External links about what others think about the original model M keyboards built by IBM. HAK.5 video (episode #416) (fast foward to minute 5:15)  Matt is obsessed with Clicky Keyboards. I'm a fan of the Model M and the PC-XT's 83 Key Keyboard.     HAK.5 video (episode #3) video podcast for the hacker, modder, and do-it-yourselfer "...IBM M series keyboard made in 1987.  These were great keyboards at the time, and they still are actually.  They’ve got great tactile response.  I mean these keys are real springy.. and the cord for it is 8-miles-long and detatchable -- plus,  stretchy.  I’m going to give it the same treatment that I gave the (computer) case.  It’s going to be all black, with some red accents, pinstripes, and the logo... ...the way we’re going to do it is going to save you about $60.  We’re going to make our own Das keyboard in the same stroke.  No characters on it whatsoever.  Fairly inexpensive.  This keyboard will be for the truly 31337 HX0R" c "The Computer Chronicles" vintage video (original TV air date 09/24/87) IBM personal system 2 A first look (1987) at the new IBM PS2 computer and its design and interface innovations. "Some say the most important day in the history of personal computers occurred about 6 years ago (1981) when IBM introduced the original IBM PC.  Since then we have seen the XT, the AT, and hundreds of clones.  But it was this original IBM PC which set the standard.  Today IBM is trying to establish a new standard with a second generation of personal computers -- the personal system 2.  Will this be a major event in personal computing history or just another new product introduction? We'll try to get an answer to that question today as we take an analytical look at the personal system 2 computers from IBM." You Tube | typing on an IBM model M   dl.tv (Episode 99) Patrick Norton and Robert Heron talk about the model M keyboard http://www.dl.tv/2006/09/episode_099_goes_live_at_430pm.php "With all due respect, real geeks horde old IBM mechanical (Alps) switch keyboards like this one.  Every true old school geek that I know has a stash.. (sound of typing).. ahh.. Listen to that sound.  I can type like the wind on this keyboard.  ...these things are the loudest things in history, but they have such a lovely feel." -- Patrick Norton "I don’t know what Jim (Louderback) does with that keyboard.. (sound of rapid typing)   It’s impressive sounding.  It is.  He’s doing 100 words per minute.. maybe 150." -- Robert Heron   YouTube video: Keyboard Carnage http://m.etv.cx/item/2 This video tests the myth that a Model M keyboard can be used to kill a man and you can still type on it afterwards.  We use a slightly broken Model M from 1988 (letters [B], [N] and the [?/] button were broken to start with).  The other keyboard from the same year is made by Zenith sporting a Bull logo. This one has a thinner metal plate, rubber dome keys and is a ’bit’ thinner than the Model M. The model M’s round front edge makes it harder to kill a lemon, but it’s better overall endurance made it the overal winner.. "This proves in hand to hand combat, the IBM model M keyboard is better than the Zenith bull keyboard."   The Steampunk Keyboard Mod: http://steampunkworkshop.com/keyboard.shtml The already venerable IBM Model M is retro-fitted with glass and nickel keys and mounted in a polished brass frame. Flickr slideshow of random lust and appreciation for model M keyboards: http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=ibm+model+m WIKIPEDIA | Model M Keyboard "The Model M is also remembered for its overall heavy and sturdy design, which allowed the keyboard to survive far longer periods of time, use, and abuse than practically any other personal computer component ever manufactured." CNET | Top 10 tech we miss: #7: Good keyboards "The keyboards on early IBM PCs were heavy, had a great feel, and made a satisfying clacking noise when you typed, thanks to the expensive "buckling spring" design for the switches." PCWORLD | How to Fix Keyboards: Don’t Touch ’Em! "When it comes to keyboards, consistency makes sense. Sitting down at a PC and getting to work without having to curse what’s under your fingers is a genuine productivity booster. But increasingly we see all sorts of improvements that aren’t." "Keyboard feel is pretty much a lost art. Everything I’ve tried lately has a dead, sticky touch, in part because just about everybody uses the cheapest possible technology." MSNBC | Classic keyboards redux "I’m