some technical intermediate message (includes shopping advice)

Nah guys, I promised you some more text on the vacation. I'll keep the promise, but once back home there are so many things that ask for attention, many of them external, that it simply takes some time. The photos that go with those texts are recently downloaded to my netbook, ready to get sorted and eventually edited.

Today there is some really different subject, and if you think it sound too much like a paid ad, I must assure you: it is not paid for!
But an ad it sure is.
Few of you know, but I use Danish keyboards on whatever system besides the netbook (though I recently got a notebook-like USB Danish keyboard for that as well) and my former notebook.

During my professional life I had ergonomic keyboards. Logitech Danish at home, Microsoft US-international at office. Both were really good, and permitted me to keep on typing 10 fingers blind in a period where I could only type with great difficulties. It was not just the layout; I had a more common type of keyboard Danish layout too, and it gave me problems and loads of typos.
One of the problems I had, was typing in the dark. The constant switch between keyboards never brought me a real sense for many of the punctuations. I had a preference for Danish layout, knowing most of them best. Even on a keyboard that perfectly fitted my needs, I sometimes needed to check out for punctuations, confused between the marks.
When dark, the Logitech made such a clattering sound that would awake the neighbourhood, let alone the partner sleeping at the other side of a thin wooden wall... It was a choice between typos and physical discomfort, or the emotional discomfort of a quarrel about me typing...

For a friend needing a new system for his home working environment I found what I thought the perfect keyboard for him. A Logitech illuminated USB keyboard would fit his needs. a really perfect touch, and more because he's a two finger typer, the keys are visible in the dark :).
Extravagant price ( € 80 ) but he obeyed. And after just little time I got the call for a perfect advise (as on some other things we bought him that day. Nice shopping when you don't have to pay for it yourself).

Martin bought a Danish keyboard while we were there to get his notebook a more ergonomical daily use position, but it was a notebook layout, and in practice it was too small for him.
Well, I learned quickly, so for him I bought an illuminated USB keyboard as well (Danish layout too, like he had and like his new notebook we bought in Nykøbing has). Had to order through the Logitech site, and that attented me on a wireless version of it as well. Extravagant ++ price (€100), but it might be a good replacement for the ergonomical. Type a lot less these days, and the touch of a regular sized keyboard can make up for the curved design of an ergonomic one.
So, here I am with a K800. Officially for WinXP and later, but besides the typical brand oriented functions (that never worked on my linux system) it works. Better even: the volume control seems so universal that it is supported: for the first time I can adjust volume from my keyboard. How practical that is...
Better, after only a short training, I found myself typing without typos. In the part above I only had to correct twice for example. And better still, the one thing I could only hope for: the punctuation I doubt on I can simply find by a quick glance at my hands, no more trial and error.

That makes it in effect ergonomically a lot better than the ergonomical keyboard.
It still has the old fashioned (and ergonomically wrong) levers at the top side, but it is as flat as you can expect a keyboard. My advice is clear. If ever you doubt if you like your keyboard, buy one of the Logitech illuminated. Either USB or wireless cost a lot of money, but I think they are worth any pence of it. Major brands like Microsoft and Logitech itself have good keyboards, but there simply is none like these two.