PS/2 keyboard and open firmware console?

Radek Kujawa wrote:

> How about Sun USB keyboards? I have B&W G3 and Sun
USB Type 6 keyboard. 
> It doesn't work with OpenFirmware (I can't enter OF at
all with this 
> keyboard). However, it does work perfectly with this G3
once operating 
> system is loaded (I tested it under OS X and NetBSD).

I believe the Type 6 predates USB HID boot protocol support,
or that 
there was something weird about the endpoint setup that
needed a 
software hack.

> Fortunately one of my co-workers had generic PeCee USB
keyboard, and I 
> used it to enter OF - it worked fine.

Yeah, I bought a $60 Logitech pro keyboard that said
"MacOS X 
compatible" on the box only to find out that it doesn't
support the HID 
boot protocol, so I couldn't get into OF or use any snag
keys with it, I 
had to dig out the OEM apple USB keyboard, or a Dell KB. I
asked 
Logitech about it and they were like "Yep we know, and
we have no plans 
to fix it or support it in the future either." I bet if
I had purchased 
a Microsoft keyboard or any other brand without "MacOS
X compatible" on 
the box, it would have worked. </rant>

> So I wonder, what makes Sun USB keyboard incompatible
with Apple 
> OpenFirmware?

I don't think it's that it's incompatible, just doesn't have
USB HID BP 
support, or some kind of bug in the device descriptor(s)
that makes the 
USB shim in OF not work.

You know, I was rather surprised that, although I couldn't
manually enter 
the OF console with my PS/2 keyboard, it would still work
under the OF 
console if I booted into it. I'd guess the same would be
true of the Sun 
keyboard.

-John

>> So I wonder, what makes Sun USB keyboard
incompatible with Apple 
>> OpenFirmware?
>
> I don't think it's that it's incompatible, just doesn't
have USB HID BP 
> support, or some kind of bug in the device
descriptor(s) that makes the USB 
> shim in OF not work.
>