dabigkahuna
About
- Username
- dabigkahuna
- Joined
- Visits
- 7
- Last Active
- Roles
- member
- Points
- 123
- Badges
- 0
- Posts
- 465
Reactions
-
The TextBlade keyboard is superb, but you'll have to be patient
I only did a quick look at some Cosmo references, it doesn't strike me as being as complicated as the TB. Oh, I know it is also a mini computer and camera, besides the keyboard. But it still looks like just using existing tech generally. Thus no need to figure out all the tricky stuff involved in an even smaller keyboard that take a whole new approach and can have issues no one would even think about because no one ever did it before.arkorott said:Short version: the Cosmo has not come out. Will come out in June as planned. But strongly suspect it will still be weak on the SW side despite awesome HW much like the Gemini. Planet Computers does not invest much on SW and it shows as the usability is greatly degraded.
After this experience I am much more understanding and patient with WT, in terms of the firmware readiness for GR for the masses.
But, I think the people that have ordered 4 years ago, and are still engaged here, reddit, WTF are far for the norm of the masses and would be willing to accept a non-ideal firmware, so that is why I encourage WT to ship to these people now with current firmware.So I'm glad you are more understanding and patient with the WT situation, but I suspect it is even more complicated than you think it is. Which is understandable. We have people in Treg who do hardware and software and they didn't really get it until they got to use it.This is an area I wish I could explain better. I've certainly tried, but I can certainly tell that those who haven't experienced it usually aren't going to no matter how many times it's explained.I have seen some people say they should just do all separate keys instead of just 8 plus space. I wondered about that for years myself. And then, recently, WT mentioned they had looked into that and found that, on a small keyboard like this, hitting the edge of a separate key really ruined the typing feel. As soon as they said it, combined with my experience with it, I completely agreed. It was just so obvious once pointed out. Now, of course, some may say you still have separate keys, just fewer of them, so the problem still exists. Well, not really. because the separate keys each are assigned to one finger for touch typing. With experience, you'll find missing from side to side (crossing keycaps) is a very rare thing. It is the vertical directions that cause the problem I'm talking about, plus the horizontal for those fingers which have the same finger move side to side (index and pinky fingers).I can also understand the desire to ship whatever to early customers. But I can also see serious problems with doing that.
-
The TextBlade keyboard is superb, but you'll have to be patient
I try very hard to notice these things. I even go back through very old posts sometimes. But I sometimes I forget who said the things I remember!arkorott said:
Well, thank you. You at least noticed. I guess we can all get carried away in the middle of an argument, we just need to get back on track.For example, when we get a new Treg member, I tend to look at old posts - some of them made VERY strong attacks on WT to the point I was a bit surprised they were selected. This is why sometimes I tell critics who claim they only pick people who support them that they are simply wrong.Another example may be you - not sure though Like I said, sometimes I forget names. Are you the one who said their WTF name was "dan..." (can't remember the exact name)? Someone here who said they were banned had that name and I looked back at the old posts. At the time of the banning, I couldn't find anything noteworthy. But about a year early, they did make a pretty nasty statement. Now, I've seen just about as bad from some testers so even then I may wonder how they got to be a tester while this other person got banned. And then there is the year long gap. I've seen WT go back and lock threads that are that old, in batches, as if they periodically review old threads but don't on a regular basis. So I suppose someone may have come across it later and sort of acted retroactively, without considering your later posts. I wouldn't agree with that since, no matter how bad something is, if it is just one post when angry, no big deal. It is also possible - and has happened before - that really bad stuff was said in private messages and that's what actually did it. I don't know if anyone actually got banned for that reason, but I know people have posted claims which, based on public posts, may seem reasonable and then we find out the private posts were quite different.Anyway, isolated, exaggerated rants can be ignored, imo. Or just responded to and then move on. Which is why I say I disagree with some of the bans, but others I'm just fine with because they sure weren't isolated and, like another critic here, the attacks go against everyone who doesn't agree with their assumptions. -
The TextBlade keyboard is superb, but you'll have to be patient
Just a little advanced warning for those looking at the page and scanning quickly for what looks like a video - you won't find the expected visual. Instead, you'll read text that says, "Video demonstrating..." and they have to click on that. One for removing and for putting it back together. Also, at least to me, I looks like the cap is just popped right of by pulling it up. When I went through this with Mark, he said to twist it (by holding down the keycap(s) along side the one you are removing, you can twist it off). I do, when assembling, just snap it down though.gmadden said:
Yes. Confidence probably comes with practice. I’d say the motion will accelerate wear so I wouldn’t recommend doing it just because you are bored.ericpeets said:Interesting. Is the TB easy to disassemble, then, for self repairs and such? And also to put back together?
