Cherry Announces Linux keyboard 490
Errtu76 writes "ZDnet says Cherry has announced a specially designed Linux keyboard that will be available in the UK, Ireland and Germany later this year.
The Cherry CyMotion Master Linux keyboard has the Linux penguin logo, Tux, instead of the Windows start key and features 29 hot keys. The hot keys are configured for the Linux operating system and desktop applications, simplifying actions such as cutting, copying and pasting text, and moving between Web pages.
PCworld has a little more info on the keyboard."
Hotkey suggestion (Score:5, Funny)
Hot Keys (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Hot Keys (Score:2, Interesting)
Ctrl-c/v/x work in Linux too. Well in Gnome at least, and KDE iirc.
Re:Hot Keys (Score:2, Interesting)
And while we're designing control surfaces, I'd like:
Cd-player interface (stop, play, next/prev track etc etc).
make that a dvd/cd player interface
a rotary pot (sliders haven't been used on real hardware for 20 years!)
I mean, come on - Fisher Price has been making this stuff for 30 years!
A moment in the life of little john, slashdotter (Score:3, Informative)
what?! [mackie.com]
what?! [evolution.co.uk]
what?! [vestax.com]
Re:Hot Keys (Score:3, Funny)
This is a KEYBOARD. Real Men don't use mice for editing.
Re:Hot Keys (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Hot Keys (Score:5, Funny)
Sacrilege! We all know that all true emacs functions require at least three modifier keys! We'll have none of this stupid single keypress to perform a simple function crap!
Ctrl-Alt-Meta-RightShift-Tab-W is what I use for "Submit Slashdot Post."
Re:Hot Keys (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hot Keys (Score:4, Insightful)
If you are doing mouse heavy editing (like with graphics), then hotkeys can be handy. However, if you have a five button mouse that you can program per-application, then you can use the extra buttons for that purpose, too.
Re:Hot Keys (Score:2, Interesting)
This keyboard seems aimed at the 1337 crowd, not the geek crowd. To attract geeks I'd think what they'd want to do is reintroduce the Model M.
They can put a Tux sticker on one of the keys if it makes them feel better for some reason.
KFG
Re:Hot Keys (Score:5, Informative)
Here's the layout of the Happy Hacking Professional [users-side.co.jp]. The other model is the Happy Hacking Lite 2.
In the US, Users Side in San Jose, Los Angeles, and New York carries these, so you can try them before buying:
Users Side store listing [users-side.co.jp]
--Pat / zippy@cs.brandeis.edu
Keyboard for X? (Score:2)
Re:Hot Keys (Score:5, Insightful)
Back in the 80s, Apple tried several times to switch to membrane-switch keyboards, and the market always made clear that they were intolerable. It's sad to see hackers accepting them today.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Hot Keys (Score:3, Insightful)
Dunstan
An idea... (Score:3, Interesting)
Picture (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS8233268776.h
Re:Picture...of something else (Score:2, Informative)
Read the article carefully. That's a picture of the solar powered widget, not the upcoming widget. But here's hoping they look similar...that thing's cool.
Re:Picture (Score:5, Funny)
Cut, Copy, and Paste keys (Score:5, Funny)
Use this (Score:3, Interesting)
I realize I always plug these when an article on keyboards comes up, but... you can have what you want (subject to you writing a few macros for some keys) with one of these:
Kinesis [kinesis-ergo.com]
Customizable... programmable... pedals... and an exciting chunky shape! I use the pedals for ctrl and programming punctuation, though, not caps.
You only need the foot pedals... (Score:5, Funny)
-truth
Buy a keyboard... (Score:5, Funny)
"In addition, the keyboard comes with a CD including a special edition of SuSE Linux 9.1 from Novell"...
How long till we get special versions of RedHat or SuSE free with our breakfast cerial.....
Re:Buy a keyboard... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Buy a keyboard... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Buy a keyboard... (Score:3, Interesting)
Then, one of the function keys could be "reboot this machine and install linux immediately".
