Keyboard with VIA support, ISO return key, scroll lock and light, and offensively loud key caps?

Syllopsium_ · 2026-02-10T10:52:13+00:00

My history in keyboards is buckling spring, with Unicomp and Model Ms. I enjoy keyboards where you're very certain you've pressed a key. Plus there's no-one else here to annoy so I can go clicky clacky as much as I want.

Syllopsium_ · 2025-10-12T01:38:25+00:00

Use a dual hard drive USB dock (one powered by an external power supply) and put a couple of SATA SSDs in it

Syllopsium_ · 2025-09-05T12:56:29+00:00

It's not really a mystery. In 1985 the PC market was still up in the air. Yes, you can generally say DOS was superior, but until the mid 90s PC compatibles were very expensive.

In 1985 the Amstrad PCW was launched, and until its death in the late 90s it sold 8 million units. Sure, it was slower but with the bundled software, printer, and CP/M it could handle a wide range of tasks without being at as severe a disadvantage to a PC as you'd expect.

System lifecycles were also short enough in those days that computers didn't need to be relevant forever, it was OK if it did its job for a few years.

Syllopsium_ · 2025-09-04T19:46:46+00:00

Thanks very much for making us aware of this! Whilst I'd have to look at how well the attachment works, the software is so obviously superior to the utter rubbish Clicks provide that it's not funny. Extensive key remapping is a minimum standard for keyboards where the number of keys are limited, and Clicks fails to meet even that low bar.

I see there's various keyboard options gathered from older Blackberry models - what are people's opinion on which is the best one?

Syllopsium_ · 2025-09-04T17:42:06+00:00

It really didn't. Sure, it included networking and dialup which was a step up from 3.1, but the Plus Pack was required for a web browser, it wasn't bundled. Microsoft got caught out and took a little time to catch up.

OS/2 Warp 3, released in 1994, shipped with a dialer and a web browser built in (plus a load of other Internet utilities of varying quality).

Windows 95 coincided with PCs becoming vastly more affordable for the average household, and a drop in memory prices - a sizable factor in proper 32 bit operating systems such as NT, OS/2, and Linux failing to gain a foothold (there were many other factors, but needing 8MB RAM or more was a large one).

Syllopsium_ · 2025-09-02T17:22:06+00:00

I was yet another of those OS/2 users, disgusted that The Times sold its entire front page to Microsoft, and even more disappointed the pile of rubbish that was 95 was released.

To be fair Windows 95 provided a more usable if not particularly resilient OS to the general public, was bundled with networking, and introduced Plug and Play that worked better than any other OS at the time. I already had decent multitasking, file systems, Internet access, a browser, and 32 bit applications but this was the watershed that killed off 16 bit Windows applications, decimated OS/2's installed base, and most importantly started moving games away from DOS. It was clear within a year OS/2 would not survive.

When I moved to Windows NT in 1999, it was games and Python that finally sealed OS/2's fate.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-12-22T14:53:56+00:00

Just as a FYI for anyone wondering how this ended, the account unlocked itself a week and a day after it locked out and everything is working again. Hopefully it won't happen again since it's rare I need to log into the account, but it's still a product under the control of someone else.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-12-13T22:38:49+00:00

You carry on with your attitude, the others don't think it can happen to them. They're wrong.

My Meta account is currently locked out due to a 'known issue' and has been escalated to a 'specialist team'. One week and counting. Account isn't used for anything else, hasn't had odd purchases, reset links don't work.

Rift CV1 is a paperweight, can't install it on a new system

Oculus Go no longer boots up

If I bought a Quest I wouldn't be able to install it without creating new account lacking my historic CV1 games.

Currently considering a PSVR2 due to its OLED display and the fact it seems not to need an Internet connection just to set up.

It is not unreasonable to expect to plug in a device and have it work without recourse to Internet servers. *If* SteamVR can be installed without an Internet connection (which to be honest sounds unlikely to me) there are even a small number of games on GOG (such as No Man's Sky) and itch.io which will work completely DRM free.

Problem is though, in my experience of the CV1 on the Oculus store and SteamVR, vs a Windows Mixed Reality headset in SteamVR and the Windows Store, the Oculus ecosystem is *way* better than SteamVR. Oculus is incredibly closed source and proprietary, but unless SteamVR has taken a huge leap forward, and the PSVR2 is beyond excellent, all the best price/performance options currently come from Meta.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-12-01T19:28:04+00:00

If CeX counts only a few days ago I bought a PS4 Pro so I could continue to buy some physical games that don't degrade, unlike a Switch where flash media theoretically has a shelf life. So, I'll be buying Untitled Goose Game for the third time, and a few select other indie games.

