Pianos make music. Music makes people happy. So obviously its the best keyboard.

@pattheplanter

4 ай бұрын

Wurlitzer organ is better than piano.

@peacelovemetal5197

4 ай бұрын

Most true comment on KZread to date

@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369

4 ай бұрын

what about a synth

@brightshadow9480

4 ай бұрын

"Music makes people happy." You obviously haven't heard me attempt to play.

@Ozzymandius1

4 ай бұрын

A piano isn’t a keyboard. Keyboards can emulate the sound of a piano, but a piano is a specific instrument with its own characteristics.

I thought we were going to get a video about QWERTY vs Dvorak and I was excited for it. Mostly just to read the salty comments. But I was excited for it.

@PaulsPubAndBrew

3 ай бұрын

This was exactly what I thought. I didn't even think about the layout options like split hands or customizable function keys. And I certainly didn't think about mechanical versus optical. Hopefully they expand on this

@navilandinator4479

3 ай бұрын

Colemak has left the chat.

@PabloSanchez-qu6ib

3 ай бұрын

Morton is the best salt!

@thatisraelikid37

3 ай бұрын

@@navilandinator4479 Colemak user checking in, am indeed leaving the chat.

@omarledesma672

3 ай бұрын

I was here to hate on AZERTY 😢

I shared a cube wall with someone who pushed their knee up into their desk and then bounced their legs all day. This, in turn, made my monitor bounce all day. All the while, he insisted he wasn't doing this. He did, however, admit that he was very sensitive to clicking sounds. I bought the loudest, clickiest keyboard (Cherry MX Green switches without silencer rings) and he requested a different desk within two weeks. Still love that keyboard...

@seanzs

3 ай бұрын

Lawful neutral

@deep-seeker

3 ай бұрын

​@@seanzs 😂

@hettyindyscot18

3 ай бұрын

Sounds like he could have autism...classic symptoms, next time have more concern and try helping the person. Just a thought, re personal experience.

@westherm

3 ай бұрын

@@hettyindyscot18 He didn't and even if he did, autism isn't a free pass to bounce other people's monitors. Go preach that somewhere else.

@shadowrylander

3 ай бұрын

​​​​@@westherm They never said it was a free pass; they just said that you could've tried helping your co-worker instead.

I was surprised about the lack of information about things like layout? Split, staggered, ortho-linear... also the actual layout of the keys themselves. There is are whole communities on reddit dedicated to optimizing these layouts and using programmable keyboards for efficiency and ergonomics. Truly a fascinating topic. I think most of those communities would also disagree about optical vs mechanical keys. Mechanical keys come in many different weights and types. Many of them are virtually silent.

@magpielark

3 ай бұрын

Yeah I'd assumed this video would be about key layout and maybe get into ergonomics

@kepspark3362

3 ай бұрын

Subreddits like??

@stephaniehyatt309

3 ай бұрын

I came here specifically expecting layout to be the topic! I've used an ergonomic keyboard for over 20 years, and though I do fine on my laptop (like right now), I love the curved shape. And mine is not particularly loud either.

@marjae2767

3 ай бұрын

Layout really really really depends on your needs. If you can handle 2-handed chordal typing, an ergo qwerty keyboard might be good. If you can't do 2-handed typing, there are a lot of 1-handed keyboards which rely on chords. If you can't do chordal typing, it's a lot harder to see how well each one supports Sticky Keys. If you can't do 2-handed or chordal typing, it gets harder. If you can't use scrollwheels and touch gestures without tendon injuries, nav buttons on your keyboard, as well as a good mouse, and scrolling software can be pretty important too.

@SamuQu

3 ай бұрын

Qwerty is a crime

OK the followup needs to be about keyboard layouts.

@quothap

3 ай бұрын

Seriously! I thought my love of Dvorak was finally going to get a hearing.

@Whichendup

3 ай бұрын

@@quothap The superior choice.

@andrew40

3 ай бұрын

That's what I thought this video was going to be about

@jmnero4447

3 ай бұрын

@@andrew40 Same... I use Colemak-DHm myself.

@moyetlicious

3 ай бұрын

@mediawolf1 I've always thought the qwerty layout could do with an update for the modern world, certainly as a "swipe to type" user (on my smartphone's keyboard) I find certain letters far too close together for certain common usages. Words like it, or, out, put, and pot all feel like a throw of the dice whether the keyboard ai will guess correctly which word I'm aiming for.

I want an adaptive keyboard that gets louder when I'm typing up angry responses on social media.

@slothmonster7165

4 ай бұрын

Ditto 😂

@stephanieh.777

4 ай бұрын

🤣🤣

@timauth

4 ай бұрын

YES!!

@zadtheinhaler

4 ай бұрын

Clippy: "It looks like you're writing a diss track, would you like some assistance?"

@joshua1188

3 ай бұрын

Get a tactical keyboard (cherry brown) they're pretty quiet when typing normally, but slamming those switches down makes them sound clicky (as long as they're not dampened)

"Grand Papa, tell me about the keyboard wars." I thought this was going to be about QWERTY vs. Dvorak.

@rebeccaorman1823

Ай бұрын

So did I, we're going to keep QWERTY though because of the cold dead hand of history.

@196cupcake

Ай бұрын

@@rebeccaorman1823 Dvorak is pretty easy to learn though. I touch type with it. One nice thing about using it is that, in an office setting, it's pretty easy for me to keep control of my keyboard if someone is over at my cubicle giving me help. If they want to take over they can try, but then get really frusterated.

@rebeccaorman1823

Ай бұрын

@@196cupcake it doesn't matter how easy it is to learn , it's not going to replace QWERTY. It still takes time which the employees could spend more productively for their employers. It still cost money (lots of it) in new equipment, training, lost productivity. We're not talking about teaching one person something. We're talking about teaching the entire American workforce something. The expense for that adds up fast. It adds up to massive amounts of money that employers aren't going to spend. All of which explains why they haven't. QWERTY is not really an good arrangement of keys. It's whole purpose is to slow down typing but it sticks around because it would cost took much and impact business too much to change it. That's not going to change.

@196cupcake

Ай бұрын

@@rebeccaorman1823 the letters printed on the key can stay the same. Dvorak is so easy to learn that you don't need to read the letters on the keys, touch typing. Modern OSs make it easy to switch between keyboard lay outs with a simple keyboard short cut.

@rebeccaorman1823

Ай бұрын

@@196cupcake again it doesn't matter how easy it is. The problem is the COST in terms of time and money. Businesses aren't going to spend the massive amount of money and time to switch and until they do schools will teach QWERTY.

