I still have the portable (handle on case) manual Smith-Corona my parents got me sometime in late(?) grade school. And it still worked last I tried it a few years back. Every paper I wrote for far too many moons was done on it, up through second-year at university. After the first year in high school, I could get through a 25 page paper in one night and only make two or three errors. Generally, I knew the error was happening as it went in and managed to cut back on the finger power enough that I could salvage the page with an eraser, even if I was moving too fast to correct 'in flight'.
The first few keyboards I used were Designed with manual typists in mind and could take the pounding. At least one was on a card-punch, back in the ~dark ages~ (Fortran on IBM 360/370 mainframes), so one would expect that. The early IBM PCs also had Very Solid keyboards, with a heavy steel sheet in them both for weight and strength. They were repaired rather than replaced for the first several years even though it was a medium-big pain to do as All of the key-return springs tried to escape ... and often succeeded.
My typing speed is not far from where it was in high school typing class, c. 70-80 WPM, but the lighter key-press is a Great blessing. With a manual, I'd have had to quit typing Years ago; my wrists and fingers would be in too much pain. OTOH, my hands and forearms Were much stronger then, and it shows when I try to give someone a backrub now; I fade on strength and am in pain quickly, whereas ~then I could go for several hours happily (and you can ask chesuli about how I worked over her Viciously stiff shoulder one long afternoon way back then ... ;-) ).
Yep. here as well
The first few keyboards I used were Designed with manual typists in mind and could take the pounding. At least one was on a card-punch, back in the ~dark ages~ (Fortran on IBM 360/370 mainframes), so one would expect that. The early IBM PCs also had Very Solid keyboards, with a heavy steel sheet in them both for weight and strength. They were repaired rather than replaced for the first several years even though it was a medium-big pain to do as All of the key-return springs tried to escape ... and often succeeded.
My typing speed is not far from where it was in high school typing class, c. 70-80 WPM, but the lighter key-press is a Great blessing. With a manual, I'd have had to quit typing Years ago; my wrists and fingers would be in too much pain. OTOH, my hands and forearms Were much stronger then, and it shows when I try to give someone a backrub now; I fade on strength and am in pain quickly, whereas ~then I could go for several hours happily (and you can ask chesuli about how I worked over her Viciously stiff shoulder one long afternoon way back then ... ;-) ).