
IBM is still making ThinkPad keyboards - cblop
http://mthompson.org/keyboard.html
======
p_eter_p
There is a special place in hell reserved for the designer who swapped the
function and control key placement on that keyboard. Thankfully you can change
it in the bios.

~~~
abtinf
You say swapped, I say its the correct placement. I use control much more
frequently than fn, and its easier to reach it with my pinky on the thinkpad
keyboard.

~~~
ams6110
Me too, that's why I have Control and Caps-Lock swapped.

~~~
StavrosK
Caps lock master race, reporting in. It's amazing how well-suited Caps lock is
to act as the Ctrl key. Go through the pain of remapping for a day, feel great
using your new, anatomic Ctrl for the rest of your life.

Seriously, do it now. In two days, you'll thank me.

~~~
bsimpson
Inspired by the Search key in ChromeOS, I've been mapping Caps-A to "Quick
Open File…" and Caps-S to "Command Palette…" in Sublime for years. It's
wickedly convenient.

------
pkamb
The "ThinkPad USB Keyboard with TrackPoint" is the updated version of the OP's
keyboard, with nice improvements such as the "big delete key" and slightly
more modern build quality. Sold from ~2009 to ~2013.

[https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd005137](https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd005137)

I use one of these full time at my desk. All TrackPoint, no mouse or trackpad.

Lenovo is now unfortunately making only the "Compact" keyboard, with the same
chiclet keys as new ThinpPads. But the one linked above is still widely
available and comes very recommended.

~~~
dnr
Could you point to where that model is "widely available"? It doesn't seem to
be on amazon or newegg, and I'd really like to get another one (or two). It's
my favorite keyboard as well.

~~~
pkamb
There seem to usually be a few available at any given time on eBay or Amazon.
But yes, getting harder to find unfortunately. And now I have competition...

~~~
dnr
Yes, there are some used/refurbished on amazon for $200+ (or $300+ new). I
don't like it _that_ much :)

But this prompted me to look on amazon again and I found an older revision for
$80 and nabbed it. No luck on ebay.

------
WizzleKake
[http://www.pckeyboard.com/](http://www.pckeyboard.com/) Unicomp is still
keeping the glory days of the IBM Model M keyboard alive.

~~~
apricot
Ah, the Model M. Still have mine from 1990, used it for decades, and I would
still be using it at home if it were not for the fact that it was so loud it
woke up my newborn son sleeping in the other room.

So I got a quieter keyboard (Realforce 87U that I picked up in Japan, very
different key feeling but in a good way) and put the Model M in storage.

My son is now 7 years old, loves Minecraft, and wants to learn programming. So
we've been spending some quality father-son time on pcpartpicker.com lately,
in search of the best computer he can afford. "No need to buy a keyboard," I
told him, "I've got exactly what you need."

You never actually own a Model M. You merely look after it for the next
generation.

~~~
gcb0
if you got a real force to replace a buckling spring you didn't do your
homework :)

torpe keys are louder than cherry, mostly because cherry you can use heavier
key caps and dampening rubber all around. there are rumors of topre with
dampening on the up motion, but even finding regular topre is already
difficult enough (also imported mines from Japan, like you)

also, the feeling from tactile cherries are closer the bucking spring

~~~
apricot
Just because I love buckling springs doesn't mean I don't also enjoy Topre.
I'm far from monogamous when it comes to keyboards.

And I most certainly did my homework, which in my case meant walking around in
Den-Den Town (Osaka's version of Akihabara) trying keyboards at various
stores. In the end, my two favorites were a Fujitsu Libertouch and the
Realforce I got.

When you say "Topre keys are louder than cherry", I guess you're excluding the
clicky cherries. I have a Filco with blue cherries at work, and it's much
louder than my Realforce.

