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Inventor Christopher Latham Scholes didn't know it, but his typewriter, the first with a modern layout, would end up being the forerunner to one of the most popular

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communication tools of the 21st century. Because even though in 1874, a typing device that assigns

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one letter to each key wasn't exactly the most

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brilliant idea in history, that title clearly belongs to the cinnamon bun,

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Scholes' typewriter was notable for introducing the now ubiquitous QWERTY layout, which was effective,

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supposedly, because it kept letters that were commonly used together

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away from each other to prevent the mechanical arms of the typewriter from hitting each other and causing jams.

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Mmm, jam.

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Now, of course, E and R are placed together in lots of words, and in fact, the original

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design had a period where the R key is today.

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But whatever the reason for this, QWERTY typewriters became very popular, and this keyboard layout

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remained the standard for the teleprinters that became widespread in the early 20th century.

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So it wasn't surprising, then, that when actual computers like the 30-ton ENIAC started popping onto the scene in the

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1940s, these same teleprinters often ended up getting used for data input with that

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same QWERTY layout, setting the stage for the now-familiar

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keyboard layout to be integrated into later machines that weighed less than an entire family of elephants.

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In the 1960s, video terminals started becoming popular, and these typically included

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keyboards that allowed users to more quickly and easily manipulate data on a screen

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instead of using cards or paper tape like those earlier teleprinters that were adapted for use with computers.

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Although, the QWERTY typewriters were more popular in the early 20th century than they were in the early 20th century.

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While these terminals looked like full-fledged computers,

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they were usually just a monitor and keyboard combo that had to be plugged into a larger size system.

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However, since it was much easier to type than operate a computer by

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flipping a bunch of switches on the front or whatever, most computers featured keyboards of some fashion by the early 1980s.

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And we even started seeing some of the first ergonomic keyboards in the late 70s, with companies like Maltron

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seriously thinking about the QWERTY typewriters.

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And everybody was thinking about the user's comfort in a way that led to some very interesting designs.

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And it was a period of great innovation under the hood too.

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Many early keyboards used key switches that were...

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pretty different from what you're probably typing on right now.

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Including ultrasonic switches that actually listened to the different vibration each key would make as it was pressed.

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And, this one was a bit more common, ones that used magnets that got close to a pair of magnets.

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pair of metal pieces causing them to come into contact with each other whenever the key was

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pushed down. These were called reed switches, and while this concept is actually still in use today

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in applications like switching off a laptop when you close the lid, they proved to be too fragile

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and inaccurate for keyboards. So a couple of alternative designs quickly replaced reed switches.

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One was the familiar membrane, which works by placing a metal layer under each key that directly

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contacts traces on the keyboard circuit board when a key is pressed down. This design is both

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inexpensive and resistant to debris, making it very common on cheaper keyboards today.

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Another was a technology that IBM patented in 1978, a spring-loaded key switch called a buckling

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spring. These puppies also worked by direct contact in that pressing down caused two pieces

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of metal to touch, but they proved to be not only extremely durable, but also a

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pliable and durable keyboard.

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So while not the first mechanical switch, buckling spring switches gained enormous popularity

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thanks to their inclusion on the Model F keyboard that came with the original IBM PC in 1980,

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and later the Model M, which is still beloved by keyboard enthusiasts today for its high build

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quality and trademark springy sound. And not to be outdone in the mechanical switch arms race,

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German manufacturer Cherry started gaining notoriety,

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in the mid-1980s, after their switches came installed on some keyboards for the Commodore

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Amiga, and proved to be of better quality than a lot of the alternatives.

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Of course, noisy, heavy mechanical switches aren't always the best solution, which I'm sure you,

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the viewer, can attest to if you've ever had a roommate typing away on their cherry blue keyboard

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while you're trying to sleep. So rubber dome keyboards were developed around the same time.

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These gave the user tactile feedback,

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due to the rubber dome snapping like a suction cup, but they were cheaper and quieter than their

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spring loaded counterparts. Rubber domes have become common on chiclet style keyboards,

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as well as on laptops in the form of the lower profile scissor switch variant, which helps to

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save space. This trend towards light, cheap keyboards drove much of the evolution of the

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keyboard for the next decade or two, with IBM having the brilliant idea to cut costs by putting

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stick-on letters on keycaps in

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1985 rather than having a different manufacturing process for every key.

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So fast forward to today, and basic keyboards are lightweight commodity items that can be

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easily found for less than 10 bucks. But there's also an enormous variety of other options out

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there at all price points, whether you want something tricked out with individual RGB

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backlighting and macro keys for gaming or productivity, a model with optical switches

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for fast response times,

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a trick we actually first saw in the early 1980s, or even a keyboard with no keys at all.

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Just remember, whatever you go with, there's one thing that hasn't changed over the decades.

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Dorito crumbs are still the enemy.

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