You can pry my mechanical keyboard from my cold, dead hands 😂 the clickety clacks soothe my soul

Mechanical keyboards can be made very silent or absurdly loud. It's a very broad category of input devices. The newest types are Hall Effect switches that use the motion of magnets as the triggering event.

@WildFyreful

4 ай бұрын

I'm on the hunt for a fairly quiet mechanical keyboard with backlighting, but that's proving harder than I would've thought.

@pickyyeeter

4 ай бұрын

Hall effect keyboards have been around for over 50 years, but their cost kept them out of consumer models for a long time.

@stuntmonkey00

4 ай бұрын

There are a bazillion mechanical keyboard videos that start off with the the "tape mod" where you add a few layers of masking/duct tape to the back of the keyboard PCB. It's supper easy and and cheap, and though it doesn't make the keyboard quieter, it changes the pitch of the annoying clacking sound to something deeper and more pleasant. The holy grail is kind of like marbles or mahjong tiles lightly tapping together. It's really satisfying.

@DForce26

4 ай бұрын

@@WildFyreful Logitech MX Mechanical

@Toblehrone

4 ай бұрын

Keep in mind, hall effect keyboards have been around for decades!

0:23 "the thing about opinions is that they're like armpits - everybody has them and they all _stink_ " Damn Hank is savage today

@BalooSJ

4 ай бұрын

That saying usually doesn't talk about armpits, though.

@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369

4 ай бұрын

ah thats why I recognized it @@BalooSJ

@MBMCincy63

4 ай бұрын

😂😂😂

@oracleofdelphi4533

4 ай бұрын

Hey! My armpit doesn't sti.... Uh, nevermind.

@jackielinde7568

3 ай бұрын

The real quote involves rectums. Sphincters and Rectums, if you get my drift.

1: Grab diagram of a buckling spring keyboard from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling_spring 2: Completely ignore the difference between a buckling spring keyboard and talk like it's the same as other mechanical switches. 3: "Fight me!" Ok, then, fight it is. Buckling springs remain the only mechanical board I've encountered where the sound is made by the contact closing. Every cherry switch I've touched has some throw between the contact closing and the sprung plastic making a sound. Buckling springs make sound when they mechanically slam the contacts against one another.

So many desktop keyboards are still rubber-dome, although with further travel than a laptop's. Also, there are silent mechanical switches, and also even more exotic switch types like hall effect switches (which were somewhat common in the 80s and making a slow comeback today). In any case, I definitely love my fully-ergonomic keyboardio model 100.

@SmallSpoonBrigade

3 ай бұрын

TBH, if rubber domes were good enough for the original NES, then they're good enough for my keyboard.

@DarkTwinge

3 ай бұрын

Yeah, I was surprised by the implication that most desktop keyboards are mechanical -- when really, they're usually going to be cheap rubber domes unless you've specifically sought out something fancier. (And even rubber domes vary a fair bit too; I'm using a mildly fancy ~$40 rubber dome board that feels pleasantly softer for my tastes than either basic $10 rubber domes, fancy $150 rubber domes (topre), or any mechanicals I've tried.)

@fluffycritter

3 ай бұрын

@@DarkTwinge Yeah absolutely, like a lot of expensive ergonomic keyboards still use rubber-dome switches.Rubber-dome switches aren't all alike in their feel, some are better than others etc., and mechanical switches aren't necessarily going to be superior either.

@darcieclements4880

3 ай бұрын

My father went his entire life without any kind of repetitive motion injury as an IT guy and I had no issues my whole much shorter life until the newer non-mechanical keyboards started to become prevalent and now we both have massive repetitive motion injuries and I'm not sure how much is just smartphone and tablet use and how much is the keyboards but yeah like there's a problem there and when I looked up some recent studies they were seeing the onset of some of these weird repetitive motion injuries that used to be unheard of in about 50% of college students when they did a random MRI on them so their subclinical right now but apparently it's going to be coming for a lot of people real soon.

@awwastor

3 ай бұрын

even without silent switches, as long as they're not clicky, you can make a keyboard much more quiet (and much less annoying, due to a deeper sound profile)

As someone whose first keyboard was a manual typewriter, I gotta say that the sound of a mechanical keyboard doesn't really bother me unless it's really loud. (Yeah, I'm OLD! 😂)

@donkink3114

3 ай бұрын

Me too, I took typing class in highschool....

@sc3ku

3 ай бұрын

my father still uses his Olivetti Studio 44, a graduation gift in 1965. he just finally got a computer two years ago to talk to family

@oracleofdelphi4533

3 ай бұрын

I remember typing on one of those really old typewriters where you have to really hammer on the keys to get them to hit the paper to leave a mark. Plus, if you really started typing fast, the arms would get tangled with each other. I knew I would be hitting the keys hard enough and had my timing right because of the sound and rhythm of the keystrokes.

@nedludd7622

3 ай бұрын

Remember when we learned touch-typing in high school? That is one of the most useful skills I learned. Another advantage of mechanical keyboards is that you can buy one for $2 from a thrift shop.

@onerva0001

3 ай бұрын

​@@donkink3114same!

I think something that is super important about mechanical keyboards and is completely missed in this discussion is the wide variety of switches. When it comes to travel and sound there are broadly three types of switches: 1. Linear, unless you;re slamming home hard and bottoming out these can be be nearly silent, or at least on par with a laptop keyboard. Almost all the sound comes from the return at the end, which is damped because the return spring is holding things in place. Common switch Cherry Red 2. Tactile, these switches have a little bump in the middle of them that lets you know you've travelled far enough to actuate the key, these are a bit louder than linears. I'd say 50-75% of mechs that I've seen have a tactile switch. Common Switch: Cherry Brown (insert her dur browns feel like dirt comments here) 3. Clicky. These are a tactile switch with some additional element that makes a much louder audible "click" once sufficient travel has been achieved. Cherry Blue switches by having the stem be in two parts, a core and a slider, they move down together until the slider is forced down the rest of the way by the contact leaf spring itself. Another common way is a click bar like in Kailh box navies where a small piece of wire is physically pushed away and then allowed to spring back into place thwacking out the click. I love the first two, I can't STAND intentionally clicky switches.

@JorgeMartinez-dp3im

4 ай бұрын

I happen to have multiple keyboards with each type of switch and I enjoy tactile switches the most for typing and linear for my gaming centric keyboards. I also own a keyboard with clicky switches that I do enjoy typing on but it's from Razer and the software was getting on my nerves.

