lipman@decwrl.UUCP (02/23/84)
Message-Id: <8402231332.AA28321@decwrl.ARPA>
Date: Thursday, 23 Feb 1984 05:28:08-PST
From: dosadi::binder (Wanted: A good five-cent nickel)
To: net.micro, micronet
Subject: Re: Rainbow disenchantment, ala Sherouse
<<< FLAME ON >>>
George Sherouse will most certainly be thrilled to know that, yes, the
VT2xx terminals use the same general keyboard layout as his hated Rainbow.
Tough rocks! I have a VT220, right here and now, and it took me all of
about three days to come to the point at which I have trouble working on a
VT1xx keyboard. Perhaps Mr Sherouse is less adaptable?
Sure, the layout is different. That is not a de facto bad sign. It does
not follow the lead of the Itty-Bitty Machine company, it is laid out with
the DIN standard in mind. As for the placement of the <ESC> and <BS> and
<LF> keys, the fact that they are all int he same place makes them eminently
usable for editing with EDT, which is the DEC standard screen editor for VMS.
(What!??? Not un*x!?!?! Horrors!)
The only problem I have with the VT2xx layout is in the placement of the < and
> characters right by the left-side shift. But I'll manage, George, and you
most assuredly can learn as well.
<<< FLAME OFF >>>
- Dick Binder
decvax!decwrl!rhea!dosadi!binder
DEC Littleton, Mass, 32-bit Engineeringpournell@sdcsvax.UUCP (02/26/84)
In reference to the "<FLAME>" from a DEC person re the DEC vt200 and Rainbow keyboards: You have, in my opinion, either been instilled with a great deal of "DEC forever" sentiment or are a very adaptable typist. I have used a lot of keyboards in my time, but the very best is still that used by the overwhelming majority of office typists -- the IBM Selectric. Lord only knows why the screwed it up so thoroughly on the PCturkey, but they did; why DEC, the fourth largest computer company (behind IBM, IBM, and IBM) would choose to so thoroughly ignore the leading brand's enormous success by putting the keys in such unreachably wrong places is beyond me. This arrogance and ignorance of the marketplace would seem foolhardy when the Rainbow was first introduced, but to keep doing it after its laughable showing in the marketplace is just stupid. To change one of the most successful line of terminals ever in that way is just throat-cutting. I might remind you that DEC still hasn't caught up in micro sales with that young snot Zenith, the one who sold so many machines to the Air Force. Perhaps its keyboard has nothing to do with it, but corporate arrogance certainly does.