Tell me more ×
Unix & Linux Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for users of Linux, FreeBSD and other Un*x-like operating systems.. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 6 down vote favorite

I miss using a clicky keyboard at work. It's a fairly quiet office, so I'm stuck using a nearly silent keyboard. The upshot is that I can wear headphones. Is there something in Linux or X that can respond to all keyboard events with a nice, sharp click, giving me that audio feedback? Before you think I'm crazy, I know some high-end keyboards even have speakers in them to reproduce this click for those who like the audio feedback. I'm looking for something at the operating system level.

share|improve this question
3  
No offense this is the weirdest request ever... where can you get a nearly silent keyboard? – xenoterracide♦ Sep 16 '10 at 23:22
"Nearly silent" was maybe hyperbole or maybe how my keyboard sounds when I'm listening to music. It's just a run of the mill soft-dome keyboard. – postfuturist Sep 17 '10 at 0:21
There are high-end keyboards with speakers to reproduce click sounds? wtf? :-) Anyway maybe you should look for an old IBM M Series Keyboard on Ebay? :-) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard – echox Sep 17 '10 at 9:08
1  
@echox I would use a Model M, but it's a quiet office. Here's a keyboard with a supplemental click sound: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesis_(keyboard) – postfuturist Sep 17 '10 at 16:17
known bug in StackExchange comments, that last URL needs to be written en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesis_%28keyboard%29 – msw Sep 26 '10 at 13:22
show 1 more comment

3 Answers

up vote 4 down vote 
xset c 100 c on

Per their docs, but it doesn't work for me on openSUSE 11.2 x86_64

share|improve this answer
Good find. Doesn't seem to work in Ubuntu either, unfortunately. – postfuturist Sep 17 '10 at 0:27
And not in arch :-/ – echox Sep 17 '10 at 9:06
You're possibly suffering from bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=24503, as both Ubuntu Lucid and openSUSE 11.2 use evdev and xserver ≥1.7.0 and <1.7.99.902. I'm surprised about Arch, because they're more up to date… but maybe you've hit a different bug. – ephemient Sep 17 '10 at 14:20
I've never seen xset c work on any system ever. I think it may be someone's idea of a joke ;) – msw Sep 26 '10 at 13:20
up vote 1 down vote

See the link below. I got this to work with only a little effort, and it's very good if you like keyclicks (I find them sort of a "mood" thing).

I use the scripting found in the link as an option in an Emacs "darkroom" writing mode that I've developed. I launch it as an asynchronous shell command and kill it with the shell command 'pkill -9 -f linux-typewriter.rb' when done.

https://github.com/colszowka/linux-typewriter

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

The general reason people use noisy switches is to get feedback for their typing. I think that computer generated clicks would come to late in the cycle to help with feedback.

If you want more information ask on the geekhack forums. They are the experts.

I hear many people say that Model Ms/Cherry Blues/Alps/Topre/other noisy keys are too noisy for their office, but honestly even some guy pounding the hell out their keyboard is going to generate noise that even comes close to a chainsaw. If people are bothered with that, then they are probably also bothered by tapping hands or a squeaky chair and I would find it hard to work in such a place.

share|improve this answer
I think you could tune the latencies in the system down enough for it to be useful. I'm currently using a Model M at work, I just don't pound too hard on it. It's got plenty of tactile feedback, and I can hear it through the headphones anyways. I get comments about the noise not too often. Maybe once a month. No actual complaints, yet. – postfuturist Mar 23 '12 at 20:31

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.