System76 Unveils Open Source 'Launch Configurable Keyboard' for Linux, Windows, and macOS (betanews.com) 61
System76 today unveiled its newest product -- the "Launch Configurable Keyboard." It is a mechanical keyboard made in the USA with a focus on open source. The Launch has both open source firmware and hardware. Even the configuration software -- which runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS -- is open source. From a report: "With a wide swath of customization options, the Launch is flexible to a variety of needs and use cases. The keyboard's thoughtful design keeps everything within reach, vastly reducing awkward hand contortions. Launch comes with additional keycaps and a convenient keycap puller, meaning one can swap keys based on personal workflow preferences to maximize efficiency. Launch also features a novel split Space Bar, which allows the user to swap out one Space Bar keycap for Shift, Backspace, or Function to reduce hand fatigue while typing. Launch uses only three keycap sizes to vastly expand configuration options," says System76. The keyboard, which has a removable USB-C cable for connectivity, is priced at $285.
Looks Awesome (Score:3)
I'd love one, but I'm used to a full-sized 101-key form factor. I actually use the keypad quite a bit.
Also, what's with the double spacebar?
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They cover the purpose. You can replace half your 'spacebar' area with a shift key or backspace, or Fn, or Esc key.
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The most common use for a split spacebar is to map one to Backspace.
This was introduced back in the '90s as the "Erase-Eaze" key on keyboard from NMB, BTC and Lexmark.
It is also common on higher-end split ergonomic keyboards (i.e. not from Microsoft).
Re: $285? (Score:2)
Whatâ(TM)s particularly cool is that this wired tenkeyless keyboard utilizes a removeable USB-C cable for connectivity. This means if the cable gets damaged, you can simply replace it â" a benefit to the environment. That also means you can use either a USB-C to USB-C cable or USB-C to USB-A cable depending on which computer port you will be connecting the keyboard to. And yes, both of those cable types are included in the box!
Oh, its totally worth at least $285!
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Hey this is what RMS wanted. Now it's here and nothing but bitching and moaning.
Re: $285? (Score:4, Insightful)
It costs $285 because its milled from a solid block of aluminum and is made in America. The price doesn't seem all that crazy given what it is. Kailh switches can be divisive in the keyboard community but otherwise it sounds about what I would expect a made in America boutique keeb to run. Mechanical keyboards run in a few tiers with most pre-made units being made in Taiwan. This obviously costs more due to higher wages in the US but the cost isn't unheard of in the hobby. Its more inline with what people will spend on limited run hardware where assembly is necessary.
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You obviously aren't a fan of the HHK [happyhackingkb.com]. Quality, modern mechanical keyboards aren't cheap.
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Re: $285? (Score:2)
vi does just fine without arrow keys, it uses h, j, k, and l as I recall.
I'm certain emacs works fine without arrow keys as well, though I personally have no idea - I've never used it.
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Yes, and it wasn't made with disposable people and the factory they milled the aluminum in won't explode and the waste from the process won't be dumped into the nearest river.
Your virtues have a price.
Now go buy some wackadoodle plastic gamer keyboard for $99.99 and use it to express your hypocrisy all over the innerweb.
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Yes, but:
> Transfer 1TB of video footage in 15 minutes, compared to 5 hours on other keyboards.
Can your Sun keyboard do THAT?
I mean, sure it's only a keyboard but ... dude I don't fucking know.
I see it's an extra $35 to extend the warranty to three years on this artisinal technology - not very inspiring for the most expensive keyboard anybody here has looked at.
Re: $285? (Score:2)
So this bespoke $285 keyboard include a hub? So what, so does the Raspberry Pi Official Keyboard at $20.
The minute I need my keyboard to be used as an offensive weapon, I'll take a serious look into this beautiful keyboard milled from a solid aluminum billet.
Keylogger (Score:1)
Make sure you're sitting when you see the price (Score:2)
I mean, I knew it would be expensive, but HOLY SHIT
Also it's a cramped compact keyboard with no numpad...
Re: Make sure you're sitting when you see the pric (Score:3)
Pre-orders for the âoeLaunch Configurable Keyboardâ begin today here, and it will begin shipping to consumers in June. System76 is asking $285, which may scare away some consumers. However, this pricing is totally appropriate given the companyâ(TM)sâ(TM) small size and the fact that it is being handmade in Colorado.
Oh, they are a small company, that explains it!
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Unicomp will sell you a brand new Model M buckling spring keyboard, made in Lexington USA, for about $100. Whatever switches these guys use are unlikely to be as nice as a Model M.
If you want the reprogramable option and open source then you can buy a replacement controller board for a Model M.
Re:Make sure you're sitting when you see the price (Score:5, Informative)
The chassis is milled from a solid block of aluminium. That get pricey, especially if made in small series in the US.
The price is actually pretty low for keyboards made that way.
Mainstream mechanical keyboards with "metal chassis" you'd find in shops are typically made from stamped sheet metal, which is much cheaper to produce. (and actually part of almost every mechanical keyboard, just not always exposed and hauled as a special feature when it isn't)
There is now a vibrant custom keyboard scene, where people spend much more on their keyboards that they build themselves, with chassis made from even larger lumps of metal. A couple hangouts are /r/mechanicalkeyboards on Reddit, Keebtalk.com and Geekhack.org.
But it would be difficult to find a keyboard with milled metal case in 100% "full-size" layout with numeric keypad: there have only been a couple such designs.
