Nixdorf Softkeys review (Nixdorf Cherry MX Black)
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2016
- Skip to 9:59 for a typing demonstration.
My other keyboard reviews: • Thomas' Keyboard Reviews
Follow me on Twitter for updates on my keyboard videos! / chyrosran22
A review of my CT06-CT07/2 M "Softkeys" with "nixie" Cherry MX black switches, from some vintage computer terminal. They really remind me of vintage Cherry MX blacks. It's a pretty massive battlecruiser keyboard with tumbler locks, it's awesome :D .
The practice sentence was: "Hello mein name ist Thomas und I'm typing on a Nixdorf Softkeys right now. What a cool-looking keyboard this is, I wish I could use it to launch nuclear missiles so I can take over ze wurld!" 
Наука
![Finesse2Tymes - Pretty Ricky [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xIoP_mhYRT0/mqdefault.jpg)
I remember in '87 supporting Nixdorf Terminals connected to a Minicomputer - It would often crash and you had to put a key in the keyboard (these ones were black or dark grey as I remember) and we had to type in a series of commands which would reload (effectivety reboot) the Minicomputer. Walking around with that Nixdorf key all day I felt like I had the power of the Gods! . . .
Felt like?? You did!
ß is a double s ligature, in (slightly older) English it'd be written ſs (long lowercase s, then a short lowercase s). the ß is actually a refinement of ſs, with the tops connected
impress - impreſs - impreß
tassel - taſsel - taßel
ass - aſs - aß
Or rather „ſʒ“ in German
Controlpotatocommunitylimit?
Yes.
@@Chyrosran22 y es
Gives a new meaning to a KEYboard.
artman40 New? Dat thing is propably older than me.
That's a really cool keyboard man. Loved the intro, so on point. That look like it should be in some computer museum. As always thanks for another great video / review.
One of my favorite vids by you!
Awesome review! Loved the intro :)
I need to get my hands on one of these...thankfully they don't seem to be as much of a unicorn as they once were, but still very rare. The fact you have a key is really something wonderful :D
Thanks! I know, if it hadn't had the key it wouldn't've been anywhere near as much fun xD .
Steuerungskartoffelgemeinschaftsbegrenzung! You made my day. =)
When I first started watching this video I thought I may have stumbled upon a James Bond movie instead ;-) That bit of fun aside, this is definitely an unusual board - especially with those locks on the top. I have never seen anything quite like that, but I suppose that was indeed some sort of multiple-account lockout system back in the day. Another great review, and as always I look forward to your next one!
The scooped keys on this keyboard look beautiful. I imagine that they would be a delight to type on.
Really awesome intro, man!! Definitely makes the video stand out. (Fastest liked video of yours from my side, ahem, if this sentence makes any sense!) Big fan of yours. I always try and follow your videos, no matter which old/knwon/unknown brand of keyboards it is. I was on a hunt for buying a mechanical keyboard that's when I found your channel and before I could even know, I had instantly sub'd! I was just being lazy for not buying a mechanical keyboard, but your videos inspired me to a level that I made the purchase within few days! (I purchased only the one I could easily afford in my country -- TVS-e Bharat GOLD with CherryMX Blue switches -- for equivalent of 25 GBP). Your voice, the amount of efforts you take, your passion for keyboards, consistency, the (intellectual :P ) depth in the videos, the quirky jokes -- it hugely impresses me every damn time! It all, as if, /speaks/ to me. :D Unfortunate that this particular keyboard (Nixdorf Softkeys) isn't usable at the moment only due to the weird port. Just a suggestion / question: Did you try building / hunting for a vintage PC on eBay or places where you find these vintage keyboards? That won't come very expensive. (Reviews of such vintage keyboards with a vintage "rig" with a monochromatic (green?) monitor would be even more awesome!) Would also love reviews of some Modern Keyboards, as other users might have requested, but yes, they are hugely expensive (you might try for a "review unit" thing other RUclipsrs are into, if you may!). Cheers and keep up your great work! :)
Thank you :) . I really don't have space inside my house for a whole vintage computer rig right now, I can't even store all the keyboards properly. I have well over 100, and they just fill the entire house. But if I did run into a complete system I might take it home anyway and keep it for a little while at least, maybe pass it on after that.
