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