@nicquintana1092

3 ай бұрын

Thank you for this comment

@DoctorX17

3 ай бұрын

Hi I'm the clicky person XD funny thing, they showed a buckling spring switch, like the IBM Model M, which isn't really mechanical... it's a membrane keyboard but with a tactile component, and also where I got my love of heavy, loud clicky keyboards, lol

@nicquintana1092

3 ай бұрын

@@DoctorX17 awesome! I have box navy switches for my clickies. Loads and loads of tactiles in linears. I have six Model M's a Dell AT101W and two model M13'S. Then I also have an iron 180, iron 165, iron 160, and KBD fans kbd67lite r2. I love keyboards haha

@DoctorX17

3 ай бұрын

@@nicquintana1092 nice! I need more keyboards XD I’ve got some with random cheap Cherry clones, some with real Cherry Blues, Kailh box whites, Jades, and all the other clickers I can get, lol

I got your fight right here, Hank. The very best keyboards are silent mechanical ones. Cherry MX has been making silent mechanical key switches for at least 20 years. Homebuilt Custom Keyboards for the win!

@kylkim93

3 ай бұрын

The most impressive switches I've felt and heard have been the Duroc T1 Shrimp: next to no clack, but a very good tactility

@chrystalminor1422

3 ай бұрын

@@kylkim93Cherry sounds nice; quiet-ish. But I love the feel of topre. Hard to find key caps for topre switches thought. Cherry is by far the most popular.

@cynvision

6 күн бұрын

All this sound and/or silence has to do some with how many layers are in the keyboard base, right? Maybe Hank has only heard flimsy ones.

Mechanical keyboards come in multiple varieties, only some of which are loud, and that loudness is entirely intentional. You an just as easily make a very quite mechanical keyboard by mousing a different mechanism. You can also make optical keyboards that have the exact same sound, since the sound producing part has almost nothing to do with the actual mechanism for typing and that part can just as easily be put in the action of an optical keyswitch as a mechanical one.

Mechanical keyboards aren't inherently loud. When most people think of loud mechanical keyboards they're thinking of Blue switches, the switches for each key can be swapped and there are lots of them, blue switches are extremely loud because they're intentionally designed to make a lot of noise, by allowing a piece to actually fall and land making a loud noise. But there are other switches that are quite quiet, notably most linear switches. With those the only real sound you get is from bottoming out the key, which can be made quieter with padding, rubber, and much more. The mechanical keyboard modding community is huge and they've found a lot of interesting ways to improve the sound, not just making them quieter, but making the sound they do produce less irritating and more pleasing. The main problem is that almost all manufacturers produce things cheaply, while it's possible to make mechanical keyboards quite quiet it'd add additional complexity to the manufacturing of them, so most keyboards you buy directly don't sound good.

@ytvideo6963

3 ай бұрын

I have two keyboards that both have blue switches. One of them is optical. They feel the same.

@DrDingsGaster

3 ай бұрын

Clicky switches in general, there's blues but there's also the box ones (pink, jade navy and white + a boat load others) and those vary in sound profile from blues as well. I think there's greens that are from corsair or one of the other gaming brands too that are basically blues sorta?

@Ascathon

3 ай бұрын

This is kinda where I lost interest in the video (the research got wrong there imho). Everyone who talks about sound of mechanical keyboards is thinky of clicky. But as you said, the sound often comes from bottming out the key cap on the keyboard base, not just the clicky variants. Even with rubber rings applied here there is still lots of noise here compared with rubber dome of butterfly. While I like this at home, I wouldn't want to here the same boards at the office. Blue (or Razor Green) would be even more horrible.

@meganofsherwood3665

3 ай бұрын

What...what is with the color references, please? I am very confused

@jonathancotner7040

3 ай бұрын

@@meganofsherwood3665 Cherry switches, they're made in Germany. I personally prefer the red's, Red MX to be precise.

I unironically have a 1986 IBM Model M Keyboard that I use daily.

@nicquintana1092

3 ай бұрын

Based I have 6 model Ms I think

@OneTrueCat

3 ай бұрын

This is the way.

A few years ago, I had to switch to an ergonomic keyboard. It’s definitely better for long-term typing, even though it isn’t mechanical. It has quiet key presses being a “rubber dome scissor” keyboard. But, every so often, I do dig out my old “not at all ergonomic” mechanical keyboard. There’s just something about the clickity-clackity that seems to make me type just a little faster and a little more accurately. At least until my wrists get sore.

@archerelms

3 ай бұрын

Now you just need to get one that combines the two

@AnonymousFreakYT

3 ай бұрын

@@archerelms I’d love it if Logitech made an “MX Mechanical” ergonomic. I use their K860 now. The seamless multi-device between USB Bluetooth devices is wonderful.

@julesverneinoz

3 ай бұрын

It's probably just me, there's also that slight embarassed feeling when you mistyped something because that's also audible haha

@AnonymousFreakYT

3 ай бұрын

@@julesverneinoz “click clack click clack - pause - clickclickclickclickclick - pause -clock… CLACK… click clack…

I would also like to say that if you think a mechanical keyboard is loud, you are probably thinking of something like CherryMX blue switches, which are known for being loud, look at some linear switches they’re not quiet but they aren’t obnoxious

@fixups6536

3 ай бұрын

Absolutely. I would add that one quite popular mod for "mechanical" keyboard is to make them silent, which I have personally done several times, because I love mechanical keyboards but I don't like loud ones. I own several Cherry MX and Topre keyboards that are more silent than most rubber domes, so silent that I can use them near my girlfriend when she sleeps...

xD Hank has clearly never delved into the realm of custom mechanical builds and how quiet and office friendly some of them can be. Silent switches are a thing! The louder ones are the clicky ones and they are usually what people think of when they think of a mechanical keyboard. My current board is a split qwerty with oem keycaps and gateron milky yellow switches. It's nice!

@matpikachu

3 ай бұрын

Is that expensive though? I see those and always wanted one but I'm afraid of the heavy price tag.

@DrDingsGaster

3 ай бұрын

@@matpikachu It is, it was roughly 300 USD ish? But that's what you get for price tags when you go more toward the custom type boards. However, it's customizable especially if you get one that's hot swap so you don't have to learn how to solder. If you wanna do mechanical on a budget but still get good quality though, check keychron! My first mech board that wasn't a gaming branded one was from keychron, a C1, and it was less than 80 USD. It was great! I still have it and love the way it feels.

