Have you ever used any good old IBM keyboards? Especially, the IBM Model-M space saver bucklespring keyboards are heavy and loud. If you are a fan of bucklespring keyboards, then Bucklespring utility is a great way to enjoy the sound of these keyboards even if you don't own one. In this brief tutorial, we will see how to enable Bucklespring keyboard sound in Linux.
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What is Bucklespring?
Bucklespring is an open-source project that emulates the sound of a bucklespring keyboard. Bucklespring keyboards are mechanical keyboards that use a spring mechanism to actuate the keys. They are known for their distinctive clicking sound, which some people find satisfying.
The bucklespring program runs as a background process and plays back the authentic sound of each key pressed and released on your keyboard, just as if you were using an IBM Model-M.
It also simulates the proper distance and direction for a realistic 3D sound palette of pure nostalgic bliss. Believe or not, this program creates a pure, realistic bucklespirng sound experience, especially with headphones on.
Bucklespring is available for Linux, FreeBSD, macOS and Windows.
Here are some of the features of Bucklespring:
- It can emulate the sound of a variety of bucklespring keyboards, including the IBM Model M and the Unicomp Ultra Classic.
- It can play back the sound of each key pressed and released, just as if you were using a real bucklespring keyboard.
- It can simulate the proper distance and direction for a realistic 3D sound palette.
- It is open source, so you can modify it to your liking.
Now let us sees how to install Bucklespring in Linux and how to emulate IBM Model M space saver bucklespring keyboard sound in Laptops and Desktops while typing.
Install Bucklespring On Linux
To install Bucklespring, you can follow the instructions given below.
Bucklespring is available as Snap package. So, you can install it on any Linux distributions that supports snapd.
$ sudo snap install bucklespring
In latest Debian and Ubuntu and its derivatives, it is available in the default repositories.
$ sudo apt install bucklespring
On Void Linux, run:
$ sudo xbps-install -S bucklespring
In FreeBSD, you can install Bucklespring using pkg:
$ pkg install bucklespring
or built via port:
$ cd /usr/ports/games/bucklespring $ make install clean
You can also build and install Bucklespring from source as shown in the project's GitHub page.
Enable Bucklespring Keyboard Sound In Linux
Bucklespring application works out of the box in Ubuntu systems. Just start it from Dash or Menu and you're good to go. No extra configuration required!
If it not works, reboot the system.
From now on, whenever you type something in your Keyboard (Laptop or Desktop), you will hear the IBM Model-M Space Saver Keyboard sound.
Watch the following YouTube video to hear the Model M keyboard sound yourself!
It also gives you (and the onlookers) the impression that you're doing some serious stuff on your Computer.
Disable Bucklespring's Sound
Some of you may find it annoying after using this program after a few days. If so, you can disable the Bucklespring sound.
To temporarily silence the bucklespring's sound, press ScrollLock twice. You can silence it when entering secrets.
That's all for now. In this guide, we learned how to emulate IBM Model M space saver bucklespring keyboard sound using Bucklespring project in Linux. It is also a fun project for anyone who wants to learn more about sound emulation.
Now go on and annoy your co-workers with your keyboard sound. To be honest, it is not that annoying in my opinion! I quite like this sound. I think I will keep using it for a while.
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Feature image credit - Wikipedia.
