![]() I suspect that everyone involved with the PET in 1976 was quite smitten with their prototype's industrial design. Taken without context, this may seem like a foolish or arbitrary choice. Thus, the change to the PET in the next revision (PET 2001-N) to use a standard computer terminal keyboard, suitable for touch-typists. Peddle agrees to this course of action, and only recognizes in hindsight that the "chicklet" keyboard is not practical for most users. In the ensuing exchange, it's Tramiel that makes the suggestion of using existing suppliers and making a keyboard that will fit the space constraints based from existing calculator parts. I wandered in and showed Jack the problem." "I'm wandering around and Jack (Tramiel) is talking to the Japanese engineers. ![]() "I'm having trouble making a regular keyboard fit in the case," explains Peddle. Such is relayed by Chuck Peddle, lead designer, in Bagnall's book: The initial driver for the decision to go with a small-footprint "chicklet" keyboard was the limitation on physical space for a conventional keyboard, as found in computer terminals of the time. The story of the design of the Commodore PET has been well-researched, and documented, in Brian Bagnall's book Commodore: A Company on the Edge. They got a lot of flack for that, of course - so it was changed into an actual typewriter keyboard with the next model. The engineer tried to explain to Tramiel that this was a stupid idea, but Tramiel was not the kind of guy that's easily swayed, so the thing shipped with a calculator keyboard. Because - (a) it's much cheaper and (b) they could produce it themselves and/or had a supplier that he had already forced into giving him insanely good prices (not sure which it was) So when his chief (computer) engineer approached Tramiel about a keyboard for the new computer he was designing, Tramiel decided they would use a calculator keyboard. That's why the PET's case looks the way it does: Commodore owned a factory in Canada that manufactured steel office furniture, and that's the kind of case these people could come up with.Ĭommodore was also a big player in the electronic calculator business. manufacturing as much of a product as possible in Commodore's various facilities. ![]() He was fixated on "vertical integration", i.e. Jack Tramiel - Commodore's founder and CEO - was a penny pincher with no clue about the computer business. Great for low production numbers, getting costly if it turns out to be a success :)) Rather good looking and saving the effort to create castings for each key. They already supplied keyboards for their mid range desktop calculators and came up with a way to save on key labeling by using blank key and glue tiny colour printed metal stickers in each. *1 - Mitsumi in case of the PET keyboard. While the Wikipedia page insinuates a lack of space, it seems that the cassette could have easily been relocated to the top or side of the monitor.Ī standard typewriter keyboard without a num pad could have fitted well without (re)moving the cassette drive. Not to mention that this eased the addition of special/dedicated keys like cursor, rvs or run/stop Going for a calculator type keyboard, made to spec, from one of their existing suppliers (*1) would not only cut cost but ensure delivery as well. That would have been already 10% of the whole unit price. The PET was intended as a low priced entry level hobbyist system for just USD 795 - there was simply no legroom for a full keyboard.Īt the time a typewriter keyboard like a Suntronic IV (see Byte 1/76 p. Putting aside that 'why not' is a hypothetical question thus a definitive answer can rarely been given, it's rather obvious that the answer might be the same as for why it was delivered with a wonky cassette recorder instead of a floppy drive: Why didn't the original Commodore PET computer use a standard typewriter style keyboard?
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