# A look back at the weird, terrible keyboards of 70s and 80s PCs



## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

From PCGamer:

*A look back at the weird, terrible keyboards of 70s and 80s PCs*


> There are a number of things we take for granted with our modern PCs. State-of-the-art graphics and sound, oodles of RAM, and high-resolution displays are now a given, but they were expensive (and often ill-supported) add-ons for personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s. One accessory in particular that we take for granted today is the keyboard. Modern USB and Bluetooth keyboards are inexpensive, almost universally compatible, and come in a variety of form factors, functions, and keyswitch types to satisfy the most demanding gamer or typist. This wasn't always the case.
> 
> When the first truly mainstream personal computer trinity of the Apple II, Tandy TRS-80, and Commodore PET hit the market in 1977, touch-typing skills were hardly a given. Further, in a competitive market where it was a challenge convincing consumers that a personal computer might be something they'd actually want to own, it was critical to try and keep the costs of lower priority components, like keyboards, as low as possible. As a result, not every personal computer, including one of the trinity, had a particularly useful keyboard.
> 
> What follows is a look at a dozen of the more unusual, quirky, and downright frustrating keyboards found in popular North American personal computers from the 1970s and 1980s that attempted to break way from the shackles of proven typewriter designs. That didn't always work out.


FULL ARTICLE HERE


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## AntAltMike (Nov 21, 2004)




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## alnielsen (Dec 31, 2006)

I loved the old keyboards that came with the IBM PC's and AT's.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

I have been using a Microsoft Wireless keyboard and mouse for 7 or 8 years now. It's the best keyboard I have ever used and I go back to radio teletype days in the 1950's when the letters were all caps. The letter markings have disappeared from the e,s, and d keys but otherwise the keyboard works fine.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

alnielsen said:


> I loved the old keyboards that came with the IBM PC's and AT's.


They were the best. Had a nice "click" sound.


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

billsharpe said:


> I have been using a Microsoft Wireless keyboard and mouse for 7 or 8 years now. It's the best keyboard I have ever used and I go back to radio teletype days in the 1950's when the letters were all caps. The letter markings have disappeared from the e,s, and d keys but otherwise the keyboard works fine.


If it's this one I know what you're talking about. I even bought a new one to have in reserve, a few years ago when I heard they were going to stop making them. Judging by the current price, they did stop.
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Natural-Ergonomic-Desktop-7000/dp/B000Q6UZBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448455095&sr=8-1&keywords=Microsoft+7000


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

FHSPSU67 said:


> If it's this one I know what you're talking about. I even bought a new one to have in reserve, a few years ago when I heard they were going to stop making them. Judging by the current price, they did stop.
> http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Natural-Ergonomic-Desktop-7000/dp/B000Q6UZBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448455095&sr=8-1&keywords=Microsoft+7000


No, it was a Wireless Comfort keyboard 1.0A, which looked like this. I bought it on sale at Staples along with a wireless mouse for about $35. I found the image at Amazon, which had a few used model keyboards selling for $25.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

The old IBM and Keytronics keyboards were great. They weren't inclined to stutter like the keyboards of today.The move from Cherry switches to domes may have resulted in lower prices, but it's all too easy to have a few keys linadvertently repeat on you.


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

billsharpe said:


> No, it was a Wireless Comfort keyboard 1.0A, which looked like this. I bought it on sale at Staples along with a wireless mouse for about $35. I found the image at Amazon, which had a few used model keyboards selling for $25.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I remember that one. Nice price!


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

I've been using the Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 for ages now. Good keyboard. I keep a spare just in case. 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## AntAltMike (Nov 21, 2004)

Cholly said:


> The old IBM and Keytronics keyboards were great. They weren't inclined to stutter like the keyboards of today.


Stuttering is a big problem for me. I am somewhere between a touch typist and a hunt-and-peck. I'm a four finger, seek-and-destroy. I know where all the keys are but have to keep my eyes on the keyboard to hit them. For some reason, I am prone to inadvertent double striking in the i,o,p,k,l region. I found that the keys on my HP Pavilion G6 and G7 are stiffer than any others and so I went back to a G6 when I got exasperated by newer models. I haven't explored stand-apart keyboards to find one with a similar feel, but I probably should.


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## Dude111 (Aug 6, 2010)

I just have a basic keyboard,I dont want all that other crap on it!


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

Dude111 said:


> I just have a basic keyboard,I dont want all that other crap on it!


To each his own. I use the volume control keys, the sleep key, and my favorites (five keys that either start programs or go to a specific web site) fairly often. There's also a dedicated calc key that brings up the Win 10 calculator. The regular keyboard itself is easy to use and responsive. I put away the plain wired keyboard that came with my desktop computer bought two years ago and continue to use this Microsoft wireless keyboard that worked well with my old XP machine. The keyboard batteries last at least six months before I have to replace them.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

I perfer a standard 101 key keyboard and have found them to be reliable. I do not like the extra keys for sleep, etc, as I still have bad memories of accidentally invoking sleep and hibernate functions and (due to the processor speeds of the time) having a hard time getting the computer to come back to life. I disabled those keys quickly.

I am also fastest on a 101-key keyboard ... not needing to look at the keys to make sure I am not starting a function.

My current Lenovo laptop has the function keys reversed to where most of the F1-F12 keys do a different function than F1-F12. I have not looked to see if that can be turned off.

Human interface devices need to be a balance between ease of use and function. Too much function can take a way ease of use.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Over the years, I've collected a lot of keyboard/mouse combinations. Right now, on my primary desktop, I'm using a Lofitech MK520 combo, the keyboard of which is prone to stuttering. I've tried changing the repeat speed to no avail. My refurbished Dell 760 came with a Micro Classic KB-US919EB Basic Wired Keyboard, but I initially used a Logitech K120 wired keyboard and recently switched to a Wireless Desktop Optical Black combo that I've had for several years (the battery cover for the mouse is missing). I also have a Microsoft Wireless Comfort Keyboard/Mouse combo that I'd set aside for some sort of connectivity problem -- I'll have to try it again.. I hate the keyboard on my old HP/Compac laptop due to the amount of space taken up by the touchpad. Somewhere in the house is an old Microsoft ergonomic wired keyboard, which was quite nice AIRC. :grin:


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

There are 21 special function keys on my Microsoft wireless keyboard. They are all far enough away from the main keyboard that I do not hit any of them accidentally. I do not use all of them but the ones I use are used frequently. I prefer using the keyboard rather than the mouse if at all possible, i.e. Ctrl-S to save a file, Alt-F4 to close a program.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

The five keys at the top of my keyboard allows me quick access to some frequently used programs. 1=Notepad++, 2=Keypass, 3=Virtualbox, 4=FreeFileSync, 5=Undefined. Very handy.


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