The important bit, I think, is making sure that the butterflies are lapped correctly. Easy to test but small and a little tricky to get first go.
There is a video of the process on the waytools.rocks wiki in the Troubleshooting section.
http://waytools.rocks/keyboards/troubleshooting/start#removing_the_keycaps
edit: section specific linkLike you said, it was a bit tricky the first time I did it (getting the butterflies right), but it's not a big deal now.
-
The TextBlade keyboard is superb, but you'll have to be patient
ChrisTaylor said:There was a time when I wasn’t sure if WayTools would ever be able to make it reliable enough for the mass market. I don’t think I was the only TREG user with that fear. Even so, the potential was so apparent that there were still lots of positive things to say about it.
Yeah, there was a time I was worried to. Sure, it did a lot of things well - enough that I didn't want to go back. But far too many problems for the mass market.Having two significantly different firmware branches out in the wild would complicate support. In addition, I suspect that the firmware changes are significant enough that there may be a non-trivial chance of users bricking their TextBlade when performing the update.
Yeah, I remember one update that was so major that there was some concern that the process could mess up the TB. I think it took me at least 3 (probably more) tries to get it to finish (fortunately not bricking it). But once that was made, future updates were not particularly risk. And before someone takes that the wrong way, pretty much any time there is an iPhone or other update, some small percentage get messed up. IOW, nothing is 100% sure to be safe. Anyway, this update may very well be the same situation, though I hadn't thought of it before.I've made the point about support many times (which someone else originally pointed out). I don't mind people who think they should ship anyway. We can argue the pros and cons back and forth. But too often we get the "This is the only proper way to do it". Sort of like saying there is only one proper way to write the plural of "forum".
-
The TextBlade keyboard is superb, but you'll have to be patient
While it is always possible he isn't a real customer, I suspect he most likely is. Some people just get angry and stop thinking rationally. Instead they lash out with whatever idea comes into their head.WayTools_Support said:
A real customer doesn’t waste his day to do stuff like this.
I remember a case where the band director I worked with ordered a silver plated tuba from a store I was familiar with and recommended. They gave the best prices. But delivery didn't happen when expected. Month after month it was delayed. The other director thought he was being ripped off. He talked to other music stores about it and they said things like, "Yeah, they couldn't afford to sell it that cheap so they aren't shipping in hopes you will cancel so they don't take a loss". But they also said, "That's what we would do"!So he tells me this stuff and I tell him I know this store. They are scrupulously honest and if it isn't shipping, it is most likely the fault of the factory that makes them. I also pointed out to him that he might want to consider the other part they said - that that's what they would do! Because they were admitting they would do what they were assuming this other store was doing.Eventually we got the tuba. It was delayed because these instrument companies often turn out groups of instruments (like tubas) for a limited amount of time and then move on to others. We happened to order at a time when available supply was pretty much non-existent and they also weren't going to start making them again for awhile.
Since then, almost everything we bought was from that store because they gave great prices and service. But they couldn't control the factory. Just like WT couldn't control in advance for problems they didn't know would come up with the new tech.