@copypasta1585

3 ай бұрын

​@@matpikachu Traditionally they have been, but good custom mechanical keyboards have gone down in price a lot over the years. Still more expensive than a cheap membrane office keyboard, but you can get entry level boards for less than 50 bucks now

@meganofsherwood3665

3 ай бұрын

Milky yellow switches?

@SeliahK

3 ай бұрын

Oooooh. I never even knew silent switches were a thing. I love the feel of a mechanical keyboard but can't take the noise of it. That sounds like it would be just perfect!

How about a comparison of QWERTY versus Dvorak key layout? When I switched to Dvorak, my speed and accuracy both increased; and it helped ease carpal tunnel symptoms.

@nostrum7278

4 ай бұрын

Well, QWERTY only exists so commonly pressed letters wouldnt get stuck ar the same time on a typewriter. Essentially its obsolete, it should be time foe a change now!

@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369

4 ай бұрын

huh never heard of dvorak, the standard in France is azerty funnily enough I typed azerty like a word and it felt weird cause all the letters lined up and I forgot it would do that lol

@ThalassTKynn

4 ай бұрын

I used dvorak for a couple of years and it was pretty good. Much more comfortable than qwerty. These days I use colemak and it feels right, at least for now. At the very least using colemak on my tiny EEEPC 701 makes typing practical. It was painful trying with qwerty on that little guy.

@intelligentdonut

3 ай бұрын

@@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369 Dvorak is great, but at least for me there has been a bit of a learning curve. The nice thing about it is that all of the common keys are on the home row and it alternates between hands more often than QWERTY or AZERTY which can relieve stress and increase speed and accuracy by giving your other hand a bit of time to rest/prepare.

@dacjames

3 ай бұрын

Dvorak vs QWERTY is like the metric vs imperial. We all kind of know it’s better but not better enough to justify the hassle of changing the status quo.

Don't forget that not all mechanical keyboards are the same... there are different switches you can use, like Cherry MX Silent Reds that drastically reduce the sound while still giving that lovely mechanical feel, which is why I use them in my Keymouse Track split ergo keyboard lol. The keyboard I'm most looking forward to in a few months, however, is the Flux Keyboard, which uses maglev switches over a pressure screen LCD so you can customize the look of your keys for any language/alphabet/layout/font/script, etc. For people who do a lot of multilingual typing, swapping between layouts like a virtual keyboard but having physical keypresses will be amazing.

I prefer the mechanical keyboard for all the positive effects Hank mentions but also because the height of the keys make it easier for me to confirm that I’ve pressed the correct key without looking rather than a key right next to to one I want. I also prefer the DVORAK instead of the QWERTY keyboard layout. It’s much less stressful because all the most used keys are the easiest to reach with your fingers. Less fatigue.

I feel not mentioning keyboard layouts was a missed opportunity. Of course, we all know that Colemak-DH is the best! Especially on a split column-staggered keyboard. 😆

@JGMeador444

3 ай бұрын

I am also sad that he didn't mention keyboard layouts. Vanilla COLEMAK user here!

@jacen60

3 ай бұрын

colemak superiority!

@Corfal

3 ай бұрын

I thought this video was going to be about QWERTY vs Dvorak or any other one as well.

@randint

3 ай бұрын

Colemak-DH really is the best! I've used vanilla Colemak for about 1 year and Colemak-DH for 4 years. Sadly I switched back to QWERTY a year ago because I got too frustrated with not being able to type fast on public computers.

@Bruno-cb5gk

3 ай бұрын

It's a good entry but far from truly optimal. That being said I still use it since it's good enough and I don't currently have the time to learn a new layout again.

I was hoping you would touch on keyboard layouts, like QWERTY vs Dvorak and such. If you have not already done an episode comparing them, perhaps you could consider?

dome keyboards are take them or leave them, but nothing beats the pleasure of typing on some cherry mx blues. I just love that typewriter clickity clack

You forgot keyboards that are projected onto the table. I recall a study that found people had micro fractures in their finger bones after using them for a short time.

@robinsparrow1618

4 ай бұрын

so a virtual keyboard, but worse?

@KayclauShipper

4 ай бұрын

That's one I'd like to try for music rather than typing.

@bradylewis9698

4 ай бұрын

That would be a virtual keyboard

@KayclauShipper

4 ай бұрын

@@bradylewis9698 but with ✨️STYLE✨️

@trimonmusic

3 ай бұрын

Any sources for this? As someone who fidgets by tapping/drumming on my desk, I can’t imagine this would be hugely different - except for the less natural wrist position. As someone who cannot stand typing on an iPad due to the lack of travel to dampen vibrations, I’m in no way suggesting the projected keyboard is a good idea.

Noise is why I have a keyboard with brown switches now. Wife did not like the noise of blues, and I didn't like that the deactivation was so much higher than the activation point, but the feedback exactly when the switch hits is so nice. However, now you have me looking for optical keyboards, although no luck finding any actually for sale yet.

@pickyyeeter

4 ай бұрын

I bought a keyboard with blue switches, and I hated the sound. Funnily enough, my wife loved it. That one is hers now and I use browns.

@stuntmonkey00

4 ай бұрын

OMG, my first mechanical keyboard when I didn't know anything had blue switches and it was absolutely awful. Browns are boring and vanilla but they work for most people most of the time. (Try the Gateron milky yellows!)

@megamangos7408

4 ай бұрын

My favorite are the Red Cherrys. A bit lighter with a bit of spring helps me type faster.

@nikolay9584

3 ай бұрын

Do you have mouse with you know "brown" switches also? Or mouse clicks do not make you go postal for some funny reason?

@pickyyeeter

3 ай бұрын

@@nikolay9584 Aside from the fact that a mouse click is much quieter than the keys in question, it also doesn't get clicked 300 times per minute

The self powered through keyboard thing sounds like the wireless doorbell we have. It has no battery but uses the kinetic energy from pressing the button to power the signal that is sent to the receiver/speaker in the house. I love it because I don't have to think about the battery dying on me. It just always works.

Waaay back in the late-80s, IIRC, there were what they called “silent tactile”keyboards: They were kinda analogous with piano keys compared to organ keys: They initially resisted movement and then noiselessly snapped down. So, they gave the typist a clear tactile-feel indication of a successful keypress, but no distracting sound to annoy your neighbors with!

According to this video it is likely that a mechanical keyboard with tactile switches is the best option. Mechanical keyboards are generally only loud if you're using clicky switches. Optical switches and mechanical switches aren't actually too different in sound. It really is more about performance and durability more than anything. You do, however, sacrifice affordability. Optical switches tend to be more expensive. So my recommendation would be a keyboard with tactile switches, most commonly represented as brown switches from various brands.

