<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div><div><div>Walter,</div></div><div> You remember correctly. The hard/clicky/crunchy keyboards are not rated</div><div>for as long a lifetime as the membrane/chewy keyboards. While the membrane</div><div>keyboard design was tested to 5 million key presses, IIRC the clicky keyboard is</div><div>only rated to 1 million key presses. (On the other hand, it takes one minute</div><div>to replace a clicky keyboard versus twenty for a membrane keyboard.)</div><div><br></div><div><div><div>WARNING: The clicky keyboard was not approved for use by small children</div><div>by UL. The reason is that if the keys are pulled off they present a choking</div><div>hazard.</div><div><br></div></div></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>wad</div><div><br></div><div><div>On Jun 16, 2014, at 7:13 AM, Walter Bender wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">James,<div><br></div><div>Do we have any data re the mechanical reliability/durability/repairability of the "hard/clicky" keyboards? We do know that although there were some issues with membrane pealing (presumably resolved with the newer design) there numerous ingenious local repairs such that most are still working after 7 years.</div> <div><br></div><div>regards.</div><div><br></div><div>-walter</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 5:35 AM, James Cameron <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:quozl@laptop.org" target="_blank">quozl@laptop.org</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class="">On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 01:54:19PM +0545, Basanta Shrestha wrote:<br> > Hi all,<br> > We are planning on ordering the next lot of XO-4s and I need some<br> > suggestions on which keyboard model to choose -membrane or<br> > hard/clicky one.<br> <br> </div>I think it is great to seek input from the community, but don't forget<br> to ask your OLPC contact for help as well.<br> <div class=""><br> > We had membrane one for our first lot and keyboard switching was<br> > very convenient on that model. One reason not to choose hard/clicky<br> > one is that it doesn't have key for language switching ( correct me<br> > if I am wrong) -I have one spanish hard/clicky and it doesn't have<br> > that key - key 56 at<br> > <a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Keyboard_layouts" target="_blank">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Keyboard_layouts</a>.<br> <br> </div>Yes, that's a good reason not to choose the mechanical keyboard; you<br> would have to customise your operating system build again, to add a<br> key combination for keyboard language switch. If the cost of<br> customising is too high, you should order membrane keyboard. I don't<br> know the relative costs of the keyboards, and their replacement rates,<br> but it might be factored in to your decision.<br> <br> You identified the lack of language switch key in this same thread on<br> sugar-devel@ back in November 2013, from which I'll draw some status:<br> <br> Walter says use a key combination:<br> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045724.html" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045724.html</a><br> <br> And says that customisation will be needed:<br> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045800.html" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045800.html</a><br> <br> Then you suggest alt+space:<br> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045807.html" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045807.html</a><br> <br> Daniel Drake says to use olpc-os-builder:<br> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045851.html" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045851.html</a><br> <br> And you asked about the alt+space:<br> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045857.html" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045857.html</a><br> <br> But the thread dried up on that subject because the units you received<br> had a membrane keyboard, not a mechanical keyboard.<br> <br> I think you need to change the xkb files, but I'm not sure. Do you<br> have a mechanical keyboard you can test with? If not, you'll have to<br> get someone else to do this.<br> <div class=""><br> > Hard/Clicky on the other hard is more convenient while typing.<br> > Please suggest.<br> <br> </div>I don't understand why you think it is more convenient. To me the<br> keyboards are equally convenient for an inexperienced child. Perhaps<br> you intended to mention some characteristic?<br> <div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br> --<br> James Cameron<br> <a href="http://quozl.linux.org.au/" target="_blank">http://quozl.linux.org.au/</a><br> </div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>Walter Bender<br>Sugar Labs<br><a href="http://www.sugarlabs.org/">http://www.sugarlabs.org</a><br> </div> _______________________________________________<br>Devel mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Devel@lists.laptop.org">Devel@lists.laptop.org</a><br>http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/devel<br></blockquote></div><br></body></html>