Selling keyboards without the terminal

[TeoZ]

Anybody else notice that all the buyers for that keyboard on ebay are under 
10 feedback?

The only Digital keyboards I have are a pair of LK411-AA that go with my 
VT-525's. The recycler kept a stack of VT-525s for a while but the stack of 
LK411 that went with them got their cords cut and chucked into the plastic 
pile the day after they arrived (luckily I snagged a pair before then).

I have a small hoard of IBM model M's purchased from a recycler years ago 
for a few bucks each. I use one on my main rig (has PS/2 adapter connected 
to a Belkin SOHO 4 port KVM), same setup in the basement. I would dig though 
the incoming pallets looking for the IBM keyboards and passing on the 
Unicomp ones.  Used to use a Northgate Omnikey 102 but the layout difference 
between the Model M (which I used in multiple places) made me retire it. My 
other Northgate is connected to an Amiga 2000.

My first use of a terminal keyboard was in college (IBM terminals connected 
to a mainframe for Fortran programming) and I loved those keyboards. They 
are kind of hard to find locally (I do have an IBM 1390702 missing a PF 
keycap and its cable plus a small chunk on plastic in the rear) and a shitty 
Unicomp model DCI0952 that is complete with a PS/2 cable.

I think you need to pay a decent amount of money for a good clicky USB 
keyboard these days (most like a gamer style keyboard). Everything else is 
kind of mushy cheap crap. So I can see somebody who does a lot of typing 
wanting a vintage keyboard with a good feel to it. Since I have enough Model 
M's to last a lifetime I don't see paying $150+ for a new keyboard.

Not that many people need a terminal these days, so the terminal either gets 
trashed or at least somebody saves the keyboard. I know collectors will 
bitch about that but what can you do? A $1000 keyboard will make a scrappers 
year, same keyboard connected to a CRT screen might get $100 and be a pain 
to ship.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Bill Gunshannon via cctalk
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2018 4:54 PM
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Selling keyboards without the terminal


On 10/19/18 1:18 PM, Daniel Seagraves via cctalk wrote:
>> On Oct 19, 2018, at 10:34 AM, Bill Degnan via cctalk 
>> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>> Here is a great example of why the keyboards and terminals are getting
>> separated
>
> Keyboard fetishists are vermin; They are destructive and have no redeeming 
> qualities, and should be treated as such.
>
> I had one of them spend the better part of an hour going on about how I 
> had achieved “the holy grail of collecting” by having more than one “Space 
> Cadet” keyboard, fawning about how superlatively perfect they’re supposed 
> to be and everything else pales in comparison. They’re a status symbol in 
> keyboard fetishist circles. According to him they auction north of $5000 
> for even non-working examples. I have no idea why. GNU Emacs can't use 
> most of the “special” keys - The Lisp Machine itself doesn't even use most 
> of them - and control is in the same relative place as modern keyboards 
> instead of being where the caps lock key is which was the "mostest 
> hacker-est” thing last I heard. I think it’s just conspicuous 
> consumption - Having one proves you’ve got the dosh to waste things other 
> people must work hard for a chance to get.
>
So, are you telling me I shouldn't have thrown out all those

old keyboards whether they worked or not?  All I have now

are a lot of DEC keyboards/


bill



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