Re: [NTLK] Not really Re: Platform crap...

From: gopi_at_sin.sloth.org
Date: Thu Nov 08 2001 - 20:19:57 EST


On Thu, 8 Nov 2001, Ed Kummel wrote:
> arrow keys from the keyboard. They also created a
> special keyboard plug to prevent people from plugging
> in keyboards WITH arrow keys.

You're a conspiracy theorist, aren't you?

In case you hadn't noticed, up until recently, virtually every single
interface used was different from those used by the PC world. Did the
first Macintosh have every single other connection be perfectly PC-like
except for the keyboard? No. They did not. They designed their own or,
frequently (RS-422 instead of RS232, for example) adopted better standards
than what the PC world was using.

Apple did not suddenly switch from their plans of using some pre-existing
keyboard standard to their own custom one to spite you. They designed
their own cabling and protocols, and used them. The Apple II keyboards
were not removable. The IBM PC was new to the market. There was no
standard for them to deliberately avoid.

Honestly, you're reading way to much into this. They did HCI research,
they found that arrow keys were less productive, and they dropped
them. They didn't conspire to subvert your choice, they just chose not to
put those keys there.

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