I thought it was a bit ironic that there were mechanical keyboards that offer less noise. I basically got a mechanical keyboard with light touch and low actuation force. It's still mechanical, so it will be louder than an optical keyboard, but it is not as loud as someone getting one of those fully tactile keys that clicks NO MATTER WHAT (thank goodness for not having it that loud!)

It might also have to do with what era the person learned to type as to what they like. In the last few years before computers became common implements around the house (1993 for me), I learned typing on an IBM Selectric, IMO the best *typewriter* ever made. It was very noisy, owing to the clack of the element as it struck the paper for each character. Ten times as loud as the first keyboards of computers. But you could see the end product as you typed, and the clack gave a spring recoil as the element returned from the impact of the previous character, returning a lot of force onto your finger, so you really know when to type the next key. You also hold your hands up like a piano player as it took little force to make the element strike. So I remember that action and that sounds fondly. My most favorite keyboard I used to date was a split keyboard that was raised as a domed surface. It felt like typing on a globe, and the action was so easy on the wrists. The first time I came across Swype or its MS knockoff SwiftKey, I knew I'd probably never have to type with my thumbs on my phone. Doing that, I'm "all thumbs," figuratively. But SwiftKey changed all that on my phones. I find tablet keyboards annoying. SwiftKey doesn't work so well on tablets, so if I'm doing serious typing on a tablet (not often) I use a folding, Bluetooth keyboard.

@rosemarycaldwell8611

3 ай бұрын

I fully agree but from the opposite perspective. I'm 21, started using macs around 2010ish when my school got them. I can fly on a Mac keyboard but a fully mechanical keyboard? Mistakes out the wazoo

I like my mechanical (quiet) semi split ergonomic keyboard. No longer have carpal tunnel

Key switches are designed to fulfill a specific role, be that sound, feel, accuracy, or even looks. There are two traditional categories of switch, Tactile and Linear. Tactile are your typical keys that have a sort of "bump" part way through the press that provides that direct physical feedback as that bump coincides exactly with the actuation point of the key (when the signal is sent to the computer). Linear keys have no such bump and are generally recommended for uses like gaming where that tactile bump offers no advantage when you're just pushing W all the time. There are also "silent tactile" switches which retain the bump, but lack the audible click that comes from the switch. The rest of the sound from the keyboard comes from the bottoming out of the key and switch, when the key pushes the switch all the way down and it can go no further, that stop creates a "thock" sound. Some old keyboards have a spring that buckles (3:42) instead of the newer Cherry style (right side, 3:58). Buckling spring switches are unbelievably loud, but very satisfying. Almost all of these sounds can be reduced or improved by lubricating the switches and/or adding gaskets or pads. Board material (plastic or metal) also makes a big difference. For anyone wanting an example of the vast range of Mechanical Keyboard sounds check out @TaehaTypes here on KZread. If someone has a loud mechanical keyboard, they likely bought it knowing it sounded like that (looking at you Cherry MX Blue) but not all keyboards have to be loud. Also, an advantage for Virtual Keyboards is the flexibility for multilingual keyboard switching.

Challenge accepted Hank. Hall effect keyboards. Instead of having to wait for a reset point of other physical keyboards, the second it is released, it is reset. Plus, you can set up keystrokes based on level of depression. Also most desktop keyboards shipped with the computer are not mechanical, but rubber dome just like most laptops.

@AnonymousUser77254

3 ай бұрын

Laptops use scissor switches in conjunction with the domes which I would argue gives a completely different typing experience to standard desktop dome keyboards.

i'm an OT and loved this vidoe. I felt like the ppl that I work with and thier needs are being recognazined and validated. Thank you.

Mechanical keyboards are highly customizable and are as noisy as you choose them to be. Due to RSI, I bought a mechanical, split, column-staggered, programmable Ergodox with Cherry MX Brown switches. Very clicky. My wife and I both work from home. She could hear me from her office with both doors closed, down a short hall, and a bathroom and a closet between our offices. I changed the switches to Gateron Silent Yellows with only ~20g of force required to press. I also changed the keycaps from PBT to ABS. I added silicon rings and felt washers under each keycap. After a few days, she asked if I had been fired because she couldn't hear me at all anymore. Combining lighter switches (which trained my fingers to apply less force which reduced the noise from bottoming out), the rings (also meant to eliminate bottom out clack), and felt washers, my typing is as quiet as my Apple aluminum body full size board and certainly quieter than any keyboard I've used with Windows.

I need my keyboard to be loud enough that my neighbors are filing a noise complaint

@IaconDawnshire

4 ай бұрын

So an 80s keyboard then

@Ukrainadian

3 ай бұрын

@@IaconDawnshireSo a typewriter then

@jackielinde7568

3 ай бұрын

@@IaconDawnshireHey! no bad talking about 80's keyboard. I still miss my Chicony 101 key. It was modeled after the infamous IBM keyboards for their dumb terminals and PC's. Also, I don't mind a little bit of clack, but I don't want to feel like I'm seated behind a drummer at a metal concert when I type.

@umi3017

3 ай бұрын

Get a Piano, I had quite a lot noise complaint letters from my neighbors with that.

@orsonzedd

3 ай бұрын

I am the drummer @@jackielinde7568

I think by "optical," you mean "tactile." Both mechanical and optical can come in clicky (mechanical bump, audible noise), tactile (no noise, but has a bump), and linear (no noise, no bump).

I wonder how those sensitive to the sound of mechanical keyboards would have endured my typing class in 1966 with a room of 40 teenagers banging on Royal manual typewriters? I've been a touch typist for almost 60 years, and the only keyboards that slow me down are the virtual ones. I am glad that hitting the enter or return key doesn't vibrate the entire desk.

I've got a mechanical keyboard with the Boba 4ut mechanical switches and it is a such a fantastical typing experience. They are so smooth and the tactile bump of the switch is so satisfying. Compared to even other standard mechanical switches, they are just in a different league. It made my old razer gaming keyboard feel like a cheap toy in comparison.

You missed linear switches aka silent mechanical switches, otholinear layouts, and columnar staggered layouts.