------
jonbaer
Does no one remember the Butterfly keyboard on the 701?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_ThinkPad_Butterfly_keyboar...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_ThinkPad_Butterfly_keyboard)

~~~
joezydeco
IBM did some creative (and useful!) things with the early Thinkpads. Remember
the 755CD/V? You could pull the backlight off the LCD and strap the laptop to
an overhead projector.

[http://thinkwiki.de/images/0/07/755cdv-
overhead.jpg](http://thinkwiki.de/images/0/07/755cdv-overhead.jpg)

~~~
iliis
Awesome, I would never have tought that this is/was an actual product! We
tried to do something like this as teenagers with an old (normal) LCD, but
some ribbon-cables were in the way. Still, there are people building
projectors themselves using that method.

~~~
joezydeco
I have one. It's pretty simple in practice, although the LCD fades as it heats
up from the projector's light.

------
better_buttons
The think I love the most about these keyboard/trackpad/trackpoint peripherals
is the physically distinct mouse buttons.

Do you _KNOW_ how insanely awful current model trackpads are?

Every single manufacturer seems to think it's a good idea to fabricate the
trackpad as a solid unit, and have it act as both the left and right buttons,
and it is SO horrendously impractical that it pains me to even broach the
subject.

Every single fucking laptop I see tries this, and fails. They are all bad.

And yes, I know Apple does it. And you know what? The MacBook trackpad/button
unit also sucks. But. They have the capacity to tailor the operating system
for a closer behavioral fit. And that's the only thing that separates the
Apple product.

Note physically separate mouse buttons on this IBM/Lenovo unit. These buttons
are so much more reliable and accurate.

When you press one button, there is little risk of accidentally interacting
with the other button, because they are not physically united by the same
piece of plastic..

------
aaronbrethorst

        Looking up the driver info in Linux,
        it appears to be manufactured by Lite-on,
        who do indeed still manufacture Thinkpad
        parts for Lenovo.
    
        [...]
    
        So perhaps that's it: IBM is still making
        Thinkpad-style keyboards for its rack-
        mounted servers, possibly only in China.
    

I'm confused: how does Lite-on == IBM?

~~~
papercrane
Manufactured by Lite-on for IBM, but the arrangement is quite common. For
example, Foxconn manufactures all current generation consoles, but we still
say "Microsoft makes the Xbox One."

~~~
joezydeco
Lite-on also builds the power supply for the 4th gen AppleTV...

[https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/JZCBHisKVpM6G1eN.h...](https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/JZCBHisKVpM6G1eN.huge)

~~~
dclowd9901
They also used to build the shit out of CD-ROM drives; didn't seem to matter
which company sold the drive -- it was almost invariable a Lite-On drive.

------
binaryapparatus
Glory days, can't not smile when I remember tech decades old. I still have two
buckling spring Model M keyboards and they are really made to last. Oh and
bought them when they were new and selling, that's how ancient I am. I really
wish IBM starts doing complete PC line again.

~~~
beginpanic
Unfortunately it won't happen. As an IBMer, I see how quickly IBM sheds
anything that is not a top earner, and hardware (especially consumer hardware)
will never be a top earner again. The recent partnership with Apple (replacing
employee ThinkPads with Macbooks) doesn't look favorably on them making
consumer goods anymore either.

If you want IBM approved consumer hardware, it's not even the Thinkpads
anymore. Apple makes the modern day IBM hardware.

------
robotjosh
Apple should stick the magic mouse surface onto keyboard keys. Imagine being
able to use a home row key as a tiny trackpad. You could also scroll by
swiping down on a key. Never have to move your hands from home row. Come on
apple!

------
gozo
As far as I know IBM still sold server up until last year when that department
was also sold to Lenovo. So it makes sense that they were still making
peripherals for server use, they probably aren't anymore though.

~~~
scott_s
That was the x86 line of servers. IBM still sells Power and Z systems. (I work
for IBM Research, but not on any of that.)

------
chdir
I use a standing desk, and hence require a separate keyboard to go with my
laptop for proper head & wrist position. I've been searching for a wireless
thinkpad keyboard which is a replica of the T series keyboard (with touchpad &
dedicated mouse buttons). It seems not many people ask for it and hence they
don't make it. I've tried logitech & Microsoft's wireless keyboards, they
aren't that much fun to use. Posting it here, in case some keyboard enthusiast
has a recommendation I could try.

~~~
pkamb
Not wireless, and no trackpad, but this is a replica of the best T-Series
keyboard and is very good:
[https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd005137](https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd005137)

~~~
HN-Account
There newer version of this keyboard would then be wireless, but lacks a
touchpad.
[http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/0B47189/460/60AC6A0...](http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/0B47189/460/60AC6A0372B14F5BA7B12F1FF88E33C7)

------
sanoli
I use one of these (model's a bit different, but pretty close) every day to
write and edit text. I emulate Jef Raskin's Canon Cat navigation model on the
trackpad buttons, and it works exceptionally well. If the demand was there,
I'd make a commercial version of my text editor to be used with these
keyboards. Best thing for writers I've ever used.

~~~
unexistance
previous thread -
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3394546](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3394546)

------
brudgers
It wouldn't surprise me if there were service contracts requiring continued
manufacture of the keyboard to insure replacement parts.