a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to PC keyboards, and after all these years, I still prefer the feel and sound of my old IBM 101-key (circa 1990) with its “buckling spring” action. I’ve moved this keyboard from PC to PC through more upgrades than I can count." Dan’s Data | Review: IBM Keyboards - The Odyssey Continues "Computer users are used to hardware that’s worthless in three years and useless in five; clicky keyboards aren’t like that. You could leave one of these things to your children in your will. Or be buried with it.." Dan’s Data | Review: IBM 42H1292 and 1391401 keyboards "The big deal about these old keyboards is their lovely, positive key-click. When you use a keyboard that doesn’t have a good positive click, it’s hard to tell when you’ve depressed a key properly. You have to watch the screen to make sure you don’t leave letters out, or you have to really hammer the keyboard, which is not good for your hands." Dan’s Data | Letters IBM model M15 bent ergonomic keyboard "Yes, there were clicky split ’boards, but nobody makes them any more. You’ll have a hard time finding one; Clicky Keyboards have sold the couple they found." LowEndMac.com | IBM Model M: The Best Computer Keyboard Ever "I just took a typing test using my old Model M and hit 64 words per minute - and I had fewer typos in the process. There's just something right about the design; I really can't describe it other than saying that my finger always presses hard enough and never too hard on a Model M - are two of the many reasons for typos on lesser keyboards. ... What makes the IBM Model M so good? It's all in the spring - buckling springs, to be precise. A buckling spring is a mechanism that carries tension until enough force is applied to "buckle" the spring, at which point it collapses and the key can travel down, producing an audible click when it does. ... Of course, while noisy and intrusive to your neighbors, there's one very good reason why the buckling spring keyboard remained in production for so many years and why it's something of a specialty item today. Those switches are very expensive compared to the cheap rubber domes in use today, and it's those switches that give this keyboard its legendary feel (and make it too expensive for this age of made-in-China mass-production). ... One thing is certain: If you generate a lot of text, you owe it yourself to get a decent keyboard." Linux Journal | Building the Ultimate Linux Box "Like many hackers of a certain age, I imprinted on the IBM Model M keyboard about 20 years ago. They have a relatively stiff travel with a sharp break and a positive keyclick that can only be described as crunchy. They inspire cult-like devotion. It’s still possible to buy the real Model M, armor-plated case and all. " Computerworld | Quest for a decent keyboard Those who aren’t old enough to have used an IBM Selectric typewriter or the first IBM PC keyboard don’t know what a difference a good quality keyboard makes. Those early devices had excellent keystroke travel and responded with satisfying mechanical clacking sound that told you the system had registered each keystroke. Good keyboards can improve productivity and reduce stress on your hands. Unfortunately, today’s keyboards are cheap, unresponsive, lightweight affairs with little or no tactile response. Keyboards are tacked onto computers almost as an afterthought." IBM Model M Keyboard@Everything2.com "The keyboard would not break apart after repeated blows with the sledgehammer" DIGG.COM | IBM model M keyboards... how they work "IBM model M keyboard: a hardware device produced at the end of the 20th century, said by some to be the best example of keyboard design, engineering and construction. Yea! Typing on one r i g h t n o w." Care and feeding of an IBM Model M 1391406 keyboard "Ah, the mighty IBM Model M - the best keyboard ever manufactured. The Model M was originally bundled with 8086 and 80286 IBM PS/2 computers dating from around 1986. The design has not been improved on since. Fortunately the Model Mis so durable and well-made that a vintage 80’s keyboard will likely still be usable today, after a decade and a half and of use and abuse. " Clean your vintage IBM M2 clicky keyboard "Clicky fever is indeed upon us. It's not hard to find a used one of these, but it is hard to find a clean one, so you'll need to break out the elbow grease. I've found instructions for cleaning the big version, but I haven't found any yet for the M2, which is