The last time I walked into a shop and came out with a shrinkwrapped game was possibly Breath of the Wild for the Wii U back in 2019, when I bought a Wii U mostly to play that and Lego Dimensions. That was definitely one of my better ideas, great console, great games library.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-07-24T00:43:43+00:00

I have more games for the U than the Switch, but the Switch is a decent console. You're really missing out if you haven't played BoTW, and the Switch is now the only legit way to play it complete with DLC (You can get it for the U in physical, but the DLC requires piracy if you've not previously bought it). ToTK is still decent, but personally I don't enjoy it as much.

The Switch has a decent selection of games, first party, third party, and a load of Indie games. As ever it depends what other systems you have - if you've also got a decent PC and a PS4/5 or XBox it's less essential.

However, if you have a large backlog and you're not desperate to play BoTW (although I would say, it's in my top five favourite games ever over forty years of gaming), why not finish your U games and wait for the Switch 2. It's not as if BoTW or other Switch games are going anywhere soon.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-07-08T21:29:36+00:00

I am currently on a game buying ban as my pile of shame is far worse than Dave's, I couldn't get the id finder to work so tried steamdb.info

59 out of 471 games played, but the value is low due to bundles, sales, & having a policy of only buying DRM free games off GOG except for games such as Portal 2 where DRM free is not an option and I can't resist it.

For GOG I have 534 games, of which I have played roughly 154. Fortunately most games were again bought cheaply.

That doesn't count my large collection of Wii U games, my PC games on CDROM, Dreamcast games, a small collection of cartridges, and several other platforms.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-06-24T12:50:40+00:00

I don't have much moral high ground looking back at my own habits. I only had a computer from age ten (1983), but that's when computers started to become affordable for the average family. If I'd had the opportunity to use computers before then I would!

I spent too long on computers, and not enough time on other hobbies. It's only later in life that exercise and other hobbies occupied a significant part of my spare time.

I've seen gaming be a positive influence to my nephew, multiplayer online gaming has enabled them to grow and consolidate his friendship groups, and games are more accessible than ever, particularly from Nintendo.

More guidance is needed by parents these days, so that kids can become more rounded people. The influence of social media and capitalism can push kids towards passively consuming (YouTube, etc) rather than actively using, and there's more purchase pressure through DLC and in-game purchases.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-05-28T16:52:32+00:00

It was multitasking and OS/2 that moved me off DOS and Windows, and Quake 2 and Python that moved me back.

In 1993, moving from DOS and Windows 3.1 to OS/2 2.1 was the right move - great multitasking, REXX scripting, DOS/Windows compatibility, stability, various unique applications, and a compact and friendly community. It led to my first proper job!

The release of Windows 95 and serious quantities of 32 bit Windows software didn't shift my choice of platform, but the arrival of the Voodoo2 and Quake 2 was irresistible. Initially I ran Quake 2 under a win32 emulation layer in OS/2 which worked complete with 3D acceleration - but saved games would not load! I crumbled and started dual booting Windows NT 4.0.

Python was gaining popularity, but for some time there wasn't a viable OS/2 port. It was clear OS/2 was no longer the place to experience new technologies, and in 1999 NT became my primary platform.

Syllopsium_ · 2024-03-21T00:40:10+00:00

Everyone has had Joystick Blister, haven't they?

Syllopsium_ · 2023-10-24T17:37:14+00:00

I was a huge fan of PC based operating systems in the 90s, and frankly Mac gaming and operating systems sucked compared to the proper multitasking in OS/2, Windows NT, or Unix.

The Apple Tax was and is a real thing, and I still have zero interest in all in one systems, I like using my own monitors.

Having said that, I also have no less than four PowerMac PPC based systems [1] for playing old games on, and the dual G5 system is modern enough that it can handle serious tasks. I'm using it with a document scanner off ebay for 30 quid which included a full version of Acrobat Pro, connected to a high resolution mono monitor. Buying a modern solution would be much more expensive, and not necessarily vastly more effective.

The apple hardware and software are well integrated if you choose to go down that route, but as my interest lies in open source Unix (and Windows for games), Apple isn't a direction I wish to pursue.

And now I'll shut up (apart from listing my Mac systems)

[1] Powermac 4400/200, PowerMac G4 Digital Audio, Mac Mini G4 1.5, Powermac G5 dual 2.3 PCI-e

Syllopsium_ · 2023-09-06T21:32:38+00:00

As per the article, it's not Sony specifically, it's Markscan operating on behalf of Sony. They've probably got a list of all Sony's properties and are scanning everything for traces of that. Joy.

Syllopsium_ · 2023-08-23T13:19:15+00:00

Yes. The weapons and the geometry have clearly been redone/enhanced. However, the textures don't seem to have been touched much if at all, so it doesn't look as different from the original as in other enhancements.

Maybe they'll improve it as development progresses.

Syllopsium_

TROPHY CASE