🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <39loq8$7e6@oldklatu.interserv.net>
   mburton@mortimer.keytronic.com (Michael Burton) writes:
> 
> The AnyKey keyboard is a hard contact keyboard.  
> (...)

Many thanks to all those who responded to my post. I must admit to being 
quite surprised at the outcome (not least by how many keyboards exhibit 
the problem and how few people have noticed).

Gateway had replaced my keyboard once before I posted this (all at no 
charge). They have since paid for their courier to collect the 
replacement, and I am leaving it at that. I'll just have to get used to 
the fault - I'm not sufficiently bothered to spend time and money finding 
a better keyboard (I needed the macro facility for a specific project 
anyway). 

(The macro facility is great for ftp too - when getting FAQ files from 
rtfm with filenames like Long_group_name_FAQ_(Version_3_1)_(part_1_of_16) 
it can save loads of typing!)

So, thanks again to all those who responded, both by email and posted 
here - especially to those who had to research their answers (books, 
tests on several keyboards, etc). A quick summary: 

Problem: 
My keyboard (Gateway AnyKey) had problems with the key sequence SHIFT F T 
(three keys) pressed and held in that sequence. Some other combinations 
also failed, but most worked okay. 

Gateway said:
Don't type that way!

Usenet / email said:
The problem is a hardware one, common to many keyboards (including many 
genuine IBM keyboards). It appears from IBM references that this problem 
means that such keyboards are not IBM-compatible (ie they don't meet the 
IBM spec) but since many IBM keyboards fail in the same way that argument 
doesn't hold much water :) Apparantly the problem could be fixed by means 
of a reletively cheap design mod, but consumer pressure has driven prices 
below the point at which that becomes reasonable.

I don't think I missed anything - apologies if I have.

Mark.
-- 
int MeaningOfLife (void) { return 42; }    // mcr@holly.demon.co.uk
function MeaningOfLife :integer; begin MeaningOfLife := 6 * 9; end;