the smaller version I'm using here. I like this one a lot better, as it has all necessary keys, but is much more compact." The IBM Model M Keyboard, TYPE HARD OR GO HOME "For two decades, the IBM Model M Keyboard has been the defacto standard human interface for force-feedback computing. Constructed with "buckling spring" action and a chassis that doubles as a weapon, Model M’s appeal to stone-code scallywags and hackers alike. " IBM PS2 Keyboard Modification "These old IBM PS/2 keyboards have been a long-time favourite of mine. I really like the positive, mechanical feel of their keys and find that I make fewer typing mistakes than with the cheap, plastic and rubber membrane ones which are commonly available today." Convert Your Model M to a "Post-Ban" Dvorak "The IBM Model M keyboard (P/N 1391401) is perhaps the finest, best-made typing device in production. Its sturdy construction, positive-response key action, and ease of maintenance are legendary." There Oughta Be a law: New keyboards suck "It’s time for a bit of a history lesson. Eons ago (in computer years) in the 80’s, keyboards for computers were made in basically the same fashion as contemporary electronic typewriters. They had an individual switch for each key, with an individual metal-coil spring. When you hit a key, you closed the switch, the keyboard controller detected and interpreted this for the computer, and the spring pushed the key back up (unless you held it down, of course). " Unicomp Linux 101 Keyboard Review "Unfortunately, only four months after the Raymond story hit the racks, the 42H1292 was sold out, but Unicomp makes replacements in some 40 languages, along with other interesting variations" The heavy, clicky monster I love "This type of switch is nearly immune to corrosion and dirt. These switches are very resistant to key bounce problems that result in multiple characters appearing from a single strike. They are also the most durable in the industry—rated for 25 million or more keystrokes, as opposed to 10 to 20 million for other designs. The tactile feedback is unsurpassed because a relatively loud click and strong over-center feel normally are provided." Slashdot | Das Keyboard: Hit Any Key "...because the great thing about older, mechanical-action keyboards like the Model M is not so much how they look, but how they feel beneath the hand. Instead of the clacking, snapping action of buckling-spring keyboards, manufacturers have mostly moved to cheaper, less-complicated membrane keyboards, some of which feel better than others. My impression on opening the box and giving the black keyboard a lengthy groping was that the Das Keyboard’s action is a bit squishy. To be fair, in the current keyboard market, most of the competition feels no better, and many competitors feel worse." Wirelessmuse.com | Rant about keyboards "I am very, very fussy about keyboards. I hate the keyboards that are bundled with desktop PCs. Cheap mushy junk with virtually no tactile feedback... The best keyboard was on, arguably, the spectacular (and expensive) IBM Selectric typewriter. The best computer keyboard in the world, I believe, was also from IBM... ...If you’ve never used a buckling spring keyboard you have no idea what a great keyboard should feel like. It’s as if you’ve only listened to rap music and have no idea what a great singing voice is supposed to sound like... . ...The Unicomp is the closest I’ve found to the original IBM PC keyboard, although the Unicomp seems somewhat lighter and a bit less “aggressively” tactile than I remember. But it has been something like 20 years since I used the IBM keyboard and my memory isn’t what it used to be!" My Clickety IBM Keyboard - RIP re: My Clickety IBM Keyboard - RIP 5/14/2005 10:17 AM Douglas Reilly I just got my Unicomp, Almost IBM keyboard. In general, I like it. The little clips that place it at the angle I like don’t seem to stay put meaning that the keyboard angle is a little different than my old IBM, and the space bar seems to not quite work like the old IBM keyboard, but otherwise the feel is very similar. I am much happier with this one than the other replacement keyboard I got (the CVT Avante Prime). That said, I do miss the IBM. Trivia, Model M & F http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/model_m_trivia.html JAPANESE: 1391401 JAPANESE: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Oakland/3186/Keyboard/ibm/ibm1391401.html JAPANESE: http://www2.gol.com/users/matty/Atreview/ModelM.html