I haven't read every post. I wanted to comment on the subject. Much has to to with what you learned on. Your experience, your frame of reference.

When I was in high school, I was ridiculed for enrolling in typing class. The perception was it was a class for girls and dumb kids (and dumb girls). In the vernacular: "a blow-off class". But I enjoyed writing. And I enjoyed typing. When I was an even younger kid, I liked to plunk around on Mom's manual typewriter which she had used in college. If you want young people to see how lucky they are, put them in front of a manual typewriter. That's a workout. But Mom never got any pain from it.

So I didn't mind learning on an IBM Selectric typewriter in school. You think the Model M was loud? That was a loud room, that typing class, with 30 electric typewriters plugged in and humming away. I liked that typewriters made an impression on the page. I printed my college thesis on a laser printer. Although I used acid free paper, the type began to fade after a few years.

In the 1990s I worked for a brief time at a newspaper. I used a Model M, which I still consider the best keyboard I have used because of the snappiness of the keys. I typed faster on that than on any keyboard I have used. My moronic co-workers were convinced I had lied on my resume about my typing speed and other things. The speed I gave was actually pretty low, but that didn't matter. They were idiots. When they saw me type on these Model M keyboards, they were shocked. So I guess I proved my point.

But you know my hands and wrists did get tired, so although the Model M is considered "best" by many, it isn't ergonomic. Progress has been made in that area. I look forward to trying some new keyboards.

For those of us who learned on real typewriters, computer keyboards have never felt like real typing, with the possible exception of the Model M.

I'm using a $150 Matias Quiet Pro now, but a key cap popped off again after three months, and the keys, though somewhat clacky, still have some mushiness to them. For some reason, I type badly on this keyboard. The left side slides around the table. I don't know why it's so hard to make four rubber feet for a keyboard to keep it from sliding. I don't consider it a $150 keyboard. Fifty maybe.

For a long time I was using the Logitech K120 (?) sold at Office Depot for $12 or $15 dollars. Although it was a membrane keyboard, it had a surprisingly good feel to it. Problem was, every few months the paint would wear off the key caps. After going through about four of them, I realized it made just as much sense to spend more money on a high quality keyboard.

I'm still looking. Poor quality is a sign of the times. There are all kinds of ways to make a bad keyboard. Aren't people clever?