It's so curious, because clearly it required some kind of active choice to change from the standard, yet it never spread.
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Replying to @mattlaschneider @mkirschenbaum
Sorry, which part are you referring to right now?
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Replying to @mwichary @mkirschenbaum
I'm curious what prompted IBM to change the layout of their keyboards, rather than stick w/ the established layout
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And secondarily, why IBM's new layout didn't spread more widely, despite IBM's market dominance
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Replying to @mattlaschneider @mkirschenbaum
Would you mind if I tried to answer this here later today in an abbreviated form? Would be curious to get feedback on my thinking.
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Replying to @mattlaschneider @mkirschenbaum
So, I think the bigger picture is this:
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1. Typewriters evolved into electric typewriters (Electromatic/Electric/Selectric) with 2@ and Caps Lock on the left. IBM dominated this.
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Replying to @mwichary @mattlaschneider
2. Teletypes detached from early typewriters, evolved into terminals, and then (many) home computers, with 2” and Ctrl on the left.
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Replying to @mwichary @mattlaschneider
First IBM PC, 5150, in 1981, started with a keyboard similar to Selectric, but also borrowing a bit from home computers (see: Ctrl).
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They got some backlash from office users for deviating from Selectric, and “fixed” it with 101-key Model M later that decade.
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Replying to @mwichary @mattlaschneider
That itself became a standard and basically spread into all the other keyboards, incl. future home computers.
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Replying to @mwichary @mattlaschneider
So, IBM was kind of at a mercy of a de facto Electric/Selectric office standard it itself established in the 1960s.
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