Spring RTS Engine

Designed in Texas and made in Taiwan- and generally having little to do with Germany - I now have the best keyboard ever made since the IBM Model M. And boy does it ever sound good.

pretty pics (sadly without sound):






edit: this is the 105 key euro model btw

No keyboard is complete until you rip out windows-keys. >_>

Teutooni wrote:No keyboard is complete until you rip out windows-keys. >_>

Can you *see* the windows key? Thought not.


Anyhow, just project onto the key the image of Richard Stallman's beard, just as how the cylons project on the world from the reimagined BSG.

I pop widows keys out with butter knives.

How loud is it? I'd love to get one for the office but I'm worried it would piss everyone off.

Teutooni, smoth, you don't have uses for an extra meta key with the ability to bring up the program launch list? Good to have something else on it but why remove the key?

Boirunner wrote:How loud is it? I'd love to get one for the office but I'm worried it would piss everyone off.

Well it uses individual mechanical keys so it is louder than your average membrane keyboard, and it's a breeze to type on; requiring much less strain. When typing it gives great tactile feedback and a very satisfying clicking sound, but I'd imagine that might annoy people around you over time. However, I haven't used it around other people yet so I can't really say what their reaction would be.

I frequently mistake it for alt/ctrl. My current machines have it as I habitually lock my machine when I am not at it.

smoth wrote:I frequently mistake it for alt/ctrl. My current machines have it as I habitually lock my machine when I am not at it.

You can easily disable the windows key in windows through the registry:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216893



You don't need it, and ctrl+esc preforms the same function.

But none of the meta functions work on that.

lurker wrote:but why remove the key?

The empty sockets look pretty...

pro tip:
remove windows key.
put in smaller windows key from different keyboard.

I prefer my SteelSeries 7G, better anti-ghosting and the left Windows key is replaced with a SteelSeries key, that in combination with F1-F6 acts as multimedia keys but does nothing annoying by itself. No USB 2.0 hub though, but I use my monitor as a USB hub anyway...

ZellSF wrote:I prefer my SteelSeries 7G, better anti-ghosting and the left Windows key is replaced with a SteelSeries key, that in combination with F1-F6 acts as multimedia keys but does nothing annoying by itself. No USB 2.0 hub though, but I use my monitor as a USB hub anyway...

Hmmm, that's a pretty good idea; I might change my keyboard configuration to match that feature.

edit: done :)

Id love to get one of those myself, but im on a laptop so its not really useful.
Id also love to try out the devorak and colemak keyboard layouts, but with actual keys on my keyboard its rather counterproductive.

enlighten me as to why this keyboard is supposed to be so good

The windows key does more than bring up the start menu. For example windows+d or windows+r or windows+e, taking it out is like taking the command key off an OS X machine

ralphie wrote:enlighten me as to why this keyboard is supposed to be so good

It's a mechanical keyboard (better build quality, better typing feel) made for gaming (anti-ghosting, very quick response times and buttons activate when you press them half down) with no features that distract users from the flaws of the keyboard (seriously, backlit keys and LCDs in keyboards are stupid).

The SteelSeries 7G also has nice and simple multimedia keys (and the best anti-ghosting you'll find) and Das Keyboard has a USB 2.0 hub (which is somewhat rare in keyboards).

They're still just keyboards though, it's not *that* much they can do that much better than competitors.

Edit: also, AF, the command key on a Mac is more like ctrl, which is a way more useful key than the Windows key ever will be.

Windows + r/d/e? Pfff. Windows + r would be useful, but it's just 2 mouseclicks anyway... Tbh I take them off because 1) its ridiculous they minimize the active window, especially when they're so moronically placed. 2) If I just disable them and accidentally press them instead of alt, it takes me a while noticing why the app isn't responding. So instead of tolerating all that bullshit, I simply take them off.

Boirunner wrote:How loud is it? I'd love to get one for the office but I'm worried it would piss everyone off.

you lie, you dont work, you hobo