I really love how for a second you dipped right into opinion about mechanical keyboards. I'm not going to say they're the best, but from the perspective of someone who spends half of their working day typing in notes, there's a level of sensory satisfaction that I get from both hearing and using a mechanical keyboard that can't be matched by Optical keyboards. We don't need to fight about things that are true Hank.😂

Anecdotally, and this is probably 25 years ago now, I learned that the noise of a keyboard-a regular one, like a Dell, not a loud, mechanical one (they're too much for me)-actually interfered with my ability to type at my fastest speeds, even 15 or so years into my all-day typing lifestyle, as I was then, because the syncopation of the key press noises messed with my brain. I learned this while on a typing test site online; I was routinely getting in the 90s, as usual, and then I put over the ear headphones on, blasting Crazy Train, and I couldn't hear the keys at all (but of course could still feel them) and for several more tests, I was hitting 120. I could feel the freedom of the sounds not interfering with my fingers. I'm sure a lot of people don't have this problem, but I wonder if many people do.

I learned to type over 50 years ago on a real *non-electric* typewriter. These required you to _really_ push the keys down hard (and skillfully, lest you jam the "k" key and the "c" key. In 1976 I got to use an electric typewriter for the first time, and it took me over a year to learn not to slam the keys so hard-but hey, you still had to push them _down_ . So today I can't even handle the keyboard on my laptop; it's just so awful. So I always use a wireless yet clacky full-sized mechanical keyboard, whether I am on my desktop or laptop.

Yeah, I make more errors with virtual keyboards. Touchscreens are quite bad at typing feedback.

@agelessorca

4 ай бұрын

Same here! Virtual keyboards are convenient, but for me they aren't as quick as laptop (I've only used desktop a few times, so I can't quite compare to that).

I love the sound of mechanical keyboard clackiness, it always makes me happy to hear. However, I realize I'm not in the majority and if I'm in public, my preferred keyboard would be either a quited mechanical or an optical keyboard. Something that still gives me some physical clicky feedback without the noise.

@NinjaRunningWild

3 ай бұрын

Cherry brown are tactile without the click, but I prefer the click sound & have switched (ha!) to blue.

I worked in an office where we still had an old typewriter from the 70's to make folder labels and it was my favorite machine to type on. I loved the resistance levek of the keys and the "tickety-tickety" sound they made.

@SmallSpoonBrigade

3 ай бұрын

You must have really loved daisy wheel printers then. It's like a mechanical keyboard typing at like 200wpm.

In a job I had in the 1990s, I had an IBM PS2. The keyboard felt really good to type on, but made a very, very loud noise. I updated my computer a few times in that job, but I always took the PS2 keyboard with me because it felt so much better to type on than the newer ones. The feel of the click and the length of the travel was great.

Unmentioned is that virtual keyboards allow swiping, which is great for some of us with musculoskeletal problems. Tapping out individual letters on a virtual keyboard sucks but swiping is a totally different ballgame if your predictive text is decent.

@NinjaRunningWild

3 ай бұрын

Predictive text is never decent unless you have a grade school vocabulary.

Hank casually dropping gems like he's got holes in his pockets. "Opinions are like armpits." I actually had to pause and sit down to process the timelessness and universality of that statement.

@alexhauptli4072

3 ай бұрын

It's a reference to Dirty Harry. He even says "make my day" a few sentences later.

This was supposed to be about how dvorak is the best keyboard setup

@jasuko

3 ай бұрын

Dvorak is good. But it is not the best by any reasonable set of metrics.

Optical switches still use the same type of mechanical pressing system. Both Mechanical and optical switch types can be quiet or silent, and have extra tactile feedback. Tactile switches are very quiet but still good. Clicky switches are designed to be somewhat clicky. The switches are designed to actuate only at the right point in the activating motion, so the feedback matches perfectly.

There are more kinds of keyboard switches than discussed here. The most notable omission is the scissor-switch, which is used in higher quality low profile keyboards (eg. higher end laptops, Apple desktop keyboards). Perfect for those of us who like low travel, quiet keyboards with feedback that is much crisper than rubber domes. PS. another disadvantage of rubber domes is how quickly they age and start misbehaving.

@mahenonz

Ай бұрын

Those Apple ones were definitely the best, I loved the sound.

For me, it’s also the style of keycap. I like fat XDA caps because there’s less space between the tops of the keys and my finger doesn’t slip off the side as easily. I prefer a soft, but tactile switch with a short actuation distance. I still need the clicky clacky, but it doesn’t have to be super high pitched or loud. I tend to pound on my keys, so a shorter actuation and bottom out means I don’t have to push so far.

@kristinasnowflake

3 ай бұрын

Agree, it definitely affects accuracy! I'm the opposite--any keycap profile with less space between the keys means I accidentally mash multiple keys at once lol. More space between cherry profile keycaps means I can move more quickly with fewer typos. I wish it was more common for people to try out different switches and keycaps for their boards!

@radikaldesignz

3 ай бұрын

You just described the best kind of keyboard for playing fighting games lol

I am here before the war in the comments has started.

Here I thought we were going to discuss keyboard layouts, like Qwerty and Dvorak. Anyway, I think a lot of it is what people are used to. Having used laptops for so long, I think that rubber dome is great as long as the key travel is the right distance, the keys are not compacted together too much, and the locations and sizes of accessory keys are sensible.

I 100% expected this to be a video about the most efficient arrangement of keys (like qwerty dvorak etc)

There's a bunch wrong with this video, sorry. 1. Most desktop keyboards also use rubber domes. You usually have to go out of your way to buy a mechanical keyboard, though less so these days (and long ago, strangely) 2. Optical keyboards are quite rare, but they are also slowly becoming more popular. 3. Mechanical keyboards aren't all loud. Many are as quiet as comparable rubber dome keyboards. There is a huge variety of switch designs that vary tremendously in sound, feedback curve, actuation force, actuation distance, and a bunch of other ways. 4. The overwhelming majority of mechanical keyboards in use are actually in laptops. Every MacBook sold since 2015 has used either a butterfly or scissor switch mechanism, and many other laptop manufacturers are switching to scissor switches as well. This is also true of Apple's desktop keyboards. This kind of thing always makes me worry that there's actually a bunch wrong with _every_ SciShow video, but I only notice it when it happens to cover a subject I know a lot about? I hope that's not the case, but you guys really need to fact check things better.

@NinjaRunningWild

3 ай бұрын

They've become increasingly prone to bias, incomplete research, & fallacious reasoning which has caused me to watch much less than I used to.

