Another Keyboard

So I’ve gone one step further in my search for the perfect keyboard typing experience, and my travels have taken me back in time.  It occurs to me that the best part of my typing (the majority, if not the best quality) has always taken place on keyboards that are “clicky”.  Yes, that’s a technical term.  My laptop keyboard is like this to a degree, but not to the extent that I would like.

At work, I’ve come across one of the best keyboards in the entire world – it’s attached to a Dell Inspiron 8000 Laptop, however, so it’s not a viable addition or extension to my own laptop or PC.  But it did put me in mind of another keyboard that felt strikingly similar, if not identical – my old, old Packard Bell PS/2 keyboard.  It’s been sitting in the cupboard for years, ever since we gave away our old 100MHz Packard Bell machine (huge 1.14GB HDD, massive 32MB RAM).

Now, I’m not suggesting for a second that it’s a better keyboard than my shiny Logitech G15, but it’s certainly much nicer for typing.  The G15 is a gaming keyboard, and the keys are designed to be softer and more responsive.  When I’m typing, I take a certain amount of pleasure from having to hit the keys properly (another technical term that makes perfect sense).  To that end, I decided to take it out of the cupboard and put it to good use.

My quest to type more was cut short when I saw that little purple PS/2 connector – my laptop (like most others) does not possess a PS/2 connection.  Of course, there are billions of USB to PS/2 converters in the world, but the reverse of this is not so common.  Amazon soon sorted this dilemma, and I’m now the proud owner of a Belkin PS/2 to USB converter.  Spent around £5 for it, and while there were cheaper options, they all had complaints about keys not working, or the converter not working full stop.

The end result is one I’m very happy with – I’m typing from my new, old keyboard right now, and I can already sense that this is the solution.  Whole streams of thought are becoming easier to put to screen, with my fingers reporting their satisfaction at being connected to an adequate peripheral.

Now if I can just get some of the myriad ideas I have floating around in my head to stay put for long enough, perhaps I can being writing properly again.