[CQ-Contest] Keyboards With the Functions Keys on the Left

[Ward Willats]

>>Does anyone know of a keyboard currently available that has the function
keys on the left side rather than along the top above the row of numbers?

>If you find one, please let the rest of us know.


As a professional programmer, I hoard my old Northgate and Avant 
Stellar OmniKeys for this reason, and because they are built like 
tanks and have the control key Where God Intended for Emacs... I take 
my keyboard from job to job like a prima-donna guitar player with a 
favorite "axe."

Old PC-AT boards are available cheap here and there and can be used 
with new machines with a simple adapter.

An article by Jerry Pournelle of Byte several years ago turned me on 
to an Ortek programmable keyboard that is similar to the OmniKey -- I 
bought one and it is well made, (has the F-Keys on the top AND side, 
like the northgates) but I never "fell in love" with it. And at $200 
it was not cheap. I just looked at Ortek's site and it looks like 
they don't make it anymore... :-(

That's the last "in production" version I was aware of.

-- Ward / KG6HAF