What is the best keyboard for Visual Studio Developers? What are you using?

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Keyboard for programmers

I CW'd this question cuz it might get closed otherwise.

With the vast number of great keyboard shortcuts in Visual Studio, I'm wondering what modal keyboard you use when developing. I currently have a Microsoft Entertainment 8000 and I love the positioning of all of the keys, however I hate the battery life, and now that I've damaged it, I'm not all that interested in replacing it (a whopping $350).

Some of the keyboard shortcuts that I'm interested in are ones like
Shift + F7

Shift + F12

Ctrl + F5

Alt + Shift + A

Unfortunately these keyboard shortcuts do not work nicely on some keyboards (the ones that require you to press the Function button to activate the F# or Alt key(s).

Also. Backlit keyboards are a must for people (like me) who code late at night.

I'm currently using a crappy Asus keyboard (one that came in a box sale), and It's driving me insane. I'm very used to the bullet fast keys and the backlight, and this kb as clunky/heavy keys that are harder to press, and it's black with no light, so I can't see at dusk.

My Macbook Pro has these awesome "chiclet" keys that are super nice to type with too. I'm very ANTI heavy/clunky keys... I miss too many key strokes when I'm in a hurry.

Answer 1

The best of all is Das Keyboard. It has completely standard layout which everybody is so used to, and they understand importance of convenient work.

Two disadvantages: 1. It has no letters. Use the force, luke. 2. It is loud. It may annoy/distract other people around.

Answer 2

I use computer-powered keyboard that has a full set of function and meta keys. It has no backlight, though. I just put a lamp on my desk.

($350 would probably buy you every keyboard I've ever owned since I got my first PC in 1993, plus the electricity for my desk lamp...)

This post probably sounds a bit sarcastic, but it genuinely isn't!

A good modern keyboard is the MS Natural 4000. Good-size keys, nice feel (albeit non-microswitched), standard edit block and cursor key layout. It has an F key, but it starts out on.

(When my fingers were young and buff I also used to like the clickety IBM keyboards. If you're a proper hardass with tendons of pure iron, who can crush unopened wine bottles between thumb and index finger, go for it -- for my part, years of typing have taken their toll on my poor fingers, so I go for the lighter feel these days.)

Answer 3

Really, its not the keyboard with all the flashing lights and shift-key-combinations and programmable macros that is good for programming, its a good, solid keyboard with spring-key action (not cheapass microswitches) and a heavy feel to it that it doesn't move about as you type.

All the bits are irrelevant to being able to type well. I know VS is more of a click-fest nowadays, but if you know your stuff, most of the assistance is available from the keyboard anyway and the other ones can be set by VS itself (like I have an old boxer macro for bookmarks - alt+a toggle, altgr+< or > to goto next).

Backlit keys are a gimmick, once you know where things are you use them on a keyboard - no need to look, and besides you have a healthy glow from your monitor to see the little-used keys, assuming its not quicker to just use the mouse if you're taking your hands off the keyboard.

The best keyboards are the old ones - Compaq used to sell good ones, Cherry made some solid ones, and the daddy of them all, the IBM M series. Always get a good one instead of a cheapy one. Now you can buy brand-new Unicomp keyboards which are the same model and workings as the old IBM M series.