Computer keyboard

A computer keyboard is an input device whose keys let people enter text, commands, and other signals into a computer.

Keyboard switch: A mechanism beneath a key that detects a press and produces an electrical signal. Each switch registers an individual key press.
Keyboard layout: A mapping of physical keys to characters, symbols, or actions. The layout determines what a given key produces under a particular configuration.
Membrane keyboard: A keyboard that detects presses through conductive layers separated by a flexible membrane. It contrasts with individual mechanical switches beneath each key.
Dvorak Simplified Keyboard: An alternative keyboard layout designed by August Dvorak and William Dealey to reduce finger travel in English typing. It offers a prominent alternative to QWERTY for text entry.
Typewriter: A mechanical or electromechanical machine that prints characters by striking an inked ribbon against paper. Computer keyboards inherited the typewriter's basic key arrangement and typing practice.
Keyboard matrix: An arrangement of keys in intersecting electrical rows and columns for efficient scanning. Matrix scanning lets a controller identify many keys with relatively few connections.
QWERTY: A keyboard layout named for the first six letters on its top alphabetic row. It is the widely used layout found on many computer keyboards.
Mechanical keyboard: A keyboard that uses a separate mechanical switch for each key. Its distinct switches offer a different feel and actuation behavior.
Colemak: An alternative keyboard layout that changes selected QWERTY keys while retaining many familiar positions. It balances reduced finger movement with compatibility for QWERTY users.
Sholes and Glidden typewriter: The first commercially successful typewriter, introduced in 1874 with a QWERTY keyboard. Its layout helped establish QWERTY as a durable keyboard arrangement.

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