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GM7HUD > IBM 10.11.06 01:03l 58 Lines 2655 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 7C4098GM7HUD
Read: GUEST DC9BM
Subj: Re: Thanks to Andy (GM7HUD
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VK4TRS<VK6HGR<GB7ESX
Sent: 061109/1907z 40076@GB7ESX.#31.GBR.EU $:7C4098GM7HUD [Witham, Esx]NNA V3.1
G6XGF wrote:-
> It would be interesting find out what Andy means because the Logitech kbd
> I am using at the moment is fast and quiet. It would be hard to think that
> anything could be better.
You need to try the original PS2 keyboard then.
It's all about tactile feedback, build quality, endurance, resilience.
Logitech do make some good swag. Now go and see how much a 15 year old IBM
PS2 keyboard will sell for secondhand. That should answer your question!
> I'm surprised to learn that after 25 years, Andy has not yet learned where
> the keys are?
I know where all the keys are, including UK PS2, UK Windows, US Windows,
Korean UK Windows, Japanese UK Windows, Apple UK, Apple US, HP-PARISC EU.
What I don't do is use the correct fingers to hit them!
Yes, you can here the difference when someone who learned to touch-type on
a RTTY machine or mechanical typewriter is typing on a PC from the steady
rhythm they hit the keys unlike the burst=burst=burst you get from people
who have never used mechanical systems.
Of course in the talk of keyboards, the machine with the most perfect
layout and most perfect touch was, of course, the IBM Selectric electric
typewriter. It is orders of magnitude better than the IBM PS2!
As for RTTY machines, as a kid, we had a radio club at school where the
teacher who ran it was fascinated by RTTY gear. As a spotty youth I was
never impressed by the Creeds (7b, 7e, 444) Teletype Corp (14,15,19,28) and
Siemens (TT100) machines he had. They were all linked to a number of either
UK or USA ex-mil FSK units and either AR88s, CR100s or later a FRG-7.
Sure I could I could ferret out TANJUG and the like and watch reams of
newscopy print out. But I wanted to play with state of the art solidstate
swag, or computers etc.
Now after some 25 years professional engineering I can appreciate how
clever my predecessors were from 60 years back in achieving what they did
with mechanically regulated motors, links and cranks, and not too many
valves.
Having designed the odd UART using modern methods (Verilog and VHDL etc)
you can really appreciate just what went on in a Teletype 14-TD to convert
between parallel and serial etc.
It's strange stuff RTTY, copying RTTY onto a glass teletype (i.e.
PC+soundcard) is trivial and works fabulously but I find intensely boring.
Whereas copying it using a real Teletype was mesmerising. The sound of
precision engineer! There's nothing like the sound of a machine marking
away and the rhythmic kerchunking when printing. Shame I don't have space
for a big RTTY boatanchor setup.
It broke my heart when I dumped by Creed 444 in the refuse tip!
73 de Andy GM7HUD
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