Keyboard Chatter

["Michael Norman" michael.norman@xxxxxxxx]

Okay, got a Filco Majestic 2 with Cherry Blue mechanical switches (same as
DasKeyboard). If you are a buckling spring long-time user and are looking to
lighten your touch, but still like the click of mechanical switches, it's a
nice unit. Solid, easily to adapt to, saves a lot of space on the desktop,
well-made peripheral. But...

Though my hands are getting a bit stiff from four years of pounding out
articles and books, it simply did not have the "feel" -- how else can I
describe it -- of my IBM Model M adapted to a ps/2 connection. I did not
take a micrometer to measure, but it's clear the key spacing on the IBM is a
bit wider, and there is just not enough resistance for my taste. It's all a
bit idiosyncratic, I know, but I've had this keyboard since the early 80's
and I guess my muscle memory is simply patterned to it. Again, the Filco is
a fine product, and I can see where a typist with a light touch would really
enjoy it. But those buckling springs just keep going and going. After I
packed the Filco to send it back, I took a key remover, went down to my
workbench, took the entire Model M keyboard apart, removed every key,
vacuumed and used canned air to clear between the switches (so much cat hair
I was ready to ban the beasts from my office), scrubbed the keys with 409
and a Scotchbrite pad, and, well, I have a "new" Model M.

Of course, since I'm getting ready to start on another manuscript, you can
also write all this up to superstition. I wrote my first book on a KayPro,
but everything else on this keyboard plugged into at least three different
computers.

Michael Norman

-----Original Message-----
From: xywrite-bounce@xxxxxxxx [mailto:xywrite-bounce@xxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Harry Binswanger
Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2014 6:34 PM
To: xywrite@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: keyboard position

Martin, are you enjoying the results?

I've added some functionality to $X which I like, such as the ability to
dispense with "cd" in changing directories.

If I want to change to \dropbox\xy from say \users\hb\AppData I need only do
this:

x

Here's how it's done. I inserted into $X a line that JuMps to a frame for
cd-ing and tries that as a last resort before resulting in an error message.
The frame for cd-ing is simple-mindedly written as a bunch of 
statements. One of them is:

=="x">BX cd \dropbox\xyQ2 

It's actually not exactly that but that gives you the idea.


>Thanks, Harry. I see you assign it to the Enter key (28). Do you also
>have a key for a bare carriage return, as Carl suggests? The Enter key
>on the number pad (104)?
>
>Martin
>
>On 1/16/2014 12:20 AM, Harry Binswanger wrote:
≫In TABLE=
≫28=Q8$X
≫
≫The Q8 is for the Microlytics spell-checker.
≫
≫Also, you need to have this as the first entry in Xy4.DLG, and it
≫needs to be surrounded by those smiley faces you get for ASCII 02:
≫
≫{{5$?}} Redirect source for funcs $A-$Z|$0-$9 from .DLG to .U2 [CLD]
≫≪SX00,≪VA$FR≫≫JM 2.≪PV00≫Q2
≫
≫You understand that "≪" means a left guillemet and that JM and Q2 are
≫the pfuncs.
≫
≫
≫>Many thanks, Carl. I've decoded the frame and added it to the U2
≫>file. Now I should add an entry in my keyboard file, right? What do
≫>you recommend?
≫>
≫>Thanks also for your work on v120!
≫>
≫>Martin
≫>
≫>On 1/13/2014 11:04 PM, Carl Distefano wrote:
≫≫
≫≫Reply to note from "Martin J. Osborne" 
≫≫Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:09:12 -0500
≫≫
≫≫Martin:
≫≫
≫≫>I know that I have to first decode the frame. I copied the code
≫≫>below into a file and tried decode but got the error "No
≫≫>Start Cue - Abort". Can someone help me out?
≫≫
≫≫The program that Harry and I each used to encode the frame is not in
≫≫the last public release of U2 (which indeed is v119 from 2007). It's
≫≫Wally Bass's XYENC.COM; the companion routine, XYDEC.COM, is
≫≫required for decoding. Information about the Bass encode and decode
≫≫utilities, my justification for adopting them, and setup
≫≫instructions are all in my post to the list from February of last
≫≫year:
≫≫
≫≫http://www.freelists.org/post/xywrite/EncodeDecode-Important
≫≫
≫≫If anything there isn't clear, feel free to contact me, on- or off-
≫≫list.
≫≫
≫≫Once you get the frame decoded, DeFine it in its entirety and issue
≫≫ADD2U2 to add it to your U2 file.
≫≫
≫≫>Is there a compilation anywhere of changes and additions [to U2]
≫≫>since 2007?
≫≫
≫≫Alas, no. I've been working for some time on v120, which will
≫≫include the latest versions of existing frames, along with many new
≫≫ones that have been posted individually here over the years. It's a
≫≫big project, and I'm still some months away from completing it,
≫≫having just embarked on the most time-consuming part -- updating the
≫≫documentation. Of course I'll post a notice here when it's done.
≫>
≫>--
≫>Martin J. Osborne
≫>http://www.economics.utoronto.ca/osborne
≫>
≫>Theoretical Economics, a journal of the Econometric Society
≫>http://econtheory.org Follow TE: http://twitter.com/EconTheory
≫>
≫>PoET
≫>http://poet.economics.utoronto.ca
≫
≫
>
>--
>Martin J. Osborne
>http://www.economics.utoronto.ca/osborne
>
>Theoretical Economics, a journal of the Econometric Society
>http://econtheory.org Follow TE: http://twitter.com/EconTheory
>
>PoET
>http://poet.economics.utoronto.ca
>