[tech] Humpback Replacement

[Bob Adamson]

Well, the gamers tend not to like the cherry blue switches because the 
keystroke is too long for gaming and they actuate before they bottom out. 
However, they're still very useable for gaming if you're not super picky.

What really stops them being nicked for the gaming machines is the small 
padlock I connect to the cable+case (which a usb plug can't fit through). 
This also stops the mice going walkies after the mice on the gaming 
machines have been smashed.

No it's not a sealed keyboard. Any keyboard we get will eventually get 
dirty on top - we clean them every other clubroom cleanup. The difference 
is that the mechanical ones don't seize up so fast when they get dirty 
under the keys.

It's interesting that you say 4 arduino boards and an mBed. UCC currently 
owns 4 seeduinos (arduino knockoffs) and one working mBed board. We have 
owned them for at least six months and they haven't been used in that 
time. On the other hand we have a keyboard that gets used several times a 
day. Any other alternative purchases you can suggest, given we budgeted 
$1100 for this machine and we're only spending about $630 on it (that's 
without the keyboard)?

Andrew Adamson
UCC President
bob at ucc.asn.au

|"The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live."     |
| ---Peter's Laws                                                        |

On Thu, 9 Feb 2012, Alwyn Lloyd wrote:

> On Wed, 8 Feb 2012, Bob Adamson wrote:
> 
> > I refer you to the difference in cleanliness between the gaming machine
> > keyboards and the mechanical keyboard on clownfish (opensuse machine).
> > Clownfishes is still clean, the gaming machines are disgusting -
> > Coincidence?
> 
> What will stop someone taking the wonderful mechanical keyboard and plugging
> it into a gaming machine?
> 
> Is it a sealed keyboard?
> 
> While i acknowledge the true superiority of the mechanical action keyboard,
> and, with the reasoning behind why spending so much on a keyboard could be
> justified, I can't see how it will be a good investment.
> 
> It seems that's $100 more than is necessary, which could be used to purchase 4
> Adiuino boards, or an mBed for example...
> 
> If however, the keyboard could be assured to be clean and nice to use for 3-4
> years, then it's probably a worthwhile purchase.
> 
> [ZAR]
> 
> 
> > 
> > We spend the money on the gaming machines to make them good for what
> > they're used for (in the form of graphics cards) - let's do the same for
> > the programming and work focused machines. It's a well known fact that the
> > mechanical keyboards DO last longer, and they DO in fact get lloked after
> > when on non-gaming machines.
> > 
> > Andrew Adamson
> > UCC President
> > bob at ucc.asn.au
> > 
> > |"The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live."     |
> > | ---Peter's Laws                                                        |
> > 
> > On Wed, 8 Feb 2012, James French wrote:
> > 
> > > Lets be honest, all UCC members look after club keyboards and mice
> > > like they own them. No-one ever eats/spills shit on them and makes
> > > them horrible within a matter of weeks.
> > > 
> > > F.
> > > 
> > > On Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 8:49 PM, Conrad Pogson <prothoss at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > I'm still unclear why we need such an expensive keyboard on a machine
> > > > that
> > > > will mostly be used to check mail and irc.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > On Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 8:45 PM, Bob Adamson <bob at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > * bob actions Anil to build a bridge and get over it
> > > > > 
> > > > > The keyboard has the same components as a DAS Keyboard (and has Cherry
> > > > > Blue switches). So yes, pretty darned special :-)
> > > > > 
> > > > > Andrew Adamson
> > > > > UCC President
> > > > > bob at ucc.asn.au
> > > > > 
> > > > > |"The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live."  
> > > > >   |
> > > > > | ---Peter's Laws                                                    
> > > > >    |
> > > > > 
> > > > > On Wed, 8 Feb 2012, Anil Sharma wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > > "have been actioned" why do you insist on this militant stupidity?
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > I also agree with Alwyn, that keyboard had better be pretty darned
> > > > > > special.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Cheers,
> > > > > > Anil.
> > > > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > --
> > > > Conrad Pogson
>