This looks like the dream gaming keyboard
3:32 BEST PART :D
The intro alone gets you a like
Aren't nuclear missiles launched by Telex (Selectric!) lines? This seems way too modern for a Cold War set.
War Games ;) .
I was thinking softkeys would refer to them being programmable.
The Nostromo's alarm sound effect! I find it's delightful for a wake-up alarm. ;-)
Hah, cool, you recognised it ^^ . The code is the Nostromo's registration number, as well :) .
Chyrosran22 Oh wow! I didn't notice that before! Glad to hear I'm not the only one with that kind of knowledge of Alien.
One of my favourite films, I've loved that film ever since I watched it as a kid :) .
If I had this I'd create a custom controller for it, which outputs Win+L when turning the key. ☺️ It's pretty cool to lock the computer with an actual key.
This keyboard... I must have this keyboard. It’s like the thing is from some adjacent parallel universe in which late 50s/early 60s style was just catching on in our current time. It could only be better if it was made with a Bakelite housing and porcelain inlaid steel, imitation ivory, or a deep black onyx. Or some sort of metallic glass on the sides and white marble tops, polishing until you can see your mirror universe doppelgänger. An un-ironic object of comfortable utility. The kind of keyboard Teddy Roosevelt or Harry Truman.might have used. Think _really_ old school typewriter. Or vintage accordion. A machine built to last for generations. A work of craftsmanship that just works as a keyboard. Handy as all get-out. Internals a maze of flat steel levers, gears, and chains that is built like a Swiss Army knife., but is so well-maintained , each key press and lever like butter..
2:43 "INHALE RAPIDLY"....
CUTEEEE!!!!
We germans love Kartoffels
So I guess o-rings on MX key caps aren't a new thing :D
That said, I've added them to both my MX-based keyboards (both linear) and the noise has been reduced quite significantly indeed. Especially on the Ajazz with its light thin hollow key caps that typically act like resonators!
I lost it at 3:32. My German is pretty bad but I'm pretty sure there was a potato in there.
Did he mention the y and z swap by the way?
I have nixdorf keyboard, it's good.
how are nixdorf mx black switches compared to gateron black switches
That intro though 😂
Does that unusual key profile have a name - or is it something that only this family of boards has?
I've been thinking about trying to get my hands on a set of spherical (DSA) MX mount keycaps lately - but you pretty much have to be on a waiting list! In the mean time, I have gotten my hands on a pleasantly inexpensive double-shot set ( www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017OIGDYC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) to replace the super-cheap pad-printed keys on my Cherry knock-off board, and I couldn't be happier with them. They have a much better feel (textured), and I love the look. They even improve the sound a bit. Now I'm getting curious about different switch weights. I can tell that keyboards have become for me another customize-able thing that I'm going to have a lot of fun with - down the road, I can see myself having a few different boards depending on what I intend to do with them.
This guy and provoked prawn need to do a collab
steuerungskartoffelgemeinschaftbegrenzung ?
not sure if this is quite right ;)
(btw ß sometimes replaces "ss" and is called "sz" or "scharfes s")
as always great review :)
Yeah I know, but why does it look like a beta?! xD
good question! crazy Germans I guess xD
The German Eszett looks like a Beta because it is basically a digraph of the old Latin Long S and an old form of the letter Z (which is most commonly seen in Blackletter and Fraktur style fonts nowadays). The old form of the letter Z looks like a Number 3 and the Long S is basically the vertical line and the left part of the curve. They were combined as a way to abridge writing the 2 Letters before mechanical type was a thing, saving a small amount of space, possibly some ink, and definitely time as it is slightly quicker to combine the 2 letters as one stroke than to do separate strokes and a slight pause to move your hand to give some space between the letters.
The Long S fell out of favor quite some time ago in most Latin based alphabets, being replaced in common use with the regular form of S, which used to be used for short S sounds only. The number 3 shaped Z is still used to this day in some handwriting scripts and by people studying old typography and writing via Unicode Fonts that have the character included in them, the long S is also in some Unicode fonts as well.
Stig Rabbid underrated comment.
This is exactly the type of semi-essay one would need to describe the ß.
Top notch.
Keyboard for a BA80 terminal a much lower quality keyboard than that used on the DAP4 terminal. The connector at the end is for the SAS interface.
I'd recognise that initial siren anywhere...
