Computer Quirks
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Chord Keyboard
A type of keyboard that has keys rather like a piano,
usually five of them, that is "played" with one hand.
Different combination of keys are pressed at the same
time, rather like playing a chord on a piano.
Each combination produces a different letter, digit
or punctuation symbol.
Of course, the user must learn the chords and which
letter they produce.
The advantages are one-handed operation and a claimed
increase in speed, once learned.
Microwriter,
AgendA,
Xerox Alto
Mouse Connects to Keyboard
Since the mouse usually sits next to the keyboard,
why not plug it into the keyboard?
Why have it plug in round the back of the computer?
And while we're at it, why not have two places
for it to plug in, one on the left and one on the
right?
That way, we could have a shorter, tidier mouse tail.
Sun, Olivetti M24, Whitechapel MG-1, Apple iMac
Two-Click Keys
Before the mouse became widely accepted, everybody used the
cursor keys to move around and scroll in a document.
That meant that good cursor key arrangement was a bonus.
The Apple /// featured another improvement: press the cursor
keys harder, and the cursor moves faster.
Apple ///
Soft Power Off
Nowadays, we're used to having a "Shut Down" option on the
"Start" menu.
This is actually quite a recent innovation for the PC,
but many older machines used a similar method for a
controlled shutdown.
PERQ, Whitechapel MG-1, Apple Lisa
Built-in Phone
Since most people want a phone on their desk next to the
computer anyway, why not build it right in?
That way, the computer could assist the user with phone
directories and auto-dialling.
ICL thought this was such a good idea that they built the
One-Per-Desk around it.
In fact, it had two phone lines, a handset and a modem
all in one small desktop unit.
ICL One-Per-Desk
Always On
The other quirk of the ICL One-Per-Desk was that it was
never really switched off.
You could switch the screen off, but the processor remained
on, ready to deal with incoming phone calls.
It could function as a rather limited answering machine
even when the user was doing something else with it.
ICL One-Per-Desk
Main Box Powers Monitor
A modern PC usually requires two mains leads just to make it
work, one for the computer and another for the monitor.
Added to that , we have leads for the printer, scanner,
speakers and modem.
Some early designs tried to cut down on the messy wiring
and multiple mains plugs by powering the monitor directly
from the system box.
Sirius, PERQ, Whitechapel MG-1, Olivetti M24
Monitor Powers Main Box
Of course, the other way to do the single-power-supply trick is
to put the power supply in the monitor and power the computer
from it.
The Amstrad PC was notorious for having its power supply in the
screen, which meant that you couldn't use a standard PC screen
with it.
No so practical nowadays, due to the higher power requirements
of modern processors, and hence the thicker cables that would
be needed.
ICL One-Per-Desk,
Amstrad CPC464,
Amstrad PC 1512
Electric Eject
One potential source of problems with a disk operating system
is a user ejecting a floppy disk at a time when the machine
is least expecting it.
When the computer is writing data onto it, for instance.
Some designers tried to eliminate this cause of errors by
putting disk ejection under the control of the machine, not
the user.
This meant putting a small electric motor in the disk drive to
perform the mechanical operation of getting the disk out.
At least in theory, it's a good idea, but many users didn't
like it.
Apple Lisa, Apple Macintosh, Sun
Integral Video
Many early computers were designed with the monitor built-in,
instead of having it as a separate unit.
It makes the computer quite bulky in some cases,
and quite heavy too.
Another disadvantage is that if the monitor fails, the whole
computer cannot be used; if the monitor is separate,
you can plug another one in quite easily.
Finally, the very high voltages inside monitors make the
design of an integrated unit quite tricky, especially if
the user expects to open up the case safely for upgrades.
Apple Lisa, Apple Macintosh, Commodore PET,
Tandy TRS-80 Model 4,
Amstrad PCW8256, HP 150,
HP 9845
Keyboard Tucks In
A simple but useful design feature is a computer case that
allows room underneath to tuck the keyboard away when it's
not in use.
Apple Lisa,
HH Tiger
Iconic Boot Prompt
On those machines that required a floppy disk to boot from,
some designers used an icon to prompt the user to insert the disk.
This cuts out all sorts of hassles with translation of messages
for international use.
Sirius (Mac? Lisa?)