Re:Buy a keyboard... (Score:3, Funny)
here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:3, Insightful)
I want an old school 101 or 102 keys keyboard
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:2)
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:2)
All these annoying windows keys between my ALT and CTRL disturb me while playing deathmatch in DOOM II. Oh and when we are at it. Make the keys independent, I mean, am I asking too much if I am holding SHIFT, ALT KEY-DOWN, KEY-LEFT to be able to shoot with CTRL, damnit?
Bah, they have no idea how keyboard should be like...
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:4, Funny)
Rocket-jumping hurts.
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:2)
I still have my Doom II keyboard in my closet because it was one of the few I found that let me do exactly that.
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:2)
Anyway, there are lots of other, more normal keyboards without Windows keys. I'm looking at a "Compaq"-labelled one right now.
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:2, Informative)
Get an IBM Model M (Score:3, Informative)
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:3, Informative)
It's a 101 key old-style clicky keyboard. Buckling spring, no less...
Re:here is a hint to those keyboard makers : (Score:3, Funny)
If only there were some large shopping sort of place where you might find such a thing. Oh, and if it could be on the information superhighway, that would make it even better.
Auto-sense the OS? (Score:4, Interesting)
AFA the 'Windows' key, charge a few pennies more and ship w/iconic keys for all 'major' OS-es.
Or ship with spiffy EOTD (emoticon of the day) that the fashionistas can buy and traded (Pokeyboardmon).
Re:Auto-sense the OS? (Score:2)
Re:Auto-sense the OS? (Score:4, Insightful)
I do _not_ want a keyboard that reconfigures itself.. I "know" where all the keys on my keyboard are, if they were to move around or change constantly I'd go crazy.
Not to mention I need the tactile feedback for touch typing.. or my wpm drops to less then half because I no longer "know" when I've made a mistake.
A first time for everything... (Score:2)
That sucks (Score:2, Redundant)
Re:That sucks (Score:4, Insightful)
putting proprietary crap in a universal Human-Computer interface
I completely disagree here -- it was a GREAT idea when the Mac did it. The command key is one of the things that made the Mac so usable. The Mac was a completely new paradigm in the Human-Computer interface, and a new key gave outstanding access to it. The other keys already had other uses. Control-C is interrupt. Control-S is stop. Control-Q is resume. Other windowing systems also added keys (like the X meta key).
Control-C did NOT universally mean copy when the Mac was made. In early versions of Win, cut and paste were something like ctrl-shift-delete and ctrl-shift-insert. Eventually Win evolved to use the exact same key combinations as the Mac (ZXCV), but substituting the Control key in place of the Command key.
The problem was that MS added the Windows key long after people were using the Control key for that sort of thing. By then nobody cared about the Win key, and it was too late for it to be useful.
You could argue that NOW Apple should go back and take off the Command key since lots of people are using the Control key, but I'd disagree. I like the fact that in my terminal windows Command-C is copy, and Control-C is interrupt.
Let's pray for a G80 (Score:4, Interesting)
All other cherries I ever tried to type (G81 and G83) gave me the expierience that they wanted to break my fingers...
Re:Let's pray for a G80 (Score:2, Interesting)
Well it is from Germany.... (Score:2)
Any key? (Score:5, Funny)
I prefer... (Score:2)
Too bad (Score:4, Informative)
On my purchase list for sure! (Score:3, Interesting)
Hell, we could even have funny ones like an "any" key
Is this the one? (Score:2)
Hot Keys! (Score:2, Funny)
tux key + M + S = email Bill Gates hate mail
Generic (Score:2)
And no, I don't mean the same thing as these ridiculous "LCD key" or "changeable key" posts. I mean just put a picture of a window or something on there. That'll fit in fine for Windows and for Linux and for any other OS. (That key is often used on UNIX machines for window manager control these days - so a window is still a good icon to put on the key.)
