Elvie #055
This strip first appeared in issue #215 of Linux (Pro) Magazine. This one was based on the true story of my own 1984-vintage Cherry keyboard, rescued from a dumpster, cleaned and brought back into service – to the annoyance of my colleagues at the time.
My 1984-vintage Cherry keyboard – so old it required two adaptors to plug it into my USB-only computer!
Okay, so the 1984 dating is a bit of a guess, based on the label on the underside of the keyboard
Because there was no such thing as a ‘Windows’ (aka ‘Super’) key back in 1984, I even ended up getting hold of a small microcontroller on a USB-stick form factor, and programming it to send a suitable keypress when a button on the board was pressed. It rarely got used, but just occasionally I would come across a piece of software or functionality that would only work with the Windows key, so the creation of this little dongle allowed me to continue working with my lovely-to-type-on Cherry keyboard without any loss of modern functionality.
Yes, this is a Super (or Windows) key. Pressing the H button sends a Super key event, and Linux was happy to combine it with the keypresses from the Cherry keyboard when I needed it.
Elvie: I bought a mechanical keyboard, with Cherry blue switches, n-key rollover, and custom keycaps.
Elvie: It's a thing of beauty, and makes typing a dream…
[Panel 2: Elvie is typing on the keyboard, which is making loud 'click' and 'clack' noises]
Elvie: …but perhaps it wasn't the best choice for an open plan office!!!
[Elvie is lookng embarrassed. Her colleagues are blocking their ears with their hands or fingers. Another is wearing hearing protectors.]
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