@smathlax

3 ай бұрын

I think the problem here is that they're trying to use science for a topic that really doesn't need science. Like the fact that most desktop keyboards are membrane (rubber dome) is simply common knowledge to anyone who has some knowledge of keyboards, as pretty much everywhere you go uses these membrane keyboards. Science seems like a very backwards way to find this fact out. Yes I could do a study to find which type of desktop keyboard is most common, but then I have to account for all sorts of statistical biases and ultimately the result will be less trustworthy than simply relying on my gut feeling which says membrane is most common.

@mayac4147

3 ай бұрын

theres something wrong with this comment too!! scissor and butterfly switches are still rubber dome keyboards :)

Mechanical for me--and I enjoy the noise--it lets me know I've effectively hit my keys without having to constantly look. I've never had it so relaxed and smooth....

This is one of your best videos so far!

Oh Hank, just from your looks I thought this was an older video. I'm so glad you're fully recovered and so excited for your new content!

I mostly use a rubber dome gaming keyboard. I keep procrastinating on finishing the split ergo mechanical keyboard kit I bought, uh, a couple of years ago. 😅 Since everyone in the comments is also talking about layouts: I use colemak. It's more balanced to me than dvorak, and also far superior to qwerty. But I'm fascinated with the KALQ layout. It was designed to make thumb typing on phones more efficient. I've tried it out and it was pretty neat, but I also want to try it in physical keyboard form... one day haha

@snowe..

3 ай бұрын

which split do you have? I have several crkbds and love the layout, but the LED maintainability is a nightmare.

@ThalassTKynn

3 ай бұрын

@@snowe.. I've got a Kimiko. It's pretty nice, a bit more stagger than a Lilly58 IIRC

You spoke very little about optical keyboards, except their virtues. I'd like to hear more about these.

You can all argue about which type of keys are best, and I’m just going to sit over here smiling the smug smile of the enlightened Dvorak user Alternating between left and right hand for vowels and consonants is so so satisfying

The sound of typing is called Streptorc from Strep, a crunching sound, and Torc, to push

I have been arguing that touchscreen isn't as good as the big companies make it out to be for YEARS. Yet still, they shove that sh*t down our throat when there are more efficient typing options that actually give you more than just visual input. Can't argue with the superiority of an optical keyboard though. A good mechanical keyboard is great especially when you want to annoy people. ;)

@edwinvillagomez

4 ай бұрын

they peddle it cause its cheaper to buy one device versus two mech keyboards come in silent versions too, for me its the feedback, i know when i hit a key where on my laptop i dont know until the site tells me i entered my password wrong

@wojtek4p4

3 ай бұрын

IMO the biggest advantage of a touch screen keyboard (outside of portability) is that it's almost infinitely adjustable on-the-fly. Need a numpad? Here's a numpad. Need alphanumeric? Here it is. Need only one big red button? No problem. Physical keyboards (even when adjustable layers) are limited to the keys they have mounted, and their labels don't change. And while keyboard shortcuts are amazing, they require memorization and aren't very newbie friendly.

@davidnotonstinnett

3 ай бұрын

I mean…I wouldn’t do a touch keyboard for my desk, but I wouldn’t want to go back to a smartphone with a keyboard.

@theblinkingbrownie4654

3 ай бұрын

​@@wojtek4p4Also there's room for other features like sliding which are really useful despite my hate on touchscreens

@brandonsteele2826

3 ай бұрын

I actually like touchscreen when it's on a phone. On a tablet it's too spaced out. It's also at least twice as fast as handwriting.

I built a mehanical keyboard with tactile switches so quiet I can't hear and can barely feel the tactical feedback. Mechanical keyboards aren't inherently loud, its more so the switch that it has. Edit: it's

I’m old OK? I was in the medical field when computers were first introduced in hospital settings. Co-workers found it amusing that I typed so forcefully. They obviously never had the satisfying pleasure of using a manual typewriter.. I personally love them.

I grew up learning to type on an Underwood mechanical typewriter and Typing class had Selectrics. I like the noise of keys letting me know I actually pressed the key.

I knew the model M is the best. The loud click is actually good because it does annoy other people. Plus any keyboard you can throw at someone and knock them out is good. Now I want a movie where the good guy is trying to stop the bad guy do he throws a pad and laptop and optical but gets nowhere. He then stops him with the clicky KB.

@matt566

3 ай бұрын

i had a model M. it was so bad i gave it away. The actuating force is VERY high. It fatigued my hands rapidly. Do not recommend.

@matt566

3 ай бұрын

i had a model M. it was so bad i gave it away. The actuating force is VERY high. It fatigued my hands rapidly. Do not recommend.

@matt566

3 ай бұрын

i had a model M. it was so bad i gave it away. The actuating force is VERY high. It fatigued my hands rapidly. Do not recommend.

@matt566

3 ай бұрын

i had a model M. it was so bad i gave it away. The actuating force is VERY high. It fatigued my hands rapidly. Do not recommend.

@matt566

3 ай бұрын

i had a model M. it was so bad i gave it away. The actuating force is VERY high. It fatigued my hands rapidly. Do not recommend.

Man Hank really does not like mechanical keyboards

Somehow two main arguments for virtual keyboards got missed: - Easy to clean, even necessary when your computer is within a sterile zone at work - You can easily switch between keyboard layouts

Honestly I thought this was gonna be about qwerty or ergonomics more. Like maybe some one handed softball shaped design that lets you retract or press down among 9 keys per each of the 3 ring, middle, and index fingers with the thumb handling tasks like space, period, comma, shift, enter, tab and all that.Maybe pinky is a sliding hole like a rotary phone for the numbers. Perhaps even being a combo mouse as well so you can do it all one handed while satisfying the feeling of rightness of holding a ball. Maybe a semi-solid gel texture and flattened opposite half to allow it to move smoothly on a flat surface, be comfortable to use for extended periods, and tingle the urge to squish something boob-like.

One thing about virtual keyboards: You can often swipe instead of typing and autocompletion/correction limits the need for accuracy and overall interactions. So this can be a benefit. Although I wouldn't want to code with one. Also there are a lot of differences between keyboards of the same type, including the layout. So it's hard to judge them in general.

@micahottaway8455

3 ай бұрын

People should not rely on autocorrect. That can and will bite you at times.

I thought this was going to be about Dvorak vs Qwerty. Did you know qwerty was designed to actually slow down your typing? It kept manual typewriters from binding up with arms going up while others were coming down.

@juliasophical

3 ай бұрын

You're part right but mostly wrong. Qwerty was definitely not designed to slow down your typing -- quite the opposite. It was designed to allow you to type more quickly without jamming, by increasing the distance between letters commonly typed in sequence, so you could have one arm coming up while another is coming down.

