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Comment by frou_dh | Hacker News Reader

IMHO the persistence of Model M (now Unicomp) worship is a meme. Yes a chunky Buckling Spring mechanism is a very unique and "fun" feel, but that doesn't mean it's actually good to do a lot of typing on in terms of ergonomics or speed. So what of it? It's a novelty item, not the ultimate keyboard.

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I'm big into the custom mechanical keyboard hobby (not that that makes my opinion special or anything, ha) and I definitely agree. It's funny, cus a lot of people in the hobby see the Model M as their "holy grail" keyboard. But the more modern keyboards are just so much more comfortable to type on for extended periods of time (whether they are 'ergo' keyboards or not). It's all personal preference, but I think a lot of the love for the Model M is just nostalgia.

My fave keyboard is the IBM Model M SSK. I started out with the full sized Model M, but the keypad got to be a bit too much and as I was making several geographical moves as a young person, I wanted something that saved space on my desk.

In a way, I agree with you that buckling spring keyboards are a novelty now but back then they were a revelation, and once you start using a keyboard with high tactile feedback and positive keyclick you won't want to go back.

I still have my Model M SSK, but these days I use a LoFree Flow84, which is a smoother, quieter experience. And it has absolutely the best space bar I've ever used on any keyboard.

How many other 40+ year old keyboard models do people still regularly use today? The Model-M reputation earned more than a click.

My Kinesis Advantage is only a little bit younger at 32 years old.

I think, to a degree, ergonomics are a complete package and sound can be part of it.

I tend to err on the side of loud-click switches (Alps/Matias, buckling spring, Gateron Melodic or Kailh Box switches lately) in part because I beat a series of late-1990s dome keyboards to death because I needed some sound to feel like a key was registering.

A family member has a light linear board basically because he wanted a Pride-exploded-on-his-desktop lightshow and it's very awkward for me to use.

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