Re:Poll: Will keyboards still be around in 20 years?
by jseliger on Thursday January 06, 2011 @09:16PM
(#2078286)
Yes, but as been amply demonstrated by the demise of the IBM buckling spring keyboard, we don't need the "best" method, just a "good enough" method.
One interesting thing to me is that, even though most people don't use Model Ms anymore, there's still a robust niche that does, or that seeks out weird and alternate keyboards. I write a blog that's chiefly about books, but by far the most visited post of all time is this review: http://jseliger.com/2008/05/07/product-review-unicomp-custom... of the Unicomp Customizer / Space Saver, which are modern Model Ms.
The other question is: how common will generation of long form text be?
Probably common enough, especially in school settings. I tend to agree with the OP: unless we see some kind of neural interface (which doesn't appear especially likely to me, although I'd love to be wrong), I don't see keyboards disappearing.
Re:Poll: Will keyboards still be around in 20 years?
by jokermatt999 on Thursday January 06, 2011 @04:48PM
(#2077382)
Kids might only use the internet for FaceTwitterTube, but I'll bet they'll still probably have to type essays and reports.
Re:Poll: Will keyboards still be around in 20 years?
by bryanlarsen on Thursday January 06, 2011 @05:00PM
(#2077443)
And kids will be the first to abandon keyboards if there are viable alternatives. There's a learning curve to QWERTY, too. There are people that are faster using T9 than using a keyboard, just due to the practice effect. And remember, 500 words is a common essay length in school. That isn't short form text, but it's not particularly long form, either.
Re:Poll: Will keyboards still be around in 20 years?
by wladimir on Friday January 07, 2011 @05:29AM
(#2079181)
There are people that are faster using T9 than using a keyboard. But I'm pretty sure that the world's fastest keyboard typist is much faster than the world's fastest T9 typer.
(because you can 'pre-plan' more keys with a keyboard, using 10 fingers)
(I haven't done research on this though, so feel free to prove me wrong)
The other question is: how common will generation of long form text be? Is Twitter the future? I hope not, but many appear to think it is. Many keyboard alternatives are good enough, even today, for Twitter.