History of the Computer Keyboard
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2019-05-06
·
1,234 words · ~6 min read
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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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