Great high school research paper idea #48
Research the evolution of symbol inclusion and placement on typewriter/computer keyboards.
I was talking with Tim Phillips recently and somehow our conversation veered to the pipe symbol on the keyboard. Don’t ask. I mentioned that the pipe looks like a vertical hyphen. I also mentioned that two pipe symbols means “or” in several programming languages. That got me thinking…who developed the pipe symbol? And who decided/pushed to have it put on the computer keyboard?
Bonus question: what other symbols are on our current keyboards but not on this IBM Selectric typewriter?
Dave Stone @ June 6, 2008
Hmmmm…backslash – another symbol making it’s way to the keyboard above the Return key. How about the Control-Alt-Delete trio.
My favorite – the Apple key. Sorry you miss out on this one Dave!