ir230@sdccsu3.UUCP (john wavrik) (06/29/83)
Many of those who have contributed their gripes about microcomputer keyboards fail to distinguish between the keyboard (hardware) and keyboard drivers (software). I was particularly intrigued by the flame about the TRS-80 Model I keyboard. As it turns out, that is precisely the keyboard I am using to type this ... and I didn't recognize it from its description!. It is true that the early TRS-80 Model Is suffered from keybounce (including mine). This problem was corrected in later Model Is by a change in hardware. It was easily corrected in the early models by cleaning the key contacts or by a debounce routine ( which is built in to the keyboard drivers in many operating systems for the TRS-80 ). The standard Radio Shack driver produces upper case letters without shift (which is the way I prefer it except for word-processing and communicating with UNIX) ... most operating systems have drivers which allow the user to toggle between this and unshifted lowercase. I use a communications program written in MMS-FORTH. The good people at Miller Microcomputer Services have provided a full ASCII keyboard with repeat key ... the extra codes are not marked on keycaps, but they are in logical places, so the arrangement is easy to use. I have never had any trouble with rapid touch typing on this keyboard. The TRS-80 keyboard is a set of switches which cross certain address lines with data lines. All the interpretation is done in software. This arrangement is very flexible: the sofware can recognize single and multiple key presses and react in any way desired. It may well be that other manufacturers also use this type of system .. in which case, don't flame at the keyboard, just change the software if you don't like it! John J Wavrik .. ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!ir230