Good sysadmin's keyboard

By CelticWhisper
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CelticWhisper

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Hey all,

Looking to replace the Lenovo SK-8825 standard keyboard I'm using here at the office with something a little more feature-rich. I like the Lenovo for its durability but I'm reaching the point where I'm starting to want some programmable buttons to make life a little easier. Ideally I'd have buttons mapped to some VNC or RDP sessions, terminals, apps, etc.

I'm not necessarily looking for a gaming keyboard, though I understand that some gaming keyboards are very well-made and are easily repurposed for productivity-oriented use.

I prefer wired keyboards as battery failure is more aggravating than with a mouse (with a mouse you can tell easier when tracking starts to go; with keyboards you start typoing and can't always tell if it's you or the battery). I'm not looking for a super high-end keyboard - ideally I'd like to keep it under $100.

I was looking at the Logitech G110. About $50 on Amazon, has programmable buttons, backlit (not necessary but a nice touch I guess), wired, etc. Would this be a good bet or is there something else someone can recommend, not for a gamer but for a sysadmin trying to cut down on the number of keystrokes and/or clicks necessary to get done what he needs to get done?

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CelticWhisper

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Actually had a Das Keyboard years ago. It was great - helped my typing speed, very well-built, but lacking in mappable keys. I was hoping for a bit more in the customizability department.

Thanks for the rec, though. I appreciate it.

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Grand Master

Max Norris

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Used to use an original Logitech G15, later replaced with a "regular" keyboard in conjunction with their G13 keypad. Very flexible with 25 programmable keys, LCD display if you're into that sort of thing, etc. Designed for gamers but nothing stopping you creating macros for other things. Of course you can pretty much do something similar without dedicated special keys with AutoHotKey and the like too.

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LittleNeutrino Veteran

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I never saw an administrator with a customizable keyboard. They would just use the one bundled with the workstation or their pet IBM M.

IBM M here at work, Apple Full keyboard at home (the aluminum one)

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CelticWhisper

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So I've been playing with AutoHotKey and I definitely like it. It looks like it may solve a lot of my quick-mapping concerns.

I'm kinda thinking that the G13 would be a nice way to complement my existing keyboard (or whatever other one I get, which now encompasses a wider and lower-priced range thanks to AHK). Can you give me more details on what it's like to use? Reviews & pictures can be a little deceptive sometimes - is it bulky, do you find yourself having to reposition it a lot, how heavy is it, tactile characteristics of keypresses, versatility of LCD, etc.

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Max Norris

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So I've been playing with AutoHotKey and I definitely like it. It looks like it may solve a lot of my quick-mapping concerns.

I'm kinda thinking that the G13 would be a nice way to complement my existing keyboard (or whatever other one I get, which now encompasses a wider and lower-priced range thanks to AHK). Can you give me more details on what it's like to use? Reviews & pictures can be a little deceptive sometimes - is it bulky, do you find yourself having to reposition it a lot, how heavy is it, tactile characteristics of keypresses, versatility of LCD, etc.

Yea AutoHotKey is pretty handy depending on your needs, works with pretty much everything and is free, can't go wrong there.

As far as the G13 goes, I'm quite fond of it. Like I said it replaces an old G15 which croaked on me a while back, using the G13 along with a regular keyboard. I don't do any real gaming with it, primarily a lot of various macros for Visual Studio and JIRA which comes quite in handy, along with a bit of automation on some remote sessions. The LCD I typically have displaying some notifications with a custom program I whipped up. Keys are easy to see since its backlit (and you can even pick the color). The joystick thing I don't think I've ever used, just never had a need, emulates the arrow keys although there's supposedly a hack to make it work like an analog stick. All in all pretty pleased with it. The macros on their own aren't as flexible as what you'd get with AutoHotKey, but it's not bad either, and you can always use AHK to compliment it. Pretty comfortable on the hand too, but as I said I don't do any long-term gaming on it, just occasionally reaching over to hit a few keys, so couldn't comment on long-term usage.

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Chicane-UK Veteran

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Most sysadmins I know type their linux commands at blisteringly fast speed on a crapped out old beige keyboard, or at least a Dell OEM

Likewise. Keyboard shortcuts to things like VNC, etc are a waste of time in my opinion! You never need to save THAT much time even if you're under serious pressure.

Personally I think it's hard to beat something like a traditional Cherry keyboard, or something like one of these old SGI Granite keyboards:

silcongray.jpg

I can really type at my fastest on that style of keyboard :)

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Grand Master

Kami-

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Most sysadmins I know type their linux commands at blisteringly fast speed on a crapped out old beige keyboard, or at least a Dell OEM

That or the HP OEM ones too ^^

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