Some senseless babbling from Jonathan Michaels to Mike Ruskai
on 03-28-98  17:23 about motherboards and os/2...
 JM>> are thier any real problems that i should look out for ? or
 JM>> would a gigabyte motherbopard have been better ? well for
 JM>> my next 486 failure i may get a gigabyte and a cyrix k6 or
 JM>> something like that.
 
 MR > I've got a Tyan Tomcat motherboard in my BBS machine, and a
 MR > Supermicro P6SLA in this machine.  I'd choose Supermicro over
 MR > Gigabyte any day.
 JM> any particular reason, other thn personal preferance ?
I've never heard someone complain about a Supermicro board, and have heard 
many endorsements.  I have seen problems with Gigabyte boards.  
 
 MR > PS/2 mice and keyboards were designed by IBM.  OS/2 works quite
 MR > happily with both.  In fact, OS/2's PS/2 mouse support is much
 MR > better than its serial mouse support.  The cursor moves much
 MR > more quickly across the screen.
 JM> that would be an added bonus .. i will keep that in mind, i am now a
 JM> 25 year veteran of keyboards and every day i use one i get onday closer
 JM> to getting the dreaded rsi. this is why i detest the the microsoft
 JM> mouse system .. this has been proven to not just cause rsi but ti
 JM> severly agrivate existing conditions. mice started out as three button
 JM> beasties and their was no double clicking involved . microsoft need to
 JM> differentiate thier ice from everybody else, so the droped a key and
 JM> introduced the concept of double clicking, and the drs have been thier
 JM> freinds ever since. 
Not quite.  Double-clicking was always there.  In any case, I can 
understand a desire to avoid mice.  I personally would prefer a means of 
using the keyboard exclusively.  I even bought one of those Lexmark-made 
IBM-brand keyboards that has a built-in little trackball over the cursor 
keys.  It doens't move the right very well, so it's kinda useless.
 MR > I've been using old IBM clicker keyboards forever.  Can't stand
 MR > those new types (with or without Win95 keys - it's the backslash
 MR > placement that's important).
 JM> well thier is that issue but for me the key press is all important, a
 JM> good keyboard will push back when you press the keys, it should have
 JM> wieight so that it reamins stable in your lap or on the desktop. it
 JM> should well built so that is doesnt flex while in use, as a keyboard or
 JM> a lever to jimmy open the doors in winter when they freeze up the hinge
 JM> (grin). i've been fortunate in that i have allways used 'quality
 JM> mainframe' terminals and they have always had excellent keyboards. i
 JM> only used one pc clone keyboard once .. only because this persin
 JM> insisted on a cheap system .. and couldn't understand why a keyboard
 JM> could cost $aud650 (ibm pc/at (it is actually an ibm rt or rs6000) some
 JM> 8 years ago), he cam over to my office a few months latter   and
 JM> discovered after an hours use he picked up some 30 wpm in corrected
 JM> typing speed .. he replaced every keyboard in his organisation.
I couldn't agree more about keyboard utility.  Though I've never used a 
mainframe or RS6000 terminal.
 JM> it is still possibel to get good keyboard, the ones made by lexmark
 JM> for the ibm ps2 machines are not to bad, well thier costs indicate some
 JM> of the corners that we cut, they are about $aud350 i was fortunate
 JM> enought o get two with a fire damaged computer, the keybpards were
I'm afraid I don't know the current exchange rate to put that in Yank 
terms, but I got this one for $35 a while back.  Been pounding away for 
years and years on it.  No problems.  My only complaint is that I can't 
find a hex wrench anywhere that will fit inside the screw holes far enough 
to grip the screw head, so I can't take the damn thing apart and remove the 
debris which has been accumulated.
 JM> clean. later i got another pair brand new stilll in the ibm box s a
 JM> gift .. i finally could retire my old ibm pc/at keyboard .. it had been
 JM> repaired twice but is still serviceable and much better than any of the
 JM> new clone $aud30 wonder keyards .. even the ergonomic specailly crafted
 JM> microsoft desk furnitue keyboard .. that is a real joke, sorry i am a
 JM> real keyboard bigot. i suppose the fact that after some 20 years of 8
 JM> to sixteen hours per day at a keyboard and still no rsi has got to say
 JM> someint for the kinds of keyboards i will let my hands go near.
 JM> oops sorry about the rambling, its that time of day again .. cheers
I can ramble with the worst.. er.. best of them :)
Mike Ruskai SA/AG #1106
thanny@home.com
... Does your cat fly by herself?  No, I fling her.
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