Seriously. Change the graphic to a rectangle with a dou
Oh please! (Score:4, Funny)
More special keys? (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, who uses all the special hot keys on recent keyboards? Do they really "simplify actions"? They are usually placed on top of all keys, which means you have to move your hands all the way to the top to, for example, copy or paste text. On the other hand, ctrl and c keys are conveniently placed around the letter keys.
Even my standard 104-key keyboard has keys that I use very rarely. For example: Printscreen/SysRQ is useless (unless you are a kernel hacker and you are using it as kernel magic key). I haven't used Pause/Breakkey since the days of DOS. Same goes for entire numeric keyboard, but I believe it can be useful for people that need to enter a lot of numbers. And I won't even mention Windows/Tux/whatever and menu keys (which I removed with a screwdriver on some of my keyboards anyway).
If you ask me, the perfect Linux keyboard has a bigger, more convenient space bar and enter keys (They are certainly the most used and should be as large as possible. They are ridiculously small on some modern keyboards.). Forget the numeric keyboard and the useless keys I mentioned above. Oh and of course, remove the capslock key and place the control key in the proper place.
Hot keys (Score:2)
Happy hacking keyboard ? (Score:5, Informative)
Stick to Tux, buy a tuxsticker ! [ptaff.ca]
Stickers (Score:3, Interesting)
Voting with dollars (Score:2, Insightful)
Throw in a keyboard AND an opportunity to demonstrate that consumers will purchase hardware designed for non-Windows systems... I'm there!
Perhaps even twice!
Don't mind me if I'm wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
1. Market: People who abhor the Dell keyboards that have 10 buttons for shopping and other keyboards filled with other useless crap.
2. Product: Keyboard filled with useless crap.
A better idea would be one with some fully customizable hot keys but with an emphasis on monitoring -- maybe a keyboard with some LCDs monitoring temperature, disk usage, etc. so precious screen space isn't used. Now that I would consider buying.
Re:Don't mind me if I'm wrong (Score:5, Funny)
We already have these. They're called "function keys." Why people refuse to use them is totally beyond me.
Re:Don't mind me if I'm wrong (Score:5, Insightful)
We already have these. They're called "function keys." Why people refuse to use them is totally beyond me.
Suppose I assign F12 to Play/Pause. I'm working in OO.org and I want to pause my music to take a call. Whoops! F12 is already used in OO.org to toggle numbering. The function keys are context sensitive, and as such are totally unsuitable for use as global hotkeys.
Mechanical springs? (Score:3, Insightful)
If not, and if I can't get a Brazilian layout, I have no use for it.
Happy Hacker Keyboard (Score:2)
I'd used lots of keybords before it and went through about one a year. They'd be difficult on my hands (no feedback) and they'd be hard to clean.
I even bought one of those old IBM keyboards upon Roblimo's recommendation, but it died in a week after I spilled a drink on it.
The Happy Hacker is small, but is a full size keyboard. It has a very pleasant feel (good click, but not too hard), light, and very rugged. It's also very easy t
Please, a good keyboard with no extra keys... (Score:2)
I wish they'd make something like the Happy Hacking keyboard -- which I am pretty happy with but it appears to only have ~ 2-3 key rollover which is problematic at high typing speeds. Cherry usually has N-key rollover,
Wireless? (Score:3, Interesting)
It seems rather useless to me if it has a wire.
get rid of these too (Score:2)
A better wireless mouse (Score:2)
~D
Linux users, this is the keyboard you want... (Score:5, Informative)
The Ctrl key is in the placd God intended. Get the rubber-dome model for work to spare your coworkers the noice, get the buckling spring for home.
