I was talking about the original G3 and G4 keyboards:
They are simply not of high quality.
Disagree. I have a partial working one from the G3 age that somedays doesn't work the lower row of keys, but it still works most of the days. Not bad for a 18 years old keyboard.
You have to go to mechanical keyboards (Cherry keys) like that IBM model M keyboard for a better (?) experience / a unit that could survive an atomic bomb.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboardI have very fond memories on the PS/2 version on school days.
Those mech. keyboard are prefered for
writters. On a studio you want the quietest keyboard.
The first Apple Pro "black keys" are my favourite and the ones that last me more. One with the "white keys" with USB ports close to the cable lasted less than expected. I have seen way more alu keyboards broken due to liquid than plastic ones.
Also the alu ones tend to loose keys under "industrial" use.
I have to reckon that typing on alu ones is the prefered for the lazy ones.
I mean, it is easier/faster/causes less fatigue/seems more modern.
I use the A1243 aluminum on my MDD. I can't possibly see where one would find it to be "ugly"…
The latest ones are reported as non working on some sites due to their USB 2.0 nature. Thanks for reporting a "working" one. Do openfirmware work with it? I have found imposible to choose a boot disk with some logitech USB keyboards.
I can find 2000 excuses for not to buy a 50 bucks keyboard
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MB110LL/B/apple-keyboard-with-numeric-keypad-english-usa.
Or at least I feel that way.
I have been using on a Win Machine
http://www.pccomponentes.com/tacens_mars_gaming_mk1.html?gclid=CjwKEAjwp-S6BRDj4Z7z2IWUhG8SJAAbqbF35IH5r4FbySRLcjFGPJ0GglxZ7InwZgE-Ba6MkUTL6hoCImDw_wcBThis
includes a tool to extract the WASD keys for red colour or left them black as it comes from factory. There is no need to buy rare MARL tools.
I will report next week if it fully works on OS9.
USB keyboards are cheap if you do not mind to have the Apple key and command key in the wrong/reverse place. But be careful, some "enhanced" keyboards with lots of "extra" functions only offer those "extra" funtions keys instead of the "main" keys.
In my case, after learning
all ProTools key-commands on Windows, later use them with "Windows" keyboard on Macs and finally re-learning same key-commands with a native "Apple" keyboard, I can't live without an Apple USB keyboard, even if they are semitraslucent/transparent ones.
They are not cheesy at all. In fact they are "Classic".
Check my post about bluetooth keyboards on OS9.
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,1300.0.htmlThe hard part is to find the right receiver.