Desk changes

Desk changes
============

I have decided to re-organise my desk.For a few years (~5) I had one
shared keyboard for "all" my machines but two LCDs - one for most of
systems and one just for the SGI O2 (the O2 works best with the special
SGI 1600SW screen - a special 17" 1600x1024 device with a non-standard
connector).

This setup was relatively usefull as it saved a lot of desk space. But
there were some issues: the mechanical KVM switch sometimes produced
errors and th keyboard and mouse I used were the "granite" SGI ones.
While they are of excellent quality (keyboard is from about ~1993 and I
have been using it daily from early 2000s, the mouse is a bit newer but
has been used for many years, too) there have some problems with modern
systems.

The keyboard is perfect for older UNIX (or even DOS) systems -
comfortable, witl full set of keys. But it does not have the "Windows"
nor the "Menu" key which many modern systems (including modern Linux
desktops) extensively use. The mouse is mechanical and has not scroll
wheel. This also makes some issues with "modern" software.

So I have decided to do a small update - I moved the SGI keyboard and
the SGI mouse to position in front of the 1600SW. Then I disconnected
my main desktop (the POWER9 box) from the KVM and connected a new
keyboard and mouse to it. So the KVM now operates only SGI machines (a
two of them: the SGI O2 and the SGI Indigo). It's not exactly practical
as the Indigo use the other screen (not the 1600SW - iy cannot do this)
so to work in the Indigo I need to move the SGI input devices back to
their old position.

The POWER9 (my Blackbird workstation) thus have got new input devices:
the IBM (I mean the actual IBM thing and not the Lenovo!) and the MNT
[1] standalone keyboard. Why these two? The mouse was available (I
think I have bought it long time ago for use with one of my IRB laptops
had). The keyboard has history. As you may know I have the MNT Reform 2
laptop. It was - among others - an interesting keyboard. While its
layout is a bit unusual the device is mechanical and pleasant to use
(not as pleasant as the old SGI keyboard but much better than 899.9% of
modern keyboards). So I once decided to got the standalone version.
too. So I have bought it and had no actual use for it (I still plan to
use the MNT Pocket Reform - in case it will arrive one day - as a
desktop with an external screen, an external keyboard and an external
mouse. But the Reform is still not available so the keyboard has been
unused (I actually have more than one available and for some strange
reasons I selected to use the one with Japanese layout with my main
desktop).

But the result is that now it's easier for me to use the SGI O2. SO I'm
writing this text on my O2!

The main desktop is also a bit better - the MNT keyboard is smaller so
the mouse on the right is better positioned. And it has that damned
Windows key.

P.S. This short sessing on the SGI O2 just reminded me that I still
feel more "At home" wit the IRIX - even five years of daily Linux use
changed nothing. Too bad the there is no usable WWW browser for the
IRIX these days...

References:

[1] https://mntre.com