Re: F lock key!

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Jim Macklin (p51mustang[threeX12)
Date: 04/21/04 

Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 11:46:54 -0500

The solution may never happen because of marketing. But a
second set of F-keys, one gray and the other an enhanced
color would make everybody happy or angry. :-) 

-- 
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But legislators see it as an obstacle to be overcome.
"Darren Greenwald" <nospam@scala.com> wrote in message
news:uNAXLY7JEHA.3944@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
|
| "Jim Macklin" <p51mustang[threeX12]@xxxhotmail.calm> wrote
in message
| news:uGwHQ1vJEHA.3276@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
| > The only problem I have had with my MS Multimedia
keyboard
| > was trying to open the BIOS.  As soon as I was aware of
the
| > problem, I solved it by turning the F-Lock ON as soon as
the
| > keyboard has power and then pressing the F2 key or if I
want
| > the boot menu F8.
| >
|
| Yes, that is one problem, but the problem is basically any
software (and the
| BIOS is just software) that uses the F-Keys is broken by
the hardware
| remapping of the function keys.
|
| > If I were to design the keyboard I would have made the
| > standard F keys the default and allowed Windows to
select
| > the desired mode after booting.  But until Windows has
| > loaded, you're stuck with the mechanical switch that is
| > hard-wired in the kybd,
| >
| >
|
| Three things.
|
| 1.) There is no need to remap the keys in hardware.  It is
completely silly.
| Of all the things you might want to virtualize/remap in
software, remapping
| keys has got to be the easiest, least CPU intensive
remapping there is.
|
| 2.) Remapping the keys globally (in hardware) is not
multi-tasking friendly.
| Remapping the keys in hardware breaks all software that
uses the function
| keys as they were intended to be used, and have been used
for 20 some years,
| as user redefinable keys.  That means to use those
applications that use the
| function keys as intended I have to MANUALLY switch the
F-Lock key on/off
| when I switch to those applications.  That is just dumb.
There is no reason
| I should have to switch the F-Key lock on/off by hand when
I switch to an
| application that uses the function keys as they were
intended to be used.
| If the remapping is done in software then it the remapping
can be tied to
| applications (in the same way the you can remap the mouse
buttons with
| Intellipoint and tie these mappings to specific
applications).   If Micrsoft
| had really wanted to remap the keys they would have had
better success by
| adding a new API call that makes it very easy for
applications to specify
| that they use the Function keys as "office style" keys,
and then have the OS
| automatically remap the keys for those applications in
software.  That way
| when you switched to those applications you would
automatically get the new
| behavior, while old applications would not be affected,
but... see #3.
|
| 3.) The problem with #2 is that who is most likely to be
using the function
| keys?  Advanced users.  Beginners use the pull down menus
and mouse.  And
| advanced users that have come to learn keyboard short-cuts
that use the
| function keys aren't motivated to learn a new set of
short-cuts, not when
| the short-cuts don't work in all other applications.  Nor
are they motivated
| to teach new users a second set of short cuts.
Particularly in a
| business/school/laptop environment where most keyboards
are not new MS
| keyboards, where is the motivation to teach people these
new MS specific
| keyboard shortcuts?  They don't work on other keyboards in
the office.  What
| is the point in learning yet another set of (inconsistent)
keyboard
| short-cuts?  Advanced users (who are probably the most
likely to be making
| the purchases) have already learned a set of short cuts
(e.g., ALT-F4 which
| cannot be used at the same time as the new function keys)
so they won't
| learn them.  And beginners are likely to be entirely
frustrated by the new
| keyboard shortcuts.  Pull up the Windows XP keyboard help
sometime.  The
| F-key short cuts in the help docuemnts don't work with
this new keyboard
| mapping.  Infact the documents that come with most games
and much existing
| software, doesn't work with the new keyboard mappings.
The real newb users
| are going to end up calling tech support asking them why
pressing F5 doesn't
| save their game, or why F3 doesn't search again, etc.  And
what software
| developer wants to document around this inconsistency?  So
in the end
| everyone converges on turning the F-Key lock OFF, and
restoring the default
| function key behavior.  So I don't even honestly see much
value in remapping
| the function keys in software.
|
|
|
|
| > -- 
| > The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| > But legislators see it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| >
| >
| > "Bill Sharpe" <bsharpe@nsadelphia.net> wrote in message
| > news:eOXb$fvJEHA.2452@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
| > | Interesting thread! I just bought a cordless
| > keyboard/mouse system from
| > | CompUSA. Keyboard has an f-lock key, but the Off
position
| > gives the normal
| > | function key responses, i.e. Alt-F4 closes a window.
| > Tapping the f-lock key
| > | gives the enhanced functions. Only drawback I see is
there
| > are no indicators
| > | on the keyboard as to Numloc, ScrollLoc, CapLoc, or
fLoc
| > status. These show
| > | up in the onscreen status bar.
| > |
| > | Thanks for putting up your f Lock page, although I
don't
| > think I'll need it.
| > |
| > | Bill
| > |
| > | "Jason Tsang" <jason-onlineDEL@ETEmvps.org> wrote in
| > message
| > | news:O4z9SRvJEHA.2380@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
| > | > After speaking to the team that makes the MS
Keyboards,
| > I hope my f lock
| > | > page is on its last legs.
| > | >
| > | > We'll see when they release new keyboards.
| > | >
| > | > -- 
| > | > Jason Tsang - Microsoft MVP
| > | >
| > |
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|

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