[Info-vax] How to Avoid Old Software, Old Bugs?

[Craig A. Berry]

On 11/15/19 3:04 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Mark Berryman  <mark at theberrymans.com> wrote:
>> On 11/14/19 2:45 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>> .
>>> Support for any KB is not, as much as I can tell, any part of an OS.
>>> Yes, some utilities support the LK keyboard.  For what it's worth, I
>>> much prefer the LK KB.  Now, tell me where to get any new ones.
>>
>> Pick yourself up a full-size Apple aluminum keyboard.  It is almost an
>> exact match for the LK keyboard (and is as close as you will likely come
>> today).  It certainly has all of the keys you will need.  For me, the
>> big benefit is that the keypad layout is an exact match plus having all
>> of the standard math symbols on the keypad when not in keypad
>> application mode.
> 
> It does not have the PF1 through PF4 keys, 

Yes, it most certainly does, or at least mine does (Apple keeps changing
things you know).  On mine they are labeled "Clear," "=," "/," and "*,"
but they are in the same places and they work the same as PF1-PF4 if
your key mappings are set up right.

> which are the primary thing that
> most people complain about when using DEC applications with a non-DEC keyboard.
> 
> More importantly from my perspective the Apple key feel is just horrible.
> And the keys are flat and don't center your fingers on them.  I would much
> more recommend one of the Cherry gaming keyboards, which are much faster to
> touch-type on and feel more like the standard keyboards of the days before
> rubber membranes took over the industry.

Cherry does make keyboards with the Apple layout, e.g.:

<https://www.cherryamericas.com/cherry-kc-6000-slim-for-mac.html>