9fans archive / 1998 / 08 / 64 /    prev next

From: Chris Siebenmann cks@haw...
Subject: [9fans] using mouse (was: ... using sam)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 18:04:59 -0500

| We looked for successors to the Lexmark and tried the Behavioural
| Technologies BTC-5100 wired keyboard.

 I am fond of the BTC-5100C, although I don't know how different it
is from the BTC-5100. One of its sterling virtues is that it's small,
which means the mouse can be closer to my hands in their normal typing
position. It also has what I consider a good feel. I haven't had any
problems finding DEL/F1/F2 in a hurry, but then I use it all the time;
people who switch from keyboard to keyboard might have more problems.

 The BTC-5100C has a few extra keys over a typewriter (the cursor keys,
a small top row of ESC/function keys/Numlock/etc), and some useful keys
(PgUp, PgDown) have to be gotten at with a special shift key. But it
gives you almost everything a full-sized PClone keyboard would have,
which is sometimes useful.

 Downside: it is a PClone keyboard, so the ESC is above ~/` and CapsLock
is where the Control key should be.

| If Logitech don't shape up, we may have to find another mouse vendor,
| though there aren't many contenders.

 Logitech appears to make mice for a number of workstation and PClone
vendors (SGI and Digital, for example), so it may still be possible
to get sane Logitech mice by buying replacement workstation mice from
applicable vendors. This may be unfortunately expensive.

	- cks