has an AT type connector and
 LE> doesn't have things like the Windows keys.

The connector isn't a problem,  since adapters going both ways are available.

 RJT> The other thing that bugs me,  particularly with the keyboard that's
 RJT> being used on the linux box,  is that it's got those stupid
"windows"
 RJT> keys on it.  I know that a great majority of computer users out there
 RJT> are into that OS,  and are into mousing around rather than using the
 RJT> keyboard,  but the last time I was in a computer store I asked the guy
 RJT> if there were *ANY* new keyboards available that didn't have those, 
 RJT> and the answer was an unhesitant "no".  I don't know if that means
 RJT> that they just weren't gonna stock any,  or if it means that they
 RJT> didn't know of any available from their distributor,  or what, but I'm
 RJT> still hoping that I can find some out there. 

 LE> Why? they generate prefectly valid keycodes, and whatever OS you
 LE> are running, you can find a way to tell the keyboard drivers to
 LE> recognize them for whatever.

Yes,  I could use them if I wanted them,  but I rather prefer a full-length
spacebar and the positioning and sizes of the ctrl and alt keys on those
keyboards here that don't have them.  That's what they mess up...

 LE> Heck, that's one of the reasons I'm thinking about spending $75 to
 LE> get an old Keytronic KB3270PC keyboard refurbished. It's got an
 LE> insane number of keys and can generate darn near all of the
 LE> possible keycodes.

I mostly just need text keys,  and alt and ctrl occasionally,  and I'd like
to get really good at finding what I'm aiming at without having to actually
stop and look for it.  I don't see the advantage to a bunch of this other
stuff,  or at least not yet.

 LE> Though a lot of the newwer keyboards with the web & mail
"buttons"
 LE> on them can generate quite a few of the extras. (Wish I could track
 LE> down a list of the definitions MS has assigned to those in 
 LE> windows).

I'm also tired of m$ "requirements" driving the way hardware is
made out there.  I was just reading something in linux journal about how
some of the smallish USB storage devices out there are not functioning
properly,  not responding to codes that *should* work,  because of the m$
way of doing things and determining "what's acceptable",  even if
it doesn't conform to open published specs.  :-(

 RJT> Those ones I tossed,  I snagged the cable and little board out of
 RJT> there first. I figure that with the interface there's a matrix that'll
 RJT> sense and report 128 different switch closures,  there oughta be
 RJT> something I can do with those.  Anybody with ideas on that,  feel free
 RJT> to jump in.  :-)  

 LE> Actually, several of the keycodes are reserved. And there's 
 LE> actually translation code in that chip. It won't necessarily 
 LE> *recognize* keys that didn't exist on the keyboard you took it
 LE> from.

Not a big deal,  I'm guessing.  There's probably more possibilities there
than I'll ever use.

 LE> But yeah, I plan to do that next time I junk a keyboard myself.

What I need to do is figure out an easy way to interface the other end of that cable.

 LE> One thing to check for when buying a keyboard, at least if it's
 LE> someplace that has them out where you can play with them. Check and
 LE> see if the letters are printed on the keys or molded into them. The
 LE> latter is usually a sign of a better quality keyboard.

Yes.

 LE> It also means that you won't get the situation where after a few 
 LE> months, it's getting hard to tell the M and N keys apart.

I have a nifty little keycap puller tool,  that should make it obvious if
it's a single or dual-shot molding that made those keycaps,  usually a lot
easier to see from the bottom than from the top.

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