# Keyboard props - Up or Down? **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736 **Category:** In My Humble Opinion **Created:** [June 6, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736 "2002-06-06T20:36:08Z") **Posts on this page:** 20 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna) #### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/1 "2002-06-06T20:36:08Z")
You know what I mean? Those two tabs under the back edge of your keyboard that prop it up. You can put them in the up position to tilt the keyboard’s back edge up a few degrees. Seems to me it makes the keyboard a little easier for my fingers to get at. I always keep the tabs up. Whenever I sit down at a computer, and someone has left the keyboard in the down postion, I can’t type until I flip the tabs out. (This happened just now, which is why I thought of asking.) I can’t even imagine a reason why anyone would leave them down. So here’s an informal poll: Do you prefer to type with the tabs flipped out or tucked in? Why do you prefer it that way? ---
### Author: ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/2 "2002-06-07T01:24:29Z")
Up (i.e. tabs flipped out). It brings the top keys closer to my fingers. I wish those tabs were made stronger though. One computer at work has broken tabs and another has tabs that keep popping out. ---
### Author: ![tigergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@tigergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigergirl) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/3 "2002-06-07T01:31:32Z")
Mine are down at the moment because the right one has broken off. If I then raise the left one, my keyboard becomes a noisy percussion instrument when I type. 🙂 ---
### Author: ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/4 "2002-06-07T01:42:08Z")
Down. ---
### Author: ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/5 "2002-06-07T09:49:40Z")
Everybody knows that only communists and nazis keep their keyboards in the “down”-postition! So, uh, up it is. 🙂 ---
### Author: ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/6 "2002-06-07T10:32:29Z")
Totally up - prevents RSI, y’know… ---
### Author: ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/7 "2002-06-07T10:37:54Z")
Tabs up. I find the angle more comfortable for typing. ---
### Author: ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/8 "2002-06-07T11:03:21Z")
Up thanks. ---
### Author: ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/9 "2002-06-07T23:37:24Z")
Up. Just more comfy for me. My SO keeps them down. He’s weird. ---
### Author: ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish) #### Post date: [June 7, 2002, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/10 "2002-06-07T23:41:06Z")
Down. Keeps my wrists straighter, which I find more comfortable and which I believe will help stave off CPS. ---
### Author: ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/11 "2002-06-08T01:17:32Z")
Up, of course. ---
### Author: ![baltotop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@baltotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baltotop) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/12 "2002-06-08T03:28:28Z")
UP all they way babe;) ---
### Author: ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/13 "2002-06-08T03:50:59Z")
Up! ---
### Author: ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/14 "2002-06-08T04:12:01Z")
Up. ---
### Author: ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/15 "2002-06-08T04:17:58Z")
Up! It pisses me off to no end that the kids at my school are constantly flipping them down at the computers in the school library. NOOO! It makes typing much easier and less stressful. Yeesh, tabs down indeed. ---
### Author: ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/16 "2002-06-08T16:42:00Z")
weird, my key board has tabs that bump the FRONT of the keyboard up. so for me its down, although this isnt so bad with them up. ---
### Author: ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/17 "2002-06-08T17:38:11Z")
Up, definitely. I touch type, and with the tabs down, everything’s at a different angle, and I miss the keys! Besides, a flat keyboard is the spawn of the devil - you have to stretch your hands far more than neccessary 🙂 ---
### Author: ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark) #### Post date: [June 8, 2002, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/18 "2002-06-08T22:00:24Z")
Up, it makes it easier. ---
### Author: ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man) #### Post date: [June 9, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/19 "2002-06-09T12:28:18Z")
It depends on the keyboard I think. I’m on my SO’s computer right now and the tabs are down. Its one of those silly HP(she bought it before we were together, NEVER AGAIN) “internet” keyboards and its pretty big and bulky and angled nicely with out the tabs up. If I put the tabs up, the keyboard drawer wont slide in. I have a Microsoft Office keyboard and its tabs are UP. The 2 keyboards I use at work are up. So I’m 3 for 4 up. dead0man ---
### Author: ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse) #### Post date: [June 9, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736/20 "2002-06-09T13:36:14Z")
Hey, look at that!! I’ve been using this thing or variations thereof and have never noticed those tabs 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-props-up-or-down/112736.md?page=2)