Keyboard - Hardware

[sjordi]

Hi,

I have to buy a new keyboard and to say the least, I'm pretty upset about the current stupidity leading the design of navigation pads.

First of all, for years, it has been Ins/Del, Home/End, PgUp/PgDn.

After that, all of a sudden, without notice Logitech and MicrobeSoft started to remove the INS key and double the DEL key height.

What's the point?

Also, they moved the Home/End to the top, and let the PgUp/PgDn vertically.

But that was not enough they also now have huge DEL key, and then "normal"  Home/End, PgUp/PgDn next to it.

This let me think that this has not been thought at all.

I really doubt that there has been a serious design "study" behind that and that the new place of the keys responds to user's needs.

Proof is that among the keyboard series of the same builder (logitech or microbesoft) they still produce some normal ones, some near normal ones, and others with the "new" design. 

Don't you think this is ridiculous? If the new navigation pad design was really studied to answer most needs, it would be then imposed on each keyboard, not "randomly".

As a developper, I use INS all the time, I navigate all the time with PgUp/PgDn and work at various places. Most keyboards are still "normal" (Ins/Del, Home/End, PgUp/PgDn) and adjusting to those dumb new ones are always really upsetting. 

Not being able to find a keyboard/mouse with normal navigation keys, I was forced to leave and have bought a MicrobeSoft keyboard (which is kind of ugly, it's MicrobeSoft), but at least offers normal keys.

Anyone also upset about this stupid trend?

(Yes I know, it's not stupid, it has been studied, and only stupid people can't adjust to novelty)

Steve