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Marcin Wichary documents forgotten keyboard symbols across PC and Mac history

Wichary publishes essay on PC keyboard symbol history

1 Sep 13 10:00 AM · 11d ago · 1 article · 1 post · 2 sources · development 1 of 4

Marcin Wichary releases the first part of his essay documenting forgotten keyboard symbols, focusing on the PC side. The piece traces the history from IBM's Selectric typewriter in the 1970s through scientific computers that used iconography, to the eventual standardization of just four symbols (⇧, ↵, ⇥, and Backspace arrow) on modern Windows keyboards.

“Some IBM laboratory and scientific computers in the 1970s and even 1980s veered more into iconography, but eventually lost to text as office PC users rejected the confusing symbols.”

Marcin Wichary

Marcin WicharyMarcin Wichary Designer, typographer, and author

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Peak 6 pieces in 3h at Sep 20, 9 AM; 19 pieces over 11 days (2 articles · 4 posts · 13 comments) Sep 13, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Hacker News 1, Newswires 1Sep 13, 12 PM — quietSep 13, 3 PM — quietSep 13, 6 PM — quietSep 13, 9 PM — quietSep 14, 12 AM — quietSep 14, 3 AM — quietSep 14, 6 AM — quietSep 14, 9 AM — quietSep 14, 12 PM — quietSep 14, 3 PM — quietSep 14, 6 PM — quietSep 14, 9 PM — quietSep 15, 12 AM — quietSep 15, 3 AM — quietSep 15, 6 AM — quietSep 15, 9 AM — quietSep 15, 12 PM — quietSep 15, 3 PM — quietSep 15, 6 PM — quietSep 15, 9 PM — quietSep 16, 12 AM — quietSep 16, 3 AM — quietSep 16, 6 AM — quietSep 16, 9 AM — quietSep 16, 12 PM — quietSep 16, 3 PM — quietSep 16, 6 PM — quietSep 16, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 12 AM — quietSep 17, 3 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — quietSep 17, 9 AM — quietSep 17, 12 PM — quietSep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Sep 18, 3 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Hacker News 1, Newswires 1Sep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — 6 pieces · 6 comments — Hacker News 6Sep 20, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 2 comments — Hacker News 2Sep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Sep 20, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Sep 21, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Sep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Sep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Sep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 12 PM — quiet 12–34
1Wichary publishes essay on PC keyboard…2–3Wichary announces second essay, notes…4Wichary publishes second essay on Mac…
Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:27 PM ET

Reported in the same hours no headline names this development itself — these 1 claim were published in its stretch

  1. 1 outlet Key symbols we lost to time, pt. 1: The PC side

    first by HN Frontpage, 11d ago

All 4 developments of Marcin Wichary documents forgotten keyboard symbols across… →

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