Re: DS15 systems have arrived

From: Fred Kleinsorge (my-last-name_at_stardotzko.dec.com)
Date: 10/07/03 

Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 16:22:18 GMT

Having worked on and used the LK keyboard since the Pro300 and VT200... the
early LK400's were pretty much every bit as good as the LK200 and had the
extra keys.

Keyboard quality has gone downhill from the days of individual key switches
and true n-key rollover.

And yes, the PC keyboard was quite a setback for KB design. Windows
solidified it. The PS2 mouse was even worse (what do you mean no ID, and no
way to tell byte 1 from byte 2?).

The USB devices are the first step back towards a more rational design in a
long time (although even there they had some brain farts - like how they
handle some specific keys as a bitmask instead of a keycode, and their
default mode of sending a KB report every 20ms - even if it's null).

"Lord Isildur" <isildur@andrew.cmu.edu> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.58-035.0310071200200.1692@unix15.andrew.cmu.edu...
>
> Now, if i could use my LK201 with it, i'd be more interested *grin*
> the ps/2 interface is one of the (many) horrendous kludges from the PC
> world that unfortunately infected everyone else too.. the sooner we're
> rid of it the better.
> On the same note, as long as the machine has a serial console, who needs a
> keyboard?
>
> Isildur
>
>
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003, Fred Kleinsorge wrote:
>
> > The new LK463 has a USB connector by default. The dongle provides a PS2
> > interface, and comes with the KB.
> >
> > In reality most keyboards being built these days are being built to go
both
> > ways. There are PS2->USB dongles and USB->PS2 dongles. All they do is
tell
> > the KB which interface they need to deal with, and provide the
connection
> > (there isn't any real logic inside) - the KB then senses the personality
it
> > needs to use. And I don't know that they are "universal" across KB
makers.
> >
> > The MS wireless KB I just got for my wife has PS2 connections, and comes
> > with a USB dongle.
> >
> > There is a company called PI that sells a true converter called a
Y-mouse
> > that will take "standard" PS2 keyboards and mice, and will convert them
to a
> > USB connection. It has real logic inside it. It won't handle "custom"
> > keyboards like the LK411 correctly - but they will gladly do a custom
OEM
> > version for you.
> >
> >
> > "Rik Steenwinkel" <rsteenw@xs4all.nl> wrote in message
> > news:Ysd2q9KROUC1-pn2-n1U1UE1zdpPb@news.xs4all.nl...
> > > On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 03:56:30 UTC, healyzh@aracnet.com wrote:
> > >
> > > } OK, I'm not sure how to take this, does the adapter convert
USB-to-PS2,
> > or
> > > } PS2-to-USB?
> > >
> > > With most, if not all, current keyboards and mice that come with a
> > > USB-to-PS2 converter (keyboard/mouse cable ends in USB plug, a small
> > > USB-socket-to-PS2-plug allows it to plug into a PS2 machine), the
> > > converter itself is pretty dumb, and the logic inside the kbd or mouse
> > > is dual-protocol, detecting whether it's connected to USB or to PS2
> > > via the adapter thingie. The adapter is useless for any device but
> > > that keyboard or mouse.
> > >
> > > Going the other way, from a PS2 keyboard and mouse to a system having
> > > only USB you'll need a converter like
> > > http://startech.com/ststore/itemdetail.cfm?ProductID=USB2PS2&topbar=to
> > > pbaruf.htm . There are also USB hubs that offer this, and often a
> > > serial and parallel port as well.
> > >
> > > } I've seen a PS2-to-USB converter and have been thinking very
seriously
> > about
> > > } getting one to try on my PowerMac (I want a decent logitech 3-button
> > mouse).
> > > } I'm already using an ADB-to-USB converter so that I can have a
decent
> > > } keyboard on the system.
> > >
> > > Why would you want a PS2-to-USB converter when almost all Logitech
> > > mice are already USB, and could plug into the ADB-to-USB converter
> > > (don't you mean USB-to-ADB?), by way of an USB hub if necessary?
> > >
> > > I'd also try putting a USB interface card into the machine, of course
> > > when supported by the OS version you're running.
> > >
> > > --
> > > // Rik Steenwinkel # VMS mercenary # Enschede, Netherlands
> > > // 1024D/CDBAE5C1
> >
> >
> >