We actually use the ß for words like Fuß, where the sound is between the german s and z
Nuclear Launch Detected.
The odd language legends might have something to do with different localized models and the cost of the tooling for the keys because of the double shot aspect... The tooling is expensive so they added the bare minimum number of keys to make it usable and just adjust the circuitry a little to handle the extra characters and alternate layout, another possibility is that the tooling was from another company and they didn't have a full german board layout and didn't bother with getting tooling for the more or less unnecessary to translate keys.
Just my theory, but i think it has some validity
Actually the language legends aren't odd at all. In the 80s pretty everything computer-related in Germany was in English: Manuals, games etc. So to have a "Ctrl" or "Delete" key was perfectly normal. The German version of the famous IBM XT keyboard also has English legends.
Only when IBM introduced the PS/2 system, they had the idea to use German legends, which looked very odd to me as a German back then and still do today.
Isn't it actually short for "steuerung"? =P
Yes, but steuerung is short for steuerungskartoffelgemeinschaftbegrenzung, just like how ctrl is short for limit potato control community
you should compare them with gaterons..i bet gaterons are the smoothest
The Strg reference made me really think you're German
tumbler locks ... just ask the lock-picking lawyer.
XD very creative
See if you can spot the film references ;) .
why didn't you replace the o rings. they're super cheap
I can't even use the keyboard :p .
nice intro :)
Thanks, I really like it too :D . It's Kyle's work, he did my other intros and artwork too.
Yeah!
Btw, he's addicted to saying "Yeah!" :p .
siren sound from alien 1979? )
Roman Demyanenko Yup! The launch code is a reference to it as well :) .
Is this keyboard layout something to do with NATO. The security keys and English labels makes me think it might be for the US Millitary in West Germany or another millitary.
The "German S", as you called it, used to be a ligature of a "long s" (ſ; basically an f without the horizontal line) and a script z (ʒ), which then became a letter of its own (SZ or "scharfes S").
You hit the spacebar with your index finger.
call the locking picking lawyer
Finally bought a brand new keyboard. Corsair Strafe with Cherry MX Reds. I don't know why you think that Cherry's Switches. I don't know why you think Cherry's switches are very scratchy. Please be aware that this is my very first linear keyboard.
They are scratchy compared to other switches. If you've only tried Cherry MX, the scratchiness won't be very apparent :) .
steuerungskartoffelgemeinschaftbegranzung
When I was a kid in the 80's I pulled off an 'Escape' key from a keyboard being thrown away. The stem looks like Cherry MX but is too thin.
Link is to 2 pictures, I would love to know where it is from.
imgur.com/a/AmiEy
BBC Master :p www.beebmaster.co.uk/Domesday/Pics/DomesdayXXV-6big.jpg
Chyrosran22 ah yes thank you, the memories have come flooding back. It was when I was at secondary school about 1992 and there was a skip which was filled up with about 30 full BBC Micro machines from the computer room.
Is it just me or is it really fucking hard to find an ISO layout on a modern mechanical keyboard? I'd like to get a 60% one but I can't find one...
You haven't been looking hard enough. The Pok3r comes in ISO.
iNViSiBiLiTi Only seen Pok3r in ANSI.
Jon Doe Try harder: www.amazon.de/Vortex-KBC-poker-Ultra-kompakte-mechanische/dp/B00TIM5WJA
iNViSiBiLiTi I can't even fucking sign into Amazon in whatever that fucking country is. Try again. I even searched worldwide on Ebay for it... So yeahhhhhhhh
Edit: nevermind managed to sign in but it says it can't be shipped to the address I selected.
Jon Doe you can try amazon.co.uk or corus-keyboards. The Pok3r comes in ISO. You can also join LeadreN's group buy on geekhack.org
did he just say potato?
Please see Wodan’s most recent recycler find. This is the last board he shows. Completely loses his sh!t. DO IT. Time stamp @1:13:17.
imagine pick locking your colleagues account like that. Also chyros has some nixies to sell ? I know this video is 4 years old
update oh he desolered chacahcah
0:31 It is "nucular". The S is silent.
LegoJKL The 'S' stands for The Simpsons. Homer Simpson in particular. ;)
Ah German, the softes of languages xD
Literally putting the "key" in "keyboard".
mx black are better than model m(not really they suck)
3:32 It's actually only short for Steuerung.
camera wobbling 🤮