[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[ozan]

> why not just break both your arms and buy the microsoft keyboard?

i assume you mean microsoft "natural" keyboard. it takes some getting
used to, but feels quite confortable for touch typing. wrist position
is certainly improved.

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[Boyd]

    From: Mike Haertel <mike@ducky.net>

    But I have a *terrible* time using a Microsoft keyboard!

as i said to myself the first time i saw it: just like their software.

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[Mike]

>i assume you mean microsoft "natural" keyboard. it takes some getting
>used to, but feels quite confortable for touch typing. wrist position
>is certainly improved.

Microsoft keyboard is convex.
Regular keyboard is flat.
Kinesis keyboard has a separate concave cavity for each hand.
The idea is to wrap the keys around the hands and so bring them closer.

Once you have a different keyboard it's always hard to switch.
But I have a *terrible* time using a Microsoft keyboard!

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[Boyd]

why not just break both your arms and buy the microsoft keyboard?

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[David]

The Microwriter! A wonderful device. I used to use it to carry files
from my Apple ][ upstairs to my BBC micro downstairs. You could stash
about 4k of text in the memory once you'd worked out all the bizarre
things that they'd done to the serial port. Would anyone care to do an
inferno port?


>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Nigel Roles [SMTP:ngr@symbionics.co.uk]
>Sent:	09 September 1997 08:28
>To:	'9fans@cse.psu.edu'
>Subject:	RE: [9fans] re: emacs jokes  -Reply
>
>Called a Microwriter.
>
>The same key system was used more recently on a machine called an
>Agenda, but they put the keys to close together and wondered why nobody
>bought it. In fact until you mentioned the Microwriter I'd forgoten all
>about it!
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From:	Stephen Simon [SMTP:SFSA@telecom.co.nz]
>>Sent:	Monday, September 08, 1997 11:01 PM
>>To:	9fans@cse.psu.edu
>>Subject:	Re: [9fans] re: emacs jokes  -Reply
>>
>>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>Don't joke about 5 button mice - I rembember a small box being marketed
>>in the early 1980s that had 4 or 5 buttons, 16 character LCD display,
>>an RS232 interface and basic word processing software (?!).
>>
>>You formed letters using combinations of button presses and could
>>use it as a keyboard replacement or to pre-enter text before
>>downloading when you reached the office. The claim was that users
>>could type *real* fast using this box. 
>>
>>Sadly I never bought or even tried one, however I always thought it was
>>a great idea, and with a bouse ball on the bottom... more RSI I suspose.
>>
>>-Steve
>>

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[Gary]

> >Don't joke about 5 button mice - I rembember a small box being marketed
> >in the early 1980s that had 4 or 5 buttons, 16 character LCD display,
> >an RS232 interface and basic word processing software (?!).
> >
> >You formed letters using combinations of button presses and could
> >use it as a keyboard replacement or to pre-enter text before
> >downloading when you reached the office. The claim was that users
> >could type *real* fast using this box. 

It might be interesting to dust this idea off again,
and combine it with the new display from Kopin (http://www.kopin.com/).
The display is 320x240 pixels, 6mm diameter (you read it with
a magnifying lens).  You might be able to build a useful computer
you can carry in your shirt pocket.  Chorded buttons would work
better in that case than a stylus.

It probably wouldn't sell (noone wants to learn a new form
of typing), but I'd like to try one for at least a while.

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[Nigel]

Called a Microwriter.

The same key system was used more recently on a machine called an
Agenda, but they put the keys to close together and wondered why nobody
bought it. In fact until you mentioned the Microwriter I'd forgoten all
about it!

>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Stephen Simon [SMTP:SFSA@telecom.co.nz]
>Sent:	Monday, September 08, 1997 11:01 PM
>To:	9fans@cse.psu.edu
>Subject:	Re: [9fans] re: emacs jokes  -Reply
>
>
>Hi all,
>
>Don't joke about 5 button mice - I rembember a small box being marketed
>in the early 1980s that had 4 or 5 buttons, 16 character LCD display,
>an RS232 interface and basic word processing software (?!).
>
>You formed letters using combinations of button presses and could
>use it as a keyboard replacement or to pre-enter text before
>downloading when you reached the office. The claim was that users
>could type *real* fast using this box. 
>
>Sadly I never bought or even tried one, however I always thought it was
>a great idea, and with a bouse ball on the bottom... more RSI I suspose.
>
>-Steve
>

[9fans] re: emacs jokes -Reply

[Stephen]

Hi all,

Don't joke about 5 button mice - I rembember a small box being marketed
in the early 1980s that had 4 or 5 buttons, 16 character LCD display,
an RS232 interface and basic word processing software (?!).

You formed letters using combinations of button presses and could
use it as a keyboard replacement or to pre-enter text before
downloading when you reached the office. The claim was that users
could type *real* fast using this box. 

Sadly I never bought or even tried one, however I always thought it was
a great idea, and with a bouse ball on the bottom... more RSI I suspose.

-Steve