<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On May 30, 2021, at 10:48 AM, Michael E Caloroso via Synth-diy <<a href="mailto:synth-diy@synth-diy.org" class="">synth-diy@synth-diy.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="">When I switched to Mac, my only beef was the keyboard that ships with<br class="">them. I was never happy with the feel and they're more prone to<br class="">typos. Fine with auto-correct, but not good when developing software.<br class="">They also were a risk with RSI which I have had years ago. I really<br class="">wanted a Mac keyboard with the feel of the old IBM keyboard.<br class=""></div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div>My Apple ][+ has the classic ALPS key-switches. Being a touch typist it's still once of the best keyboards I've ever used. Over about four years I had to replace five of them and they weren't cheap.</div><div><br class=""></div><div>When I bought my LCIII in 1993 I paid $50 extra for the legendary Apple Extended II keyboard. I enjoyed that luxury until Apple removed the ADB connector from new Macs and started shipping mushy keyboards that were utter crap. The first thing I did when I got my MDD G4 was to buy a cheap third-party keyboard that was only half crap. My Early 2009 iMac which came with that very pretty and utterly unusable laptop keyboard, the one they're still using today. I continued to use the cheap keyboard until something better came along...</div><div><br class=""></div><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class="">I learned that Unicomp - who acquired the technology and tools to make<br class="">those IBM keyboards - still makes a similar keyboard, and they make<br class="">one for Mac computers. It's called the Spacesaver M. I ordered one<br class="">and it is very similar to the old IBM keyboard. Only downside is it<br class="">is currently only available in black (most peripherals are black only,<br class="">big deal). I make far less typos than the Mac keyboard, and it feels<br class="">the same to my old IBM keyboard. Not cheap at $105 but well worth the<br class="">money.<br class=""></div></div></blockquote><br class=""></div><div>There are a number of "clicky" keyboards available but I rely on Matias now. They offer a variety with different key-switches but for that classic ALPS feel I use the Tactile Pro:</div><div><br class=""></div><div><a href="http://www.matias.ca/tactilepro/" class="">http://www.matias.ca/tactilepro/</a></div><div><br class=""></div><div><br class=""></div><div>$149 retail, sells for $139. The downside is that there's no back-lit version in black.</div><div><br class=""></div><div><br class=""></div><div>Here's a comparison of the Matias reproduction ALPS switches vs. the second-best thing, Cherry:</div><div><br class=""></div><div><a href="https://matias.ca/switches/click/" class="">https://matias.ca/switches/click/</a></div><div><br class=""></div><div><br class=""></div><div class="">I have two of those old ADB keyboards sitting here in the hoard...</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""><div class="">
<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Terry Bowman, KA4HJH<br class="">"The Mac Doctor"<br class=""><br class=""></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="https://www.astarcloseup.com" class="">https://www.astarcloseup.com</a></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night",<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">Cosmos</i>, 1980<br class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></div>
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