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It's a clone (I think) of an IBM design, nothing special at the time, but now it looks a little old and clunky. In fact on the back it's even got a switch for XT/AT mode (XT being the interface to the original IBM PC design). It doesn't have any of those new-fangled "multimedia" buttons, nor even any "Windows" pseudo-shift keys (which I don't miss, because I don't use Windows). On the other hand it is nice to type on, which is why I've never felt the need to replace it.
It needs a good clean-out every half-decade or so (look at it like this: it's nice to be reminded of some of the nice things I've nibbled on over the years). Forensic evidence indicates it has been splashed with tea or coffee on occasion, but the only real damage is a bit broken off one key when prising it off for cleaning.
Can anyone beat that?
I have computer speakers of early 90s vintage - they were originally part of an IBM Aptiva. I also use a 1993 HP printer that's still kickin' out pages. I've replaced more keyboards than any other component; I tend to bang on the keys really hard when I'm typing...
The oldest thing here is a power bar that is probably from the early 1980s
I've still got a couple floating round the office and the darned things are indestructible.
However I managed to corrupt my hard drive by dropping wine on the keyboard and had to re-install windows (which I use back then).
Going back on topic. My keyboard is definitely a few year's old and has seen very heavy office use but I do not know exactly how old as I bought it second hand - it was the only way to get a UK keyboard here.
It is a nice solid IBM one: not as good as some of their older keyboards but still better than anything else I have used for a while.
It's never been switched off, has not been kept in a controlled environment, and the whole thing is still working (running an old DOS app) :)
At a guess I'd say around 1993/1994.
And it's also a really nice keyboard. They don't make 'em like they used to!
The computer with which my keyboard came is still under my desk, at least the case is, the rest of the parts have been swapped out several times, apart from the 5.25-in drive. It's now doing stolid duty as my router / fileserver.
Oh, they are with me since ~1991/92.
I bought the backup keyboard after my Microsoft mouse stopped working, and I found out that they obsoleted it. I have a new 5-button mouse now, which I like just fine, though I had to tweak the registry to get the same functions that I had before. I'm thinking about getting an extra mouse as a backup, too.
I touch them once in a while for nostalgic reasons (they all still work), I have to say that the IBM keyboard rocks. That old traditional "clunk" was made forever!
Today, I use daily one of these modern MS Ergonomic keyboards. I like it, but, it doesn't make that re-assuring "clunk" the old IBM keyboard makes!
For me, in 20 years, mice have moved on to new levels, keyboards have moved back in terms of feel.
And right now I'm in a faraway country for a couple of months with just my trusty laptop. It's OK for typing with while on the move (that confused someone on an airplane recently who saw me apparently accessing a website from 30,000 feet), but is not nice for day-to-day work. I was out looking for a real but compact keyboard, and there is a lot of junk out there; I'm surprised people put up with it (or maybe some people don' t type much).
