Keyboards
While the next decade of human-computer interaction is teeming with possibilities - I think of holographic pixie secretaries and thick cables rammed into the backs of human skulls - in 2024, plain ole' keyboards are still the best way to operate computers. Read on to find out how we got here, where we’re going, and what to do about it.
A Brief, Computer-Centric History of Keyboards
Typewriters were introduced commercially in the US in 1874 and became invaluable by making the writing process more efficient. The fastest one could write with a pen was 30 words per minute; with a typewriter, one could write many times faster, more legibly, and with less effort [1].
By the 1950s, the “keypunch” was used for batch computing on huge mainframe computers. Programs were typed out onto punched cards, walked over to the machine and fed into a slot, and no short time later a card with some output would pop out. Only very wealthy institutions - large corporations and the military - could afford mainframes [2].
On the backs of major advances in hardware (minicomputers) and software (time-sharing), the 1960s saw a major step forward with the advent of interactive computing [3, 4]. In this paradigm, one would use the computer by sitting at a computer terminal: simply, a device you hook up to a computer through which you can send and receive data and have it displayed. Teleprinters (a very old technology!) were adapted for use as the first computer terminals and remained so for decades, only to be replaced much later by electrical displays in the late 70s.
Think about that for a second. Your Lisp REPL (1964) and your Unix shell (1969) - foundational pieces of modern software, each later earning Turing Awards - originally ran on paper…for a decade!
Then, in 1984, the era of the graphical user interface (GUI) was ushered in with the release and commercial success of the Apple Macintosh [5] (owed, as legend has it, to Steve Job's revelatory visit to Xerox PARC in 1979 [6]).
At last, for the first time in the history of computer peripherals, the keyboard would be dethroned by the mouse. No longer was computing the domain of hunched hackers conjuring obscure typed commands, but instead an inviting garden of icons, menus, and windows, where making something happen is as simple as reaching out and touching it. And so the era of personal computing began. Ever since, the mouse (or touch-screen, since the iPhone in '07) reigns over navigation and control, while data input is left to the most-humble keyboard.
The Stagnant Keyboard
Keyboards have changed remarkably little since their inception. Today's standard QWERTY layout is what the first typewriters were shipping with in 1874! And just look at the resemblance once the shift key was invented in 1878 [7]:
Face it, you're part of a 150-year legacy![FN 1]
And here's the extremely commercially successful Tetelype Model 33, one of the most common hard-copy computer terminals of it's day since it's release in 1963:
Keyboards today are almost functionally identical, aside from whirligigs like wireless connectivity and RGB backlighting.
At first this baffled me: “why have keyboards evolved so slowly, while computers have improved exponentially fast?!”[FN 2] So I did some thinking…
…and my initial conclusion is: the keyboard is basically the best thing possible. One key dedicated to each alphanumeric/symbolic character. And each modifier key adds an entire layer of functionality for, well, anything. In this way, the keyboard’s interface is extremely general: nearly any computer operation problem can be framed as a keypress (+ mouse pointer) problem. And it's extremely simple: you can take someone who's never seen a keyboard and get them off and typing within minutes. It's hard to beat that.[FN 3]
Hah, so no wonder the keyboard hasn't changed much over time: whether they knew it or not, they pretty much had it right all the way back in 1874!
What Now?
What does this mean for you, who just wants to use computers more effectively? There are many things you can do, such as:
- become a fast touch-typer
- learn the most useful keyboard shortcuts
- buy an ergonomic keyboard
- learn a more efficient keyboard layout
For my full list of interventions ranked by importance, see "The Haxonomy".
The Future
Set in darkness. Applause begins and lights are switched on. A man in a tweed jacket sits upright in a puffy armchair. Beneath, a very orange rug. Applause fades.
HOST. (Faintly arrogant.) So, I hope I’ve convinced you all today that the keyboard and mouse will remain the predominant computer interface for the foreseeable future. That is… until they come out with an AI that can read your mind! (Grinning sarcastically.) Now wouldn’t that be something…
The host turns 15° to the right and clasps his hands.
HOST. (Feigning disappointment.) Welp, that’s all the time we have, folks! Until next time. And as always… (suddenly intense.) stay ergo. (He winks.).
Silence. Stillness.
PRODUCER. (Offstage.) CUUUT! That’s a wrap. Teardown in five.
The host’s stiff smile vanishes. He sags back into the armchair, producing a silver flask from his jacket’s breast pocket. As he raises it to his lips he happens to catch his reflection and sits up for a moment, studying his face.
HOST. (Grimacing.) Damn I’m old…
The host takes three gulps, gives a loud, wet, sigh, and plops back down into the armchair, deeper than before, gazing, unseeing, at his shoes.
The producer enters stage left and taps the host on the shoulder. He stands on the edge of the set, silhouetted in darkness.
HOST. (Barking.) What is it?
The producer mouths silently.
HOST. (Incredulous.) Who? GPT-whaa?
The producer starts again, gesturing softly. The host’s frown rapidly deepens and his eyes widen maniacally. Shoe-ward gaze unbroken, he takes an erratic swig just as the producer makes a culminative hand gesture, and is abruptly knocked back into the chair, spraying everywhere. Fumbling, he barges upright and siezes the producer’s collar with both hands.
HOST. (Sputtering.) Are you f***ing serious?! Well then what on earth are we still doing here!?
The producer, dangling, mouths a couple words and shrugs casually.
HOST. (???) Aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhhhhh!
Frenzied, the host shoves the producer aside - who crumples to the floor - and rushes past him off stage left. A door slams. Silence. A distant echo of a car engine revving and tires screeching. More silence. The lights fade to black.
END OF ACT 1
(The above was written by GPT-4.[FN 4])
The Future (epilogue)
“GPT-whaa?”
I admit, I’ve been dodging the question. Yes, keyboards as we know them will certainly be replaced by new tech in the near-ish future. But do not despair! The keyboard is still well worth mastering in the meantime. It might take, I dunno, another decade and a half before a truly polished and cheaply manufacturable alternative hits the shelves. You ought to know, however, that the technological building blocks for this keyboardless future - LLMs, speech-to-text, VR, etc. - are stacking up rapidly. Learn how to wield these powerful augments in Futuristic HCI.
Footnotes
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...I'm not, though! Check out the "Engram" layout and others here.[return]
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Computer hardware has advanced exponentially for decades, but I don't think that necessarily implies anything about computer interfaces, or even software for that matter. Making chips faster, writing better software, and designing computer interfaces are all very different enterprises. In fact, I wonder: is interface stagnation the rule rather than the exception? Consider automobiles. We’re still using a steering wheel and two pedals more than 100 years later despite order-of-magnitude gains in the underlying technologies like horsepower, fuel efficiency, brakes, crash safety, etc. This is fascinating, I ought to look more into this...[return]
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Courtroom stenographers use special chorded keyboards called “stenotypes” to take down words at a steady 200wpm [source], but it takes an arduous several months to learn [source]. This extreme power-versus-complexity tradeoff only really makes sense for this occupational niche, not for the masses.[return]
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...not![return]