quote:
Originally posted by rav0
I use the num pad and always hesitate when i have to type numbers on a keyboard that doesn't have one. I use non on the extra keys on my keyboard except the media keys and calculator key (all keyboards should have this, I end up pressing a non-existant button at school). I've never had "features like META, SUPER and HYPER keys" so I don't miss them and wouldn't consider them useful (unless I had had them for a while and gotten used to them).
The num pad is pretty fast. I think I'd be at a bit of a loss if I were doing data entry or something.
Otherwise, that you've got to take your hand off the home position to use them makes up for that speed, if you're inputing both text and numbers.
I know Windows can bind keys globally to a running application, but that certainly isn't customisable from the users point of view [neither is it in X, sadly], as it is in applescript. And unfortunately, Windows global key binding is limited to running applications, though you could use a daemon if you wanted to start something else.
What I'm getting at is, you could bind a key combination to open the calculator, if you had a spare key combination that applications are unlikely to use. And, if you had extra combination keys, like META, you could do it. Without the clutter of an extra row of keys.
By the way, did you check out the links? Especially the steampunk mod. That is one awesome keyboard.
PS.
space cadet keyboardwas put impeccably into words at DebianDay for me last Saturday, by Knut Yrvin of Trolltech - adults try something once, fail, and then are like "ffs this doesn't work". Children try, fail, and then try again, and succeed - maybe on the second, or even fifth retry. But the thing is that they keep at it and overcome the problems in the end.
-andrewdodd13
