Stuff
Today I managed to buy no less than five IBM Model M keyboards for five dollars from Trade Me. This is a damn good price considering they're one of the best keyboards ever made:
This keyboard is widely praised as being exceedingly well-built, and indeed one of the longest lived computer components ever made. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that keyboard design has changed little in the past twenty years, while the designs of everything from PCs to monitors to mice have changed dramatically. The sturdy design (including heavy steel backplates and a high-quality, strong plastic frame) of the keyboard allows even the most abused to survive these years with ease.I'd also like to point you to this Public Address blog. Jolisa is my mother's cousin (I think) which would make her my second cousin - which would make the Fab Four of the story my second cousin once removed (again, I think).
Most fans of the Model M especially prize its feel and sound. Unlike the common (but cheaper) dome switch design in use today, the Model M's buckling spring design gives users obvious tactile (a distinctive resistance as the keys are depressed) and aural (a characteristic, loud "click-clack"ing) feedback while typing, in ways similar to that of the keyboards of the long-running IBM Selectric typewriter line. In addition, the Model M keyboard is less susceptible to dirt and wear and tear; while dirt will interfere with proper operation of a dome switch keyboard, the design of a buckling spring keyboard is such that any dirt that falls between the cracks usually fails to make it into the spring mechanism. Failure of the mechanism to operate properly would require a large amount of accumulation, which is unlikely to occur.