@snowe..

3 ай бұрын

that's an oft spoken myth, that sadly is not true.

@trevinbeattie4888

3 ай бұрын

The evolution of the QWERTY layout was covered quite well in Atomic Frontier’s recent video “Why typing sucks now” (chapter: “QWERTY origins”).

Most keyboards I've used have a quarter-key offset between the PYF row and the UID row. This dates back to when each key was on the end of a lever, the other end of which engaged another lever, the end of which struck the paper. These levers all were on one rod as fulcrum, so the four rows had to be offset by a quarter key. This offset should be abandoned. I think each row should be offset by a half key, which would make the least change from the current layout. The other option, which I've seen pictures of, has no offset between the rows, but the keyboard is split into two fields, one for each hand. This raises the question of what to do with the X key, which is equidistant from the two index fingers.

This video oversimplifies things. There are several independent factors to mix and match -- the tactile response, the sound, the switch mechanism, the keycaps, the physical layout, the functions, etc. Switches, as focused on in the video, can be very nice in several different varieties... scissor switches (like old IBM models), rubber domes (like Topre or Niz Plum), optical, hall effect, and copper leaf (i.e. "mechanical"). Personally, I like almost anything with a 65% to 75% layout, scissor-like force curve (like Durock T1), little to no sound, a dvorak-based keymap, DSA or MT3-ish keycaps, and heavily customized QMK firmware with a lot of extras, like mouse keys and a knob. But there are a ton of great keyboards lately. It's an exciting time to have a keyboard hobby!

Chorded keyboards are categorically the best. They have the fastest typing speed (once you get over the admittedly steep learning curve), and because of the tiny form factor they are also the easiest to make more ergonomic and portable. But the lack of tactile feedback on virtual chorded keyboards hurts them even more.

@davidioanhedges

3 ай бұрын

It's what stenographers use to do realtime transcripts .... that's how fast they are

Congratulations on getting through Level 1 of divisive keyboard topics. Now do keyboard layouts.

I love Hank's vibe at the start of the video, so confident and inviting discourse

No mention of the Dvorak keyboard????? love you guys!

The only thing that I prefer that digital keyboards have that other keyboards don't is that I can press and hold a letter and get a symbol. On a mechanical key board you just get a bunch of the same letter, and I don't understand why anyone would want that

@EdowythIndowyl

4 ай бұрын

Shift is used for that purpose on regular keyboards. When it was invented, you were SHIFTing the mechanical row of keys that hit the paper from a lower set to an upper set. Nowadays, it's much faster to hit shift+[ to get a { than it is to wait for your computer to timeout an input delay on the key, bring up a menu, and then allow you to switch to a different character. Press and hold is great for intermittent use in handheld devices, but it's not best for many people who repetitively access characters like {, }, &, @, !, =, , _, *, ?, ~, etc.

Wow! Hank was on FIRE today! Great to see you in a good mood :)

Like high-bitrate audio being a proxy for "we didn't cut corners mastering this audio", mechanical keyboards are mostly a proxy for a bunch of other details. For example, I type on nerdy mechanical keyboards because they're the easiest way to get full-travel keys (no laptop half-travel stuff) with keyswitches that don't have to be bottomed out to actuate (no rubber domes), and have a tactile response with a non-linear hysteresis curve (Buckling spring, Cherry MX Blue/Brown/etc., and so on). I'm also very particular about getting a standard US-104 layout so my muscle memory is happy (no post-2013 Unicomp) and I've found that the low actuation force of Cherry MX Blue switches (55n, I believe) and the flat design of XDA-profile or laptop keycaps both seem to lead to more failures to center my fingers on the intended keys before pressing them, leading to a higher error rate. Granted, I do also prefer clicky keys (If I can justify buying a 104-key Model F keyboard, watch out), but I'm not sure how much of that is psychological preference and how much of it actually complements the tactile feedback. I do know the tactile feedback from Cherry MX Blues is too weak for me.

I was hoping this was about key positioning, but this is also informative, but I would also be interested in a video covering that topic

I think that most people who say they dislike mechanical keyboards have only encountered clicky switches. They have tried silent linear switches or silent tactile bump switches. They inextricably connect mechanical keyboards with the sound rapid clicking noises.

Great video!

Hank, you look like you're doing great! Hope you're feeling well too

Love the energy here, bring it! Also Optical ftw!!!

I have been on a half hearted quest for a better keyboard for long term travel projects the way I work. With this video, I just decided to get serious about it. Have a Steel Series keyboard on my desktop replacement laptop, the machine I plan to carry a separate keyboard for. Have tried mechanical type and full layout rubber keyboard. So far the Steel Series keyboard is hard to beat. But the winner of this quest likely will win on layout rather than click type. I really need that space between the normal keys and the number pad... Great topic, and keep plowing ahead with your recovery. My wife is at about the same stage as you with NON Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As yours did, seems at least for the moment, we have it beaten back... good luck!!

Al good stuff Hank but maybe think about 2 other variables. "Mechanical" keyboards may be the type where the switch consists of a physical contact but the better keyboards use the Hall effect where the motion of the key creates the current that is used to signify a key-press. Those need less effort and I find they allow faster typing without the much greater noise of the purely mechanical type. Second, I think the speed of the user is vital. Many users are still essentially 2 fingered-typists and while they can generate a reasonable speed they cannot really compete with those who touch type with 8 or 10 digits. This typing speed factor may determine which is the better option for an individual.

No arguing, it's just nice to see you again! Side note: my laptop's' keyboard is meant to somewhat emulate the feel of a mechanical keyboard, and boy, is it satisfying - though not exactly quiet (apparently it's called "opto-mechanical"?).

I was expecting a QWERTY vs DVORAK episode, but this was good too.

For keyboard layout, the Dvorak keyboard is better than the QWERTY keyboard. The best keyboard I've seen is hand-shaped. Your fingers are placed at the fingertips, and can be moved in the four directions or pressed down. Thus your fingers never leave their home.

not gonna fight you, was raised on a model M, still got one that I pull out once in a while. . . Got a mechanical that's not too bad, never heard of optical, but i'll give that a swing if it's affordable

I've noticed that the feel of a keyboard is much more important than a clicky sound. I also much prefer a quieter switch type like tactile switches

First I thought this was going to be a video about the Dvork vs the Qwerty keyboard layout. Then when Hank said "macros" 7:12 and "this isn't something that you can buy at the store just yet" 7:43 I thought we might get a reference to the Tom Scott Bodge Emoji keyboard from years ago!