IBM Model M
Old Stuff
This blog entry is coming to you straight from my IBM Model M that an old co-worker (Steve) gave me. Thanks Steve! I still have it! The Model M is plugged into a Compaq Deskpro 5200MMX. That's right! MMX! I've had this old Compaq running for a couple of years now after picking it up off of Ebay. It runs Windows 98, has a working copy of Doom on it and some other bells and whistles. One day, if I get the urge, I'll toss up my "tear it apart and put it back together" video on YouTube. But, today is not that day. Today, I'm just talking about nostalgia.
Trash or Treasure?
You know the old saying; you probably know it so well that I'm not even going to type it out because it feels weird. At any rate, I remember taking a load of electronics to the dumpster in 2009 thinking, "I'll never need this trash again" (don't judge me for my disposal methods). Unfortunately, I was wrong and would have rather liked many of those things back in my possession today. But, you live and learn and can't go back in time. So, luckily, there are people who keep things around and I can now use my well earned dollars to spend on old things that I never thought I was going to need again. Sounds kinda crazy, right? Yeah, it is to me as well. I have aquired many items in the last two years of collecting that I now treasure very much and I doubt I'll be giving them up any time soon. I definitely won't be sending them to e-waste.
Num Lock, Home, End
If you were actually around and used a keyboard like the Model M (like I was), you will remember the number pad and the good ol' Num Lock key and especially the light that idicates when Num Lock is on. These days, all you get is a light when you have Caps Lock on and your OS probably even has an on-screen indication when Caps Lock is on so that you turn it off because YOU REALLY DON'T NEED IT ON. :) -- But, again, I digress. The Num Lock LED used to serve not just as an indication that Num Lock as on, but also as a "fidget" type obession for me and many others that used keyboards that had it. I would constantly be either in deep thought, or bored out of my mind and toggling Num Lock on and off rapidly would fulfill something in my brain that I forgot about until just now when I sat down to type. ON/OFF ON/OFF -- so even before there were fidget toys we found our own way. But wait! This keyboard also has Home and End keys! Oh my, I'm in heaven. How I've missed just hitting one key to move to the beginning or end of a line. You don't know how many times a day I type Ctrl-A or Ctrl-E in a terminal or Cmd-Left/Right arrow. Why don't we have these keys anymore on standard keyboards? Sure -- I could set something up to do it myself, but that's work I don't want to go through and I'd have to find a key I rarely use and on today's limited keyboard that's not common.
Daily Driver
I've pondered how using an old keyboard would go as a daily driver. I think in the past, I have had one hooked up to a side machine with just some sort of ilnux on it without a GUI, but that didn't last long. I don't think I'd like it though. I don't mind the sound, key feel, or key layout. I think that just the overall height is a problem. I could get one of those old padded wrist rests that (I thought) only old people used ... but those do something to my brain that makes me want to scream. Is that weird? I wonder if anyone else has that issue.
Well, this one has been fun for me. Hopefully, it has brought back some nostalgia for you too and you'll want to go hunt through thrift stores (or your local e-waste center) to see what you can find! Good day!