2023-07-31 05:35:01
News JVTech Nobody knows what these keys are for on a keyboard, and yet…
Published on 07/31/2023 at 07:35
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Windows holds many mysteries. Microsoft’s operating system has been around since 1985 and has come a long way since then. But today there are some things that may be considered an aberration to some people.
The arrangement of keys on a keyboard
The history of key layouts on computer keyboards goes back more than a century., evolving significantly from the creation of the first keyboard to the present day. This development has been influenced by factors such as mechanics, ergonomics and the rise of modern computing.
The very first keyboard was invented in 1868 by Christopher Latham Sholes, an American newspaper publisher, for use in the famous Remington typewriter. The original keyboard was arranged in alphabetical order, but this caused problems with adjacent mechanical characters getting stuck when typing quickly. In order to avoid this entanglement, Sholes rearranged the keys by placing the letters most commonly used at the time far apart, thus creating the QWERTY layout (from the name of the first six letters of the upper row of the keyboard). Although this layout was designed to solve a mechanical problem, it is still used today, despite criticism of its lack of effectiveness.
Over time, typewriters became popular, and with the advent of computing in the 1960s, keyboards adapted to meet the specific needs of computers. A new provision, AZERTY, appeared in France, favoring the typing of accented characters of the French language. Other countries have also created their own layouts, such as QWERTZ in Germany.
In the 1980s, personal computing developed, and the QWERTY keyboard became the standard for most computers. However, the introduction of laptop computers posed a new challenge. Keyboards needed to be more compact, which led to the creation of the “chiclet keyboard” layout, characterized by flat, rectangular keys, reminiscent of “Chiclets” branded chewing gum.
Ergonomic keyboards have been designed to reduce fatigue and health problems associated with prolonged keyboard use. These keyboards are often “V” shaped to allow the wrists to remain straight, reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.
Today, there are some leftover functions on our modern keyboards. Keys that you never use, except in certain extremely specific cases, and yet manufacturers still continue to integrate them into their models.
These keys that are useless… Or almost!
Most of the time, we almost only use the alphabetic and numeric keys (numeric keypad or top keys), with a few exceptions for gaming, for example.
There are what are called control keys at the bottom of your keyboard (to the left and right of your Space bar) which allow you to switch between different functions. Typically for using numeric keys on keyboards that don’t have a dedicated keypad.
But there are keys whose sole purpose of their existence would not even occur to you. For example, what are called the navigation keys, including both the arrow keys and the small island just above (for full keyboards).
Layout of a classic keyboard (Via Microsoft)
Insert, Del, Scroll Lock, End, etc… These keys have been present on all keyboards since the deployment of Windows and yet you hardly ever use them, except for “Delete” in a few specific applications.
Here are some examples of their functions:
Welcome : moves the cursor to the end of a line or to the top of a web page
Fin : moves the cursor to the end of a line or to the bottom of a web page
Previous page : moves the cursor or page up one screen
Next page : moves the cursor or page down one screen
Delete : deletes the previously selected character or character string
Insert : activates or deactivates the mode which allows you to replace a specific character without having to delete it manually
But why the hell do these keys exist? Quite simply because some users may need it, typically those who use Linux or other very specific software (especially in programming). These keys clearly serve as keyboard shortcuts for users who don’t have time to waste double-clicking their mouse or simply scrolling with their wheel.
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