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Inventor Revives Engelbart's Chording Keyset with USB Adapter

3/24/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Ken Shirriff has ingeniously crafted a USB adapter for Douglas Engelbart's groundbreaking 1960s chording keyset, a device aimed at lightning-fast text input. Engelbart, renowned for his revolutionary inventions like the mouse and graphical user interface, introduced this keyset during his iconic 1968 demonstration. However, its complexity kept it from achieving the fame of its more user-friendly counterparts.

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Story summary

Ken Shirriff has ingeniously crafted a USB adapter for Douglas Engelbart's groundbreaking 1960s chording keyset, a device aimed at lightning-fast text input. Engelbart, renowned for his revolutionary inventions like the mouse and graphical user interface, introduced this keyset during his iconic 1968 demonstration. However, its complexity kept it from achieving the fame of its more user-friendly counterparts.