[ILUG] Decent keyboards with Linux layout

[Kae Verens]

Niall O Broin wrote:

> www.pckeyboard.com sells keyboards which are the same as original IBM 
> model M keyboards, with buckling spring technology. Those who have 
> used them find all other keyboards wanting, while those who haven't 
> wonder why you'd pay 10x as much for a keyboard as you can. It's about 
> quality, people :-)
>
> To cut a long story short, Paul Jakma and I both want to buy one of 
> these (which are available in what they call Linux layout - see site) 
> so we're going to do a co-buy to split the shipping. Anyone else 
> interested is welcome to join us. The keyboards cost ~$70, and given 
> the size of the packaging, payment of VAT is more likely than not, so 
> the final price of the keyboard inc. VAT + shipping is likely to be 
> about €80. Yes, it's expensive. Feel free to carry on using your €5 
> keyboards from Wing Wang Foo input devices.


the "Linux" keyboards they sell are US-layout. My laptop has a US-layout 
keyboard, and, while I like the swapped " and @, the position of the |,\ 
key really irks me.

If I was to buy a new keyboard, I'd choose an IE-style layout that 
doesn't have a number pad (redundant!!), and swap the " and @ with a 
keyboard map. And what's with all those "multimedia" keys? Does anyone 
actually use them?

While the modern keyboards don't have the same healthy clunky feel of 
the old industrial keyboards you used to get with the 286s, they're at 
least not €80, and easy to swap if you accidentally spill a cup of 
coffee over them.

Kae