they look nice, but they are complete ass to type on.

Or, get an old IBM and do the hydrogen peroxide and oxi clean trick to it. Mmmm, industrial grey!

If you got the skills to convert it, the best IBM to go for IMO is the Model F. Model M is great as well, but easier to find and use, since it just requires a simple AT to PS2 or USB adapter, where the Model F gets much more complex.

I was thinking of getting a old IBM keyboard and having it painted white

Maybe its just my C64 keyboard, but I think its feel is terrible - I cleaned it so it should be normal too.  The IIGS keyboard is beautiful, slides down wonderfully and makes a great clicky sound, feels immaculate - like I'm some insane hacker taking over the world.  I think Ben Heck called it the best built keyboard he has ever seen.  :0

Yeah, those G5 keyboards are almost universally loathed, even though they look kinda neato.
Of course, any things I say about keyboard feel/tactility etc. are going to be highly colored by the fact that I've been using an IBM Model F keyboard, which is about as far from a laptop keyboard as you can get.

EDIT: Looked at your laptop model, and it's got the same kind of keys as mine, even though mine is a bit older. I honestly don't know if it's just because yours is newer (and mine very worn out), or if you're mistaking the rubber-bump collapse for a true tactile bump. I can feel the "bump" if I'm really careful, but it doesn't always trigger the key at that point, and then you very quickly hit the bottom of the key's travel. Any extra cushion I could feel at the bottom was due to the whole keyboard flexing just slightly. I dunno though, my typing style is very demanding and this keyboard doesn't seem to hold up too well to my desires, and has been falling apart.

Compaq nc8430. Looks like a normal laptop keyboard, I guess. I looked it up on the net and it seems my keyboard has a full size enter key unlike the ones on the pictures, but otherwise they look the same. I should note that I'm using "soft" a bit flexibly here. What I mean is that when you think that you have hit the bottom there are still a couple of millimeters to be had by pushing it a little bit harder. It's not like you land your fingers in a cloud, but at least you know where you are in terms of having triggered the key before your fingers bash into a dead end.

@tacticalbread: Really? I always thought that those keyboards looked nice.

Huh. I'd be curious to see this keyboard. Mine certainly doesn't have this feature. What laptop are you using?

That's what I mean by "well defined click," which is reached before hitting the soft bottom.

this sonofabtich? lol.

this keyboard seriously halves my typing speed (which is usually pretty good).

UGH. we use these in my MIDI class. i HATE them so much.

OK, what I mean by "tactile definition" is, you can feel exactly when the switch makes contact so that you can let up on the key and move to the next one without bottoming it out. It doesn't matter how "soft" the bottom of the key is, if you've hit the bottom and haven't felt the defining tactile point, then there is no tactile definition. For a touch typist, this is definitely important.

Also, if your keys are going glossy they're wearing out. I have a laptop which I have (ab)used for about 5 years, and the keyboard is beginning to de-laminate inside.

I've used a laptop almost exclusively for the past couple of years (to the point where keys now have a glossy texture instead of totally matte) , and I have to disagree with you on its tactile qualities. I guess it is different from keyboard to keyboard, but mine has a very well defined click, good bounce, soft bottom and I think that there's an ergonomic advantage in having all keys within reach of even your pinky fingers.

I was about to post that too.  Very similar to the Vic-20/C16/C64 keyboard

Only one problem with the Optimus boards- no mechanical key switches = your expensive board fails after 2 years of use. Also, I'm really curious about people who prefer modern laptop-style keys. I have always hated them because they bottom out so quickly and have no tactile definition. Bottoming out the key means you're destroying your finger joints faster and fatigue very quickly becomes a problem. Not to mention they break SO fast. Of course, using retro equipment I'm used to a hardware lifespan measured in decades and not months...

Obviously this one:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/keyboards-mice/9836/