Portrait Screen
Since we're used to writing letters on sheets of paper in
so-called portrait format, it makes sense to use a word-processor
in a similar way.
Some of the early graphical user interfaces were built on machines
whose screen was set up vertically in this way.
Later computers were much cheaper, and used an ordinary TV set
for a display, which meant they had the conventional
horizontal orientation.
PERQ, Xerox Alto, Vectrex
Twist Screen
Really creative designers tried out the idea of a swivelling
screen, so that the display could be used for letter-writing
one minute and spreadsheets the next.
All it took was a quick swivel of the screen from vertical
to horizontal.
Radius Pivot
Clip-on Keyboard
Before laptops became popular, some computer designs claimed
to be portable, and had carrying handles.
These machines also had separate keyboards which could be clipped
onto the system unit for transit.
The better designs used the keyboard as a sort of lid over the
disk drive slots, screen and other controls.
Apricot, Vectrex, Osborne I, Compaq Portable, IBM Portable
Miniature Display on Keyboard
Function keys were a familiar feature on keyboards long before the
IBM PC design became universal.
Some keyboards had a place to put a function key template, usually
a simple strip of cardboard with labels for the keys printed on it.
The Apricot design went one step further and fitted a small
liquid-crystal display (LCD) under the keys.
It was called the Microscreen, and showed the user what function the
keys would perform at that time.
Apricot Microscreen
Colourful Function Keys
Some machines that had function keys also made them brightly coloured.
The most well-known example must be the BBC Micro, but other machines
had them, too.
In some cases, the brightly coloured keys are used to start up built-in
ROM applications.
BBC Micro, BBC Master Series, Acorn Archimedes,
Amstrad NC100,
Amstrad NC200,
HH Tiger
Front Panel Cover
A feature that sometimes reappears nowadays is the sliding
cover over the front of a computer, covering the disk drive
slots when they're not in use.
Apricot,
Wyse pc286,
some modern PCs, Colani PC
Dual Disks, One Drive
A handy space-saving feature in the days of twin floppy-disk
machines was the idea of a dual disk drive.
You had two slots, two handles and a single drive which would
accept two disks.
Some designs had a single drive motor and a weird and complex
drive-belt that would make both disks turn.
DEC Rainbow, 3½"/5¼" dual drive
Integral Printer
Why not build a printer into the computer, too?
Well, because it makes the machine bulkier and heavier
and if it breaks down, you can't just swap it over.
Also, it tended to fill the computer with paper dust
if the printer was used frequently.
HP 150,
HP 9845,
Sharp portable, some modern PCs
No Tools Required
If you're trying to build a user-friendly, upgradeable computer,
why not design it so that you can open up the case without needing
any tools?
Apple Lisa, Colani PC
Cover Off, Power Off
Another variation on the theme of a user-friendly, safe computer
is one were you can open it up and it immediately switches itself
off, if it happened to be on.
It also won't let you run the machine with the covers off.
Apple Lisa, PERQ
Zif-socket Slots
Nowadays, we're used to ZIF-socket processors, but the older machines
sometimes had ZIF-socket peripheral slots, too.
Apple Lisa
Silent Running
Many of the early home computers were silent because they had
no hard disk and no need for a fan.
Some designs were specially arranged to draw cool air
in at the botton and let warm air out of the top, all to
eliminate the fan and keep the noise down.
Apple Lisa, Apple Macintosh
Monitor Controls on Keyboard
If you've designed the computer, power supply, and monitor all
at once, why not eliminate the controls on the monitor and
place them on the computer keyboard?
Sirius (Mac Classic)
Soft Degauss
A variation on the idea of brightness and contrast controls on the
keyboard, why not let the user degauss the monitor screen by remote
control, too?
Olivetti M24
Touch Screen
Before mice were used to select from menus and navigate around
software, many computer designs featured a screen that you could
touch for that purpose.
The HP system used a grid of infra-red beams, which your finger would
break, but most systems used conductive coatings on the glass of
the CRT.
HP 150
Soft Keys
As a sort of half-way stage to the touch screen, many early designs
had so-called soft keys, which were keys or buttons located around
the edges of the display.
The idea was that labels could be drawn on the display close to the
keys, as required by the software.
Then, the user could select functions by pressing the keys.
Some modern cash machines (ATMs) use this technique, usually
with four buttons on each side of the display.
HP 9845