Copilot key will eventually be required in new PC keyboards, though not yet.
So now Windows bloat is extending to the physical keyboard itself.
Looking at the Microsoft blog post they haven’t said exactly how they want keyboard layouts to change. So on a full size keyboard this could be either new key entirely, or replace an existing (and arguably more useful) key.
They should put it adjacent to the up arrow key so that when I hit it accidentally, copilot can ask “did you mean to press the up arrow key?”, which will cause me to smash the keyboard with my fists and then I’ll need to buy another one. Sales will skyrocket.
I mean, they did it before with the windows/super button. Before that you just had ctrl and alt there.
I use mainly keyboard-controlled WM configurations, so a Super key or a Meta key is useful for me, to separate it from Alt and Ctrl.
Which reminds us of the fact that PC keyboards didn’t have those or a Windows key obviously, but Sun keyboards, from googling, did have a Super key.
So it’s not them.
(And it’s not bad in my opinion)
I always assumed the windows key was a late attempt at copying the “Apple” keys on Macs. then Macs stopped using that, and switched to the clover (called command), then to actual Command text.
I don’t remember the last time I pressed the “right click” contextual menu key, so honestly it’s not like it’ll be too annoying. Unless they do replace an actually useful key, at which point I guess the people making “make Windows actually work good” apps will get to live another year.
I pressed it like, 20 minutes ago? It’s a pretty normal part of a lot of coding workflow, not to mention browsing, accessing context menu keyboard shortcuts without having to move your hand to the mouse for one buttonpress.
Fair enough. Alt used to be that before we decided to have a button to annoyingly pop up the menu strip. And there’s still Alt Gr for that in full sized keyboards if we want to go back that way.
