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Topic: “ergonomics”

I finally gave up on my work laptop’s default keyboard and brought my low-profile Apple keyboard from home. So much happier this way. Seriously: I can’t even type correctly on the HP Compaq keyboard, the response is so mushy. I end up capitalizing the second letter of each capitalized word almost without exception. This is simply not a problem on any quality keyboard. If you want to know the differences between a cheap laptop and a good laptop, this is one of the big ones. Right up there with trackpad quality (and size!), and whether the edged of computer attempt to kill you by slitting your wrists. Ugh.

The more time I spend reading things on the internet, the more obvious it is to me that measure matters. Too many sites still have lines running to well over 100 characters. (I saw one recently that runs to 135, and many online technical manuals still run to the full width of the page!) It’s just hard to read.

I locked this site in at between 66 and 72 characters, and it makes a difference. I hope, eventually, that everyone gets this right. In the meantime, Instapaper and Readability carry the day!

Keyboard quality matters

I spent much of the day today working on a slightly older model HP Compac laptop.

To be as plain as I can: the keyboard was utterly atrocious. To say the keys are mushy is an understatement. To say the designers lacked a sense of aesthetic pleasure would only be slightly less obvious than to say that they had no concept of the value of ergonomics. Read on, intrepid explorer →