Damien Katz

Caps lock should be replaced with control on every keyboard. Like a unix keyboard

Hey, insert works fine with copy-paste (ctrl-ins, shift-ins) combos, and it'd be really painful if somebody took that away.
Though, the actual need of scroll lock in unknown to me (at least it doesn't do what it is supposed to in console window), and numlock -- umm, when was the last time you used cursor movement keys or page up/down on the keypad?
And, idea of replacing capslock with ctrl, seems really really nice to me.

Hey, Insert works fine for marking documents read (which is all I ever use it for)

I'll agree that Scroll Lock should be wheeled out and shot, though

You can disable Caps Lock, I hate it as much as you do. Look at:
http://dev.kanngard.net/Permalinks/ID_20050509163712.html
The Insert key has not bugged me as much, so I have not investigated if it can be disabled somehow...

Capslock and scroll lock are definitely two completely useless keys. Scroll lock actually does stuff in excel, but it's stuff that you almost never want it to do. Instead of up and down moving the selected cell, it just scrolls up and down when you have scroll lock on (meaning you can't actually move the selected cell with the keyboard, which is a huge pain in the ass).

I don't think making capslock another control key is really necessary... I mean, isn't one per hand enough? I say, just turn it off. Make it dead space.

Insert wouldn't be bad if applications who didn't handle it well just ignored its presence (for example, it doesn't seem to do anything in this text box). But yeah, you need it for copy and paste in console windows where control-c is actually sending an interrupt.

As for numlock being off... there actually is a guy at my work who always uses the keypad with numlock off for navigation... but he's the only one I've ever met who does.

Does anyone know what the pause/break key does? I know control-break stops compiling in Visual Studio, but that's about it.

And finally, speaking of turning off keys... what the heck is up with the Windows key and the context menu key? Get that crap out of here. Why do all the keyboard manufacturers now put those on their keyboards?

Add me to the list of numlock users. I've never liked the standalone cursor keys. What's up with the down arrow being between the left and right? That's just stupid. Going further, whys is Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Insert and Delete not placed closer to the arrows? It's like someone went out of their way to make them harder to use.

As for the pause key, from the command line type a large text file or list a long directory. You can pause the scrolling with it.

My vote would be to move the function keys back to their correct position, arranged vertically on the left side of the keyboard.

The one key I really don't understand is 'SysRq'. You can drop that.

This is almost like the spreadsheet function argument, who uses anything more than @SUM and @AVG?

If you take them away you know some bugger will need them.

Sysreq, very important to all those people using 3270 emulators.

Numlock key is important for flight simulator, it brings up the map.

Agreed the Windows keys suck, I set them on my keyboard to emulate the alt key.

I also have apps where I use Scroll Lock. In very active chat rooms, scroll lock can quickly stop the window scrolling without having to hit the mouse or a menu.

Nate, ctrl-break also works to stop current access in Notes, say accessing a db somehow and it's taking too long, and I'm sure quite a few other apps as well.

Instead of Caps Lock, how about being able to highlight some text _already_written_, and hit the CapsLock key or something to reverse its case? That would seem a lot more useful and practical.

Maybe lots of these keys could use an overhaul (esp. if developers aren't implementing anything for them) but it would seem more risky than getting rid of menus.

Another vote for NumLock as being useful. I use it all the time for navigation, and all the time for data entry. Hence the need for NumLock to switch....

The windows key is actually very useful. I use these combinations a lot:

- Windows Logo+R: Run dialog box

- Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer

- Windows Logo+F: Find files or folders

- Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop



These are the other ones (according to MS), there's some irony in the last one:



Microsoft Natural Keyboard Keys:

- Windows Logo: Start menu

- Windows Logo+M: Minimize all

- SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize all

- Windows Logo+F1: Help

- CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer

- CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray)

- Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons

- Windows Logo+Break: System Properties dialog box

- Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item



Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType Software Installed:

- Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows

- Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager

- Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel

- Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard

- Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box

- Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box

- Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)

- Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys

- Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

STUPID FUCKING POST

How do you reverse the ALL CAPITAL once you made the mistake of hitting caps lock anyhow?
In Microsoft Word you can actually highlight text and turn it into all caps. If you do that, then you can reverse it too. But if you made the mistake of putting it all caps from the beginning, the option doesn't work... go figure...
I heard a myth saying there was a way to reverse it... never found how.