Re: Vaxstation or Alpha for learning OpenVMS

On Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:40:45 +0200, Michael Kraemer wrote
(in article <ef0ejd$7i6$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):

In article <0001HW.C13979E0006FE497F02845B0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Paul Sture
<paul.sture.nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> writes:
Since I have one of these in mint condition, I asked here if some kind
of converter existed to connect it to a PS2 socket, and hence my Alpha.
The answer I got here at the time was that they are so different inside
that there is probably no chance of swapping cables etc, and little
chance of finding a USB converter either.

well, there are USB <=> PS/2 and even HIL <=> PS/2 converters,

Unsure what an HIL interface was, I went a-Googling (anyone else notice
that Google seems slow at the moment?), and came up with this wonderful
sounding product:

http://www.tifaq.com/keyboards/accessories-interfaces.html

"STEP ON IT! Keyboard Control Pedals

STEP-ON-IT! Keyboard Control Pedals supplement the computer keyboard
with three electronic foot switches that take over the operation of
selected keystrokes and mouse clicks. The system moves part of the
entry activity from the keyboard to the floor pedals - thus speeding
up the typing process through reducing hand movements.

STEP-ON-IT! Keyboard Control Pedals can be custom-programmed by the
end-user to assign or reassign any three keys or mouse clicks to the
floor operation, to suit the needs at the time. An initial default
configuration for the foot-operated switches is these frequently used
keystrokes: Pedal 1 - Shift; Pedal 2 - Control; Pedal 3 - Alt. However,
the operator can choose to assign any other keystroke, such as - Esc,
Return, PgUp, PgDn, a longer macro (up to 13 characters per pedal), or
a mouse button click.

(see website given above for more manufacturer product information)"

which lends a completely new meaning to to the phrase "test driving a
system". :-)

what's so special about that keyboard ?


Just that I rescued it when there was a "recycling day" at work.

(At that time, recycling electronic goods here in .ch wasn't easy. You
were supposed to take 'em back to the shop you bought them at, but in
practice unless you were spending money on a replacement, the shop
didn't really want to know, or would charge a small fortune for the
privilege. Thankfully this has now changed, with a smallish surcharge
on new electronic goods, according to their nature and size, covering
the cost of recycling, and you can take stuff to any electronic outlet
and they are happy to receive it. I had a really good cellar clear out
when that was introduced.)

I still can't bear to recycle it though.

Before dumping it I would really consider selling it on eBay,
you won't make a fortune, of course, but these parts might still
have some value since they are
pretty rare these days, as are e.g. VAX mice, keyboard/mouse splitters
and those combined monitor/keyboard/mouse cables.


I wish I'd grabbed more of them now :-)

--
Paul Sture

.