If you spend any amount of time at all in front of a PC, you'll realize how important the right keyboard can be. A bad keyboard can hurt, a lot, and can have you looking at hand surgery very quickly if used for an extended period of time. I've been through a lot of keyboards through the years and I've found a few that I like and a few that I don't.

First off, I use a Dvorak keyboard layout. Which means that the vowels of the English language are on my left home row and the most used consonants are on the right. Now this entry is by no means an argument for or against a Dvorak layout. I've used one for years and have never been happier. I'm only stating this fact for full disclosure because it affects my keyboard choices.

Normally, on a regular day, I use a Fingerworks Touchstream LP keyboard which has served me very well for over a year now.

It's a flat keyless surface that supports gestures on either side and mousing on the right panel (I've been told you can switch mousing to the left if you wish). Now I really really enjoy the mousing and gestures system. It's quite wonderful and you get used to it very quickly. The problem I have with this keyboard currently is the lack of tactile feedback when it comes to typing. There is nothing to tell you where you are on the keyboard save for small dots along the home row and on the Space and Back Space thumb keys. This leads to hand-drift problems and generally slow typing. The "zero force" nature of this keyboard is nice because it doesn't hurt or affect your hands as much as say another type of tactile keyboard might. Now over a year, I've learned to type pretty well on it, but I still make a lot of mistakes and my typing isn't what you would call consistently speedy. I believe I timed it once at just over 30-35 words per minute. Which really sounds quite horrible, unless I also say that this was is a typing tutor program so this result should be taken with a grain of salt. All-in-all I find this keyboard great, very very comfortable to use on a regular (14 hour approx.) day of computer use. The Touchstream has been very well designed. It's got an on-board BIOS and processor that is fully upgradeable via a software update and is completely foolproof. Even if the power goes out during a flash the original factory BIOS is stored on ROM and is retrieved in the event of catastrophic error. Plus it has a suite of tools to customize the gestures, even the key sensor locations to match your hand size/type better. But where I think it falls most short is that it lacks that tactile feedback that I so often talk about. You can't feel anything on this keyboard. When you hit a key you just feel plastic. Even the paint in the Lexan plastic is smooth and offer no resistance. Spelling errors and mistakes abound with this keyboard especially in the early months of using it and when the user is tired. They've added an on-board English processor to help fix small key-finger alignment issues, but that also introduces errors when you type more odd things as we programmers are wont to do. Would I recommend this to a friend or colleague? Maybe. I've sold two other people on the wonders of the keyboard and one is regretting the decision a bit.

Currently, as a change for a little while today to see what I'm missing, I switched back to the keyboard of my youth. The IBM Model M keyboard that I received with my IBM PS/2 Model 30.

Ahh... The soothing sound of the buckling spring takes me back to a bygone era of good computer hardware manuals, decent hardware, and the slow scroll text of a saturated 2400 baud modem link. But even using this for a half an hour or more. I can feel the pain in my hands returning. The warm sensation that signals severe pain ahead. I love the way this keyboard feels to type on though. It just feels right. It's very hard to explain if you've never used one before. The sound of the buckling springs is quite loud, so loud in fact I wouldn't doubt that you could be heard about a mile away typing. The keyboard base, or backing if you will, is made from metal. Cold hard metal. You could bludgeon someone to death with this keyboard, wipe it off and get back to work. Perfect for office idiots. Note for the pedants: No the Model M never actually came in a Dvorak layout, but because the keyboard is so well made, it has flat keycaps and a sloped back. So you can move the keycaps about and not have any change in the slope of the keys. Try this with a regular keyboard and you'll be quite disappointed with the results.

What does this all mean? I don't really know. I don't know how to fix or improve on the Touchstream keyboard to make it more like the Model M. These keyboards are polar opposites. One is light, dainty and easy on the hands. The other is a weapon, a tool of pain for both the office dolt and for your hands. So what do the readers out there have as a suggestion? Do I just get over my problems with the Touchstream and accept it as one, if not the, best keyboard I've ever used? Do I use my Model M for 6 months straight and then retire forever from the business?