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Johnny_Lawless_Esq t1_j22b35s wrote

Reply to comment by Tweel13 in interesting keyboard in a museum by OnlineLion

What's the rationale for that key profile within that field?

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Tweel13 t1_j236lfv wrote

That question has been addressed well by other commenters, above; apparently it's a German standard. I noticed it wasn't QWERTY only after you'd asked and I'd zoomed in on the image. The clues to its typographic nature were a little easier to make out -- e.g., the alignment controls along the upper row, and the power-of-two fractions in the foreground, etc. Bethold machines could produce some very high-quality output, though I was was never a big fan of using them.

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squickley t1_j23uurc wrote

Someone suggested it could be designed for use with gloves. But it sure looks like a typesetting situation. So no idea why they'd need gloves. Maybe it slows typists down to reduce errors?

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Tweel13 t1_j26c19r wrote

Yeah, I wasn't going to mention that....

Typographers of the hot-metal era might have been concerned about keeping ink off their hands, but it's really not an issue with more recent technology! In any case, one would definitely not want to type in gloves. To reduce errors, practice, practice, practice.

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