~~~
valarauca1
Replacement parts are normally made in the same production run as Production
parts. You just project the number of replacement/warrenty claims, and build
10% over that.

Cuts the cost of dyes/run times. This is also why replacement parts become
next to impossible to find 10-15 years down the line. If they are available
they'll become outrageously expensive due to another company purchasing the
rights to make spare parts.

Source: Worked as a military contract and sourced engine parts from Level3
Communication.

~~~
MichaelGG
Engine parts from Level3? Like generators?

~~~
valarauca1
Nope transmissions. Level3 purchased a large number of John Deer patients from
the 1950's and 60's and produces surplus tank parts.

Well technically its a manufacturing company with their controlling interests
owned by Level3. Its very steady predictable revenue. Literally an investor
centric board member's wet dream.

------
thrownaway2424
Too bad it doesn't have the tricolor IBM logo.

------
pjgomez
I have had the very same keyboard shown in the article for more than ten years
and it still works perfectly, although I was a bit disappointed at the time
because it didn't feel quite the ones in the laptops. Lately though, I went
all nostalgic and undusted an old IBM 1391405, that clicks like a charm while
I am typing this.

------
Havoc
>the modern chiclet-key Lenovo equivalents

I kinda like them actually from a tactile point of view.

The trackpads on the Lenovos on the other hand...someone deserves to be shot
for that. Same for the person that switched the CTRL and fn keys. Seriously
WTF?

------
gcb0
there's modern design by a company called Tex that has true mechanical keys
plus the center mouse thingy. tex yoda. look it up.

i don't use mine much because they dumbly made it a two buttons mouse only.

------
mschuster91
Bit unrelated: there are upgrade kits available for Thinkpad laptops - does
anyone know if there is a way to replace the motherboard of a 2004-era R40
with something at least a bit faster?

~~~
robin_reala
Looking at the Thinkwiki page for the R40 [1] it looks like they come in
Celeron, Pentium 4 and Pentium M models. You’d want the 1.7Ghz version of the
Pentium M for the best speed I’d think. There’s some talk of changing the
motherboard out on an R40 here [2] and there seem to be plenty of motherboards
on ebay for cheap.

[1]
[http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:R40](http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:R40)
[2]
[http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=80880](http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=80880)

------
bunkydoo
It was kindof a shame when they moved to chiclet keys a few years back. The
keystrokes felt much different after that transition, and I can't say it was
an improvement.

------
blobbers
IBM is still making ThinkPad keyboards...

...and I'm still using one!

------
njharman
Worst part of avoiding further RSI via split keyboard is no more home row
fingerable pointer. Now I gotta leave home row to twiddle with mousey thing.

------
Puriney
Nothing could be impossibly manufactured at China, e.g. Huaqiangbei Shenzhen.
Take it as a friendly reminder from a Chinese. See also the news describing
everything could be found at Huaqiangbei
([http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gallery/2014/jun/13/hu...](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gallery/2014/jun/13/huaqiangbei-
shenzhen-market-smartphone-parts-in-pictures))

------
hepek
I have this keyboard. Mine was made in 2008.

------
v4n4d1s
I switched to DasKeyboard Ultimate S a few years ago, never looked back to the
old IBM ThinkPad keyboards.

~~~
dijit
no mobile though.

I had the crazy idea of sticking a cubietruck into a ten keyless mechanical
keyboard, attaching it to a 10" tft/lcd and adding an adjustable kickstand.

I really do like to have a good keyboard when mobile. :\

------
chrisBob
This guy went out of his way to buy something with a trackpoint? Surely this
is a hoax.

~~~
jamescun
Back in the late 90s I had a Toshiba Satellite Pro 420 with the green nipple
mouse. It was by far better than any touchpad that came along until very
recently.

(If anybody knows the actual term other than "nipple mouse" please let me
know).

~~~
nix0n
According to [https://xkcd.com/243/](https://xkcd.com/243/) it's either
TrackPoint(tm) or "clit mouse"

