Unix layouts?

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Thorogrimm

10 Aug 2022, 19:48

What are some good keyboards with unix layouts? Currently I own an HHKB and a Sun Type 5 (but can't use it) and was wondering what others there are which are decent keyboards at the very least?

User avatar
Muirium
µ

10 Aug 2022, 22:27

DT’s authoritatively infallible and incontrovertibly complete wiki says UNIX layout pretty much is the HHKB:

Image

I think (without split right Shift) it should be called Sun layout, but what would I know? ;)



Reading up on Sun keyboards (ignored them till now for f&f and domes) I must admit I like the looks of this one:

Image
Image

Beautiful design. Imagine that with switches deserving the name!

Also, yes, I see that Caps Lock in the usual (dumb) place and the split right Shift! The more I look, the less Sun boards follow the layout I thought was their legacy. Ah well.

BuGless

11 Aug 2022, 00:00

Muirium wrote:
10 Aug 2022, 22:27
Also, yes, I see that Caps Lock in the usual (dumb) place and the split right Shift! The more I look, the less Sun boards follow the layout I thought was their legacy. Ah well.
You should be looking at older Sun keyboards, they did it right.

User avatar
Menuhin

11 Aug 2022, 11:54

Thorogrimm wrote:
10 Aug 2022, 19:48
... I own ... and a Sun Type 5 (but can't use it)...
$25 + shipping solution:
https://www.drakware.com/shop/p/sun2usb

DIY solutions:
https://thp.io/2019/suniversal-adapter.html
https://github.com/xelalexv/suniversal

User avatar
Thorogrimm

11 Aug 2022, 12:01

Menuhin wrote:
11 Aug 2022, 11:54
Thorogrimm wrote:
10 Aug 2022, 19:48
... I own ... and a Sun Type 5 (but can't use it)...
$25 + shipping solution:
https://www.drakware.com/shop/p/sun2usb

DIY solutions:
https://thp.io/2019/suniversal-adapter.html
https://github.com/xelalexv/suniversal
Thanks for the pointers!
I also need a cable for it though, which I don't currently have :lol: since it didn't come with one

User avatar
Menuhin

11 Aug 2022, 12:03

Muirium wrote:
10 Aug 2022, 22:27
...
Image

Beautiful design...
I like Sun's older keyboards as well as Silicon Graphics' "Granite" keyboards much more than most of the average IBM keyboards (model F & M) in terms of their overall industrial design.

RIP Sun MicroSystem & SGI...

Findecanor

11 Aug 2022, 12:47

BTW. There are many DIY keyboard kits for Cherry MX/style switches that support Unix layout as an option. The only physical difference from ANSI is the "split backspace". The rest is in the keycaps and programming.
TMK has Sun support too: https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard/tre ... er/sun_usb
Menuhin wrote:
11 Aug 2022, 12:03
RIP Sun MicroSystem & SGI...
Here here.

Even though the hardware was discontinued a long time ago, some of the software still lives on in Illumos (open-source fork of Solaris), and the file-systems ZFS (Sun) and XFS (SGI) that are available in multiple OS:es.

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