Mechanical Keyboards

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Which vintage computers and terminals inspired the various keycap profiles? (kbin.social)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I assume IBM was the inspiration behind the OEM profile, and SA certainly looks familiar, but was it from a specific machine, or just meant to be evocative of them? Was XDA from anything in particular?

Even beyond that, I'd just love to hear any trivia about the ties between the history of the industry and the modern hobby.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

SA keycaps come from the IBM Selectric I and II typewriters, as well as the Apple II. I think XDA is just a modern profile developed relatively recently, but it is relatively similar to DSA, which I think also goes back decades

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

DSA is basically just low-profile SA caps.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

And also not sculpted, right?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Interesting. I was thinking of PCs and terminals, but I forgot to go one "generation" back. huh.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

And oh my gosh, was there ever a product line that insisted on getting uglier as it went like the Selectrics?