Focus 9001 130 Key Programmable Keyboard
9/10/1990 - 10/18/2000
We gather here today to remember a dearly departed friend. In human years he was but an adolecent in the spring of his life. As a computer part, he is an aged veteran that has lived through several generations of the ever evolving computer world. He was a marvel of industrial engineering at the time. His footprint was no more than your standard keyboard yet had an addition 19 keys including 12 programmable function and 4 diagnal arrows. Also an aesthetic wonder, he sported embedded LEDs on the CAPS LOCK, SCROLL LOCK, AND NUM LOCK keys. The coiled wire allowed its old fashioned AT plug to reach behind the most in accessable desks.
He first saw action on a whitebox 386-25 taking the duties of a generic 101 key model. Within a short year, our friend managed to hitch a ride on a new thoroughbread, a 486DX2-66. At the time, the old 80486-66 was to best you could get. The ole Focus was kept and saw extensive action playing Wing Commander 2, Falcon 4.0, Aces over Europe, and Civilization. The ole workhorse also survived many term papers dished out by mean teachers that sought to take away valuable DOOM II time. In the end, it was he that was the conduit which produced the essays that got me into college.
By the time college rolled around, the 486 was ready to go the way of the Dodo bird and was retired into a dusty corner of my closet in New York City. My journey to Boston was to be accompanied by a new companion, a sporty Pentium 133 w/ a 2MB Matrox Millenium video adapter. Still the old codger wanted to follow. Like a faithful puppy, he rode up I-91 that gray morning tucked between two comforting sweatshirts. That first night after the introductions, activities, and ad hoc get togethers, he helped confort me that first lonely night in a dorm room. In the darkness, those reassuring red LEDs from the NUM LOCKED soothed a lost soul.
Over the next three years, he saw action that went above and beyond the call of duty. Hundreds of pages of essays and write ups went through his keys. Verbs, nouns, adjectives, formulas, and other general BS flowed with the comforting clickity clack of a champion. When not providing its owner with the means to a bright future, he faithfully relieved the daily stresses of college. Jagged Alliance, Quake, Jane's Flight Sims, and a new entity known as "The World Wide Web". Often put through abuse by those less loving, he help up like a fearless rebel and dare defy any opponent. Beer was spilled on him, ripped and thrown across the room by angry girlfriends, and covered by grease from chips/french fries/cheese steak subs.
By senior year, the Pentium has long been surpassed. A new marvel known as Pentium II appeared and the Pentium Classic was retired for less strenuous work. The old Focus keyboard stayed. That last year in college was a true test of will for the little guy. That first semester, a record 450 pages of final papers (not including drafts, daily work, or emails) was forced upon its plastic keys. By second semester, the parties that it endured would have destroyed lesser models. In one instance, a drunken young lass fell and ripped him out of it AT/PS2 adapter. Slammed to the floor with a mighty thud, he sustain no damage what so ever.
After college, the Pentium II 450Mhz was still a young chick. I however got restless and splurged on a top of the line Pentium III 500Mhz. Over the next year and a half, the old keyboard has served me well. Then suddenly yesterday, the music finally died. First the spacebar started failing, it took several hard hits to get it working. Then other keys started to lose function. In a panic, I tried it on another system. Same results.
. Then I tried it on my laptop, no luck. Many attempts at recussitation failed and at last I gave in. 10:18PM
Many of his companions came and went but he held on strong, he has lived with 8 systems and well as served loaner duty with countless others. Sue his replacement has fancy items like a "WINDOWS" key and a "MENU" key but those are just gaudy trinkets next to the ever so functional programmable keys. He now lies in state until a proper funeral can be arranged.
Nevertheless, the memories will remain. All the late nights trying to eek 5 pages out of 2 pages of BS, the many games that came and went, and one failed attempt at learning Dvorak (WTF WAS I THINKING!?!?!?).
So long dear friend, you will be missed.
9/10/1990 - 10/18/2000
We gather here today to remember a dearly departed friend. In human years he was but an adolecent in the spring of his life. As a computer part, he is an aged veteran that has lived through several generations of the ever evolving computer world. He was a marvel of industrial engineering at the time. His footprint was no more than your standard keyboard yet had an addition 19 keys including 12 programmable function and 4 diagnal arrows. Also an aesthetic wonder, he sported embedded LEDs on the CAPS LOCK, SCROLL LOCK, AND NUM LOCK keys. The coiled wire allowed its old fashioned AT plug to reach behind the most in accessable desks.
He first saw action on a whitebox 386-25 taking the duties of a generic 101 key model. Within a short year, our friend managed to hitch a ride on a new thoroughbread, a 486DX2-66. At the time, the old 80486-66 was to best you could get. The ole Focus was kept and saw extensive action playing Wing Commander 2, Falcon 4.0, Aces over Europe, and Civilization. The ole workhorse also survived many term papers dished out by mean teachers that sought to take away valuable DOOM II time. In the end, it was he that was the conduit which produced the essays that got me into college.
By the time college rolled around, the 486 was ready to go the way of the Dodo bird and was retired into a dusty corner of my closet in New York City. My journey to Boston was to be accompanied by a new companion, a sporty Pentium 133 w/ a 2MB Matrox Millenium video adapter. Still the old codger wanted to follow. Like a faithful puppy, he rode up I-91 that gray morning tucked between two comforting sweatshirts. That first night after the introductions, activities, and ad hoc get togethers, he helped confort me that first lonely night in a dorm room. In the darkness, those reassuring red LEDs from the NUM LOCKED soothed a lost soul.
Over the next three years, he saw action that went above and beyond the call of duty. Hundreds of pages of essays and write ups went through his keys. Verbs, nouns, adjectives, formulas, and other general BS flowed with the comforting clickity clack of a champion. When not providing its owner with the means to a bright future, he faithfully relieved the daily stresses of college. Jagged Alliance, Quake, Jane's Flight Sims, and a new entity known as "The World Wide Web". Often put through abuse by those less loving, he help up like a fearless rebel and dare defy any opponent. Beer was spilled on him, ripped and thrown across the room by angry girlfriends, and covered by grease from chips/french fries/cheese steak subs.
By senior year, the Pentium has long been surpassed. A new marvel known as Pentium II appeared and the Pentium Classic was retired for less strenuous work. The old Focus keyboard stayed. That last year in college was a true test of will for the little guy. That first semester, a record 450 pages of final papers (not including drafts, daily work, or emails) was forced upon its plastic keys. By second semester, the parties that it endured would have destroyed lesser models. In one instance, a drunken young lass fell and ripped him out of it AT/PS2 adapter. Slammed to the floor with a mighty thud, he sustain no damage what so ever.
After college, the Pentium II 450Mhz was still a young chick. I however got restless and splurged on a top of the line Pentium III 500Mhz. Over the next year and a half, the old keyboard has served me well. Then suddenly yesterday, the music finally died. First the spacebar started failing, it took several hard hits to get it working. Then other keys started to lose function. In a panic, I tried it on another system. Same results.
. Then I tried it on my laptop, no luck. Many attempts at recussitation failed and at last I gave in. 10:18PMMany of his companions came and went but he held on strong, he has lived with 8 systems and well as served loaner duty with countless others. Sue his replacement has fancy items like a "WINDOWS" key and a "MENU" key but those are just gaudy trinkets next to the ever so functional programmable keys. He now lies in state until a proper funeral can be arranged.
Nevertheless, the memories will remain. All the late nights trying to eek 5 pages out of 2 pages of BS, the many games that came and went, and one failed attempt at learning Dvorak (WTF WAS I THINKING!?!?!?).
So long dear friend, you will be missed.
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