The Japanese are truely the pioneer of keyboard design. All these are symmetric.
NEC Keyboard based on a then new Japanese language input system, called M-system or M-type.
«M-system keyboard with compromised layout for NEC PC98 from 1992. It has Alps yellows and very heavy grey on top left key. —hasu 2013-02-22»
img src
Note that the M-system layout for English, has all vowels {E, U, I, A, O} for left hand. This is similar to Dvorak Keyboard Layout.
M-system is designed by Dr. Masasuke Morita at NEC in the early 1980s.
«元日本電気特別顧問森田正典氏が考案したM型キーボード('83年～)。左に母音、右に子音を配置しキー配置の覚えやすさと、左右交互打鍵と複数文字列を単打鍵で入力できる複合キーにより、高速な日本語入力を実現したという。文豪などに搭載されたほか、PC-8801/9801用、Windows用が発売された»
〔写真で見る歴史的なコンピュータ～「情報技術のエポック展」レポート【訂正版】 By Impress Corporation. @ http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/20010313/ipsj.htm〕
«M-system keyboards designed by Masasuke Morita in 1983.» (thx to hasu, )
The key's physical layout is a bit strange. On the left side, note the large gap between A and O. Same thing for the right hand on N and S. If you are typing English on this keyboard, that might be a problem.
A modern (2007) version of the TRON keyboard is the μTRON Keyboard.
I tried to take a photo side by side NISSE as “Easy Keyboard” keyboard of genuine NEC-made M-type for which you are introduced from time to time as an array for Japanese input. Easy is like those made in PC-9801 for the 1995 keyboard
[1]
〔http://kbd.rzw.jp/alps/nec_pc-9801-98-s02/〕
. As a standard, it was made in 1998 after this model “Ergo Fit Keyboard”
[2]
〔http://www.nec.co.jp/press/ja/9809/2401.html〕
seems to be M-type keyboard last. We are right to be “we expect to sell 20,000 units in one year”, those that are actually used even now It seems there.
At the stage of prototype had been made in the design of the fan-shaped as NISSE [3]
〔https://plus.google.com/+ShikiOkasaka/posts/HykmMyZMXnK〕
things, “Based on the prototype, it is working to improve from the point of view as industrial products” Te, M expression The comparison ergonomic elements it is the product initially, it seems went to calm with less ergonomic elements such as photo gradually as [4]
〔http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/8801KI.htm〕
PC-8801-KI design of grid-like leaving strongly subject. As a stream those of ergonomic elements packed original have converged only TK-1 in 1991 as a standard also TRON keyboard, towards the μTRON keyboard that became less of ergonomic elements and to them being sold now It does not may have been felt are similar.
NISSE Although I wrote earlier that it has been made to the influence book of Ken Okuyama's called “the art of making” two hundred individuals “without also one million units even one” [5]
〔http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/asin/4569809529/〕
, meaning of the word “the art of making” two hundred individual “” is again Looking “expects to sell 20,000 units in one year” from that was a product of the end of the M-type keyboard you have already converged I think it also comes to.
〔TRON Project 1987 Open-Architecture Computer Systems By Sadao Tachibana, Ken Sakamura. @ amazon [An Implementation of the TRON Keyboard pp 139-150]〕
〔Ken Sakamura, Method to Input Japanese Characters in BTRON Environment — Design of TRON Keyboard, Information Processing Society of Japan, Japanese Documentation Processing Study Group, 7 - 2 (1986)〕
〔Masaru Nakaseko, Ergonomic Design of Keyboard, Human Engineering, Vol. 22, No. 2 (1986)〕