There are other open source designs that I think may be better than this though, except for the part with the USB 3.x hub.
The Launch Keyboard has non-standard key sizes, making it difficult to get matching replacement keycaps (in case you'd want another profile, legends or colour scheme). Split spacebars are now common in the custom keyboard scene though.
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Well put.
It's odd, I would expect the general /. user to, if not be a keyboard hobbyist, to at least know of the hobby and how the costs and craftmanship can be.
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People building keyboards themselves to show it on youtube and make money this way. Or because they enjoy building things. I have not seen that many people using these fancy keyboards, and I am around keyboards all day. You can get a fully mechanical keyboard [pckeyboard.com] for third of the cost.
Re: Make sure you're sitting when you see the pric (Score:2)
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Mechanical keyboards are fairly easy to make as the hard part is already done.
It's really just putting components on a PCB and securely mounting that PCB to a frame.
It's like the difference between making an SSD vs a HDD - there are millions of companies making SSDs because at the end of it, it's just a circuit board and those are easy to make. An HDD requires lots of fiddly mechanical bits that you have to get in precisely the right place and special coating machines, etc.
DIY keyboards is a PCB, a sturdy f
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Milled alu is not really worth it though. It looks nice but sheet metal is more than good enough. The Model M is basically a big lump of sheet metal holding the switches that makes it super rigid and very heavy.
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Anyone who does a crapload of data entry (thank the gods I don't any more).
Does the price include sexual favors (Score:2)
or do they deliver in person and share the drugs they're on?
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Do you know of another keyboard that has these features but cheaper than $285?
* open source firmware
* open source OS drivers supporting Linux, Windows, OSX
* 4 port USB hub including two USB-A and two USB-C ports
* made in the United States of America
* RGB lighting
* additional custom keys
* mechanical switches
If you do and it includes a numpad, I'll buy it today. The lack of a numpad is the only issue I have with this keyboard.
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Re: Does the price include sexual favors (Score:2)
You list me at "open source firmware" - why is that valuable? It's a f--king keyboard, for goodness sake!
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You list me at "open source firmware" - why is that valuable? It's a f--king keyboard, for goodness sake!
It's valuable because it's nice to know that the thing I'm entering all my information is under my own control.
Magic keyboard (Score:2)
It make Apple's Magic Keyboard (which I quite like) seem reasonably priced!!
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It make Apple's Magic Keyboard (which I quite like) seem reasonably priced!!
That's what i was thinking!
And the Wired one actually has a Numeric Keypad and a USB hub...
And it doesn't look like a 12 year old designed it!
Apple stopped selling theirs in 2018; but a company called Matias sells an improved Replica (with RGB backlighting) in both silver and space grey for $99; so...
https://www.theverge.com/circu... [theverge.com]
In fact, they have several variants, some with NumKeys, some not, down to $55...
https://matias.ca/products/ [matias.ca]
Full disclosure: I didn't even know these existed before 10 minutes ag
What's so special? (Score:2)
This thing costs a fortune, but there are already a ton of opensource keyboard designs and keyboard firmwares out there. You can buy them for less than half the price. So what does this thing do that the existing ones don't? A split spacebar is a minor advantage at best.
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Yes, and as I said, you can buy ready-built opensource keyboards with opensource firmware that look somewhat similar to this one for less than half the price.
Let's see... (Score:3)
$300
No numpad.
No print screen or scroll lock buttons.
Vertical home/end/page buttons (with an absolutely atrocious default layout, but since that can be reconfigured I'll only mention it as a clue to the aesthetic abilities of the designers).
Delete button placed in an insane location.
No media buttons.
To reiterate: $300.
Yeah, I'll pass on this one, thanks.
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They should be selling you a link to a JPEG of the keyboard. As a totally unique, individually numbered blockchain NFT, it would be worth at least much.
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Optimus Maximus keyboard (Score:2)
If I were in the market for a ridiculously expensive keyboard, I'd go for an Optimus keyboard from the mid-2000s. Each key had a tiny display that could be configured to your current key configuration, allowing you to change it for each game/application that you use. The cost was a mere $1,600!
The Wikipedia page even credits Slashdot for raising awareness of the keyboard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Speaking of the Optimus keyboard, does anyone out there have one of these?
Do all of the key displays still work? Does the configuration utility and driver still work?
Did art.lebadev continue to support it?
When Russia was opening up, art lebadev design studio was gaining an international presence and I see that they've been busy with a variety of projects.
Maybe ... (Score:2)
If it was big enough ... (Score:2)
... to put a Rasberry Pi inside, I would take one.
My Ono Sendai!
Meh (Score:1)
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I daily use one of unicomp's other models and can recommend them if you li
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nice (Score:1)
$285 Fashion Accessory without the Fashion (Score:2)
If they were serious, they would offer a $125 version with an Injection-molded case. And worst of all, how to spatter-coating a beautiful milled block of aluminum so it looks like cheap folded sheet metal is an Epic Fail, aesthetics-wise.
As it stands, this is nothing but an expensive fashion-less fashion accessory. It looks like a hobbyist built it, and doesn't even have a Numeric Keypad.
Heck, the keycaps don't even have double-shot molded legends!
so press releases are news? (Score:2)
Just saying.
These tiny keyboards are all fucking useless (Score:3)
Why mayor manufacturers stick to staggered (Score:1)