My first computer was an original IBM PC. I paid over $2000 for the 8088 machine equipped with two 360K floppy drives, a 10” amber monochrome monitor and no hard drive. Looking back, the technology is almost laughable, but one thing the system came with that wasn’t quickly outdated was an authentic 84-key IBM “Model M” mechanical keyboard. In fact, as I went through several hardware upgrades over the next few years, the only piece of the original system that survived was that keyboard. I cycled through 286, 386, 486 and Pentium machines. Each new machine came with whichever clone manufacturer’s default keyboard which I would try for a time then inevitably revert to my old IBM “clicker”.  After 10 years, the old keyboard just got too worn and ugly to use with a shiny new computer. Plus, the old 9-pin keyboard plug got to be a hassle to convert to PS/2 and then USB. But, it never failed to work flawlessly even after multiple spills, drops and general abuse. The thing was built like a tank.

Fast-forward 20 years.