Back in the days, when computer were used by real computer users and nobody knew what a mouse is, the preferred input device was also the only input device: The Keyboard!
When the hipster revolution began back in the seventies/eighties, the proliferation of the mouse users increased dramatically, the keyboard was still the preferred computer input device and the clumsy ways of interfacing a computer using the mouse continued to be unpopular until the introduction of Lisa -followed by macintosh- and the other famous windowed operating system, window..
The computing revolution allows everybody to use a computer, like microwaves and washing machines before, anyone was now able to use his hands to move the mouse, doing in this way stuff on the computer! That’s great! Thanks to the hipster-revolution I have a job today!
Thirty years later when people are not able anymore to write, the keyboard is much less popular, computer and OS designers thinks about the computer user as a monkey which need to be trained to push the proper colored box on the screen, the keyboard is a device relegated to be used by professionals or who needs writing for work.
I personally consider a working environment ill formed if a mouse is required to work, performing any operation with a mouse takes ages and is uncomfortable because you have to move continuously to on fro your hand from the mouse to the keyboard. Everything can be done with a sole keyboard.
There are exceptions of course, people which do graphic stuff or image processing or whatever require drawing lines or selecting image areas. I think it would be pretty hard to perform architecture tasks without a mouse or one of that fancy input pen devices.
The degradation of the keyboard role in the computing world caused a sharp decline in the keyboard manufacturing quality, stores are now full of membrane keyboards which resemble a real keyboard, but they are not! The real keyboard have mechanical switches, is heavy, noisy and have that sexy tactile feeling when you type, is also extremely accurate and almost indestructible!
People keep complaining that mechanical keyboards are expensive, but they are not! The price of a mechanical keyboard is the correct price for a real keyboard, a membrane keyboards is cheap because is worthless, it only resemble a keyboard!
I know, you don’t own a mechanical keyboard, unfortunately you may not be able to understand my point. You’re accustomed to that fancy plastic/gum thing on your desktop, which by the way may be also very expensive. You really need to try a real keyboard soon!
Mechanical keyboards are available in different flavors, you may like the Cherry MX blue switches version –my favorite– or perhaps the Cherry MX brown switches, or maybe one of the other variant, for some detail about the available switches have a look here. Each and every switch offers a different tactile experience and is designed to fit a certain kind of user.
I own two Das Keyboard keyboards, a Das Keyboard 4 Professional with Cherry MX Brown switches and a Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate with Cherry MX Blue switches. The first one is my home keyboard the second one is my office keyboard, I love them!
There are many other good keyboard manufactures out there, you may want to have a research before buying your first real keyboard, I made my research as well and at the end Das Keyboard was referred to me by a friend.
Do yourself a favor, buy a mechanical keyboard.
Thanks for reading