Lenovo ThinkPad USB keyboard

those keyboards are great for servers or headless workstations. i have one on my thinkstation for the occasional moments where i need non-networked access. i have the usb version but they also make a wireless one.

I had a lot of problems with the pain in the arm strings as you mentioned. At some point I switched to slim keyboards, and to a trackball mouse. I also tried to use a magic trackpad in between but that made it worse. Nowadays I am using the Thinkpad USB keyboard combined with a CSL vertical mouse and I don't have any string injuries anymore. I mainly chose the keyboard because it is actually one of like 3 that doesn't have batteries and doesn't have a numpad that I don't use anyways. As a mousepad I am using an aluminium/teflon mousepad I have for like 20 years now. It is superflat and doesn't make my arms stick to it while moving. As to your mouse movements: the thinkpad usb keyboard has an additional middle mouse key, which does exactly that. It's just so comfortable to use while browsing. For lots of mouse movements, like in CAD tools or other mouse-heavy environments I still stick to using my vertical mouse though.

I've been getting into Plan 9 this year; I love the simplicity of the design, such as the fact that nearly all system services are accessible through the file system. I'm running 9legacy on a spare Intel Core i3 mini-PC; my ThinkPad USB keyboard works very well with the rio and acme interfaces, which need a three-button mouse. Admittedly I'm also using Plan 9 as a platform for my own OS project; I feel I can express my ideas easier using Plan 9's infrastructure compared to using Linux or one of the BSDs as a foundation, though this comes at the cost of extensive driver and software support (for example, there are no Common Lisp implementations for Plan 9 that I'm aware of, and porting an existing implementation such as SBCL will be a lot of work).

I also used to always run ThinkPads (and Precision workstations with pointing sticks). I these days run a System76 Lemur Pro with a USB thinkpad keyboard I stick on top. The built-in keyboard is good, but trackpads and I have never gotten along. They've come a long way. Another option that friend got was the Frame Work. I helped him assemble it, and it also is a great GNU/Linux machine. Everything just works.

> It's too bad that laptop switches will likely never see the huge and varied aftermarket that we have with mechanical keyboards. There's a switch for everyone Is there one for me, who likes little key travel, softness, and silence? So far the best solution I've found : thinkpad USB keyboards everywhere :)