deskthority

ripster wrote:

The attachment D20_4530.jpg is no longer available

Wait! You've posted the wrong picture — those are all Selectric I or II keys. You need a picture of the Selectric III with its cylindrical ISO9995-style keycaps, like this one shamelessly stolen from the internets, to show the match with the F.

My dad's Selectric II.

Selectric I.



I don't know for certain but I assume the PC Engineer working on the IBM XT keyboard simply borrowed off the shelf fonts. Somewhere along the line IBM decided on Helvetica for their product fonts but the Number row was a vestige of the typewriter days, well before the PC. Doing true Helvetica in doubleshot for that Asterisk and Dollar sign would be difficult. Although even Signature Plastics can do it today.

<blatant Melissa dig>