Re:Linux users, this is the keyboard you want... (Score:3, Interesting)
Think about it this way: how often do you combine control with other keys? Most users do this at least a little; users of emacs (and programs that have similar key bindings like bash or anything that uses readline) use them a lot. If you are a touch typist, it's a lot easier to reach ctrl with your pinky if it's beside A rather than below shift. A lot of users get used to the latter but the ctrl-beside-A is really superior
Bah (Score:2)
Location of Ctrl and CAPS Lock (Score:2)
Please get rid of the numeric pad! (Score:3, Insightful)
No more application keys, rather navigation keys (Score:3, Interesting)
About as useful... (Score:4, Insightful)
...as a condom machine in the vatican.
Seriously, you can take any keyboard that has extra keys and map them to whatever you want, whatever kind of symbol is on the keys. I happily use the 'windows key' as an extra meta key for emacs...
Bad Idea(tm) (Score:3, Interesting)
Platform specific keyboards (Solaris, Mac) might make some sense, but multiple PC-x86 keyboards is loopy. Do I need two keyboards if I dual-boot? Three if I triple-boot? Will there be different Wyse terminals depending on which system you wish to connect to?
Just dump the OS logo and replace it with a generic menu key.
Non standard keyboards are a bad idea (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Forget the Windows/Tux key! Cater to everyone! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Forget the Windows/Tux key! Cater to everyone! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Forget the Windows/Tux key! Cater to everyone! (Score:2)
I assume you can afford one, if you can afford a Mac.
I have to start using (Score:2)
No, really.
Re:Forget the Windows/Tux key! Cater to everyone! (Score:2)
Although its been years since I've used windows, I remember back in that dark time of my life where I would be using VIM to write code or whatever and I would invariably hit the "Windows" key instead of control with some other key and I believe that the "Start" menu thingy would pop open, thus taking my keyb
Re:Forget the Windows/Tux key! Cater to everyone! (Score:5, Insightful)
The 5 pairs of keys would be:
Linux
BSD
Windows
Apple
Cherries
Re:My favorite feature (Score:2)
Huh? I've read both articles and I didn't see that?
In any case, there's keyboard driver source in the Windows DDK - it wouldn't be hard to write one that does work.
Re:Replace the Windows key? (Score:2, Interesting)
Petty? Yeah. But Microsoft can be real bastards.
Re:Replace the Windows key? (Score:2)
Re:Replace the Windows key? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The Year 2000 Returns? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The Year 2000 Returns? (Score:2)
makes me wonder if Dennis Chao is going to update his Doom utility...
Re:30 pounds (about 50 bucks American) (Score:2, Funny)
Re:30 pounds (about 50 bucks American) (Score:4, Informative)
Re:30 pounds (about 50 bucks American) (Score:5, Funny)
You're not from around here, are you?
Re:30 pounds (about 50 bucks American) (Score:5, Informative)
I can't speak to the usefulness of this thing, but I do work for a company that sells Cherry gear (point of sale things like...keyboards) and I have never seen a Cherry product I'd describe as shoddy. They may not make the best keyboards ever (that would be AT&T in the late 80s), but based on their other products I doubt the hardware is crap.
Not trying to pimp Cherry gear or anything...just sayin.
Re:It is sad (Score:2, Insightful)
I mean with most keyboards having pop removeable keys its cheaper to buy a cheap 20$ keyboard and reclick them into the dvorak layout.
Re:It is sad (Score:3, Funny)
No, no, no. You leave the keys where they are, and draw the dvorak letters on the downhill side of the key with a pencil. You're going to be touch typing anyway, right?
That way you can let QWERTY hunt-n-peckers use your keyboard too.
I knew a guy in college who was geeky enough to type Dvorak & run linux, but not geeky enough to figure out how to make all his X windows
Re:It is sad (Score:2)
Re:I like Linux but Microsoft keyboards are nice (Score:2)
Queue sirens... flashing lights...
You are hereby reported to the authorities for not fulfilling your requirements as a mindless consumer. Your reprogramming has been scheduled.
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't understand why people complain about this. Using CTRL in the lower left corner is perfectly comfortable to me, and it's painful for me to use a Sun keyboard where CTRL is in the caps lock position.
What gives, do I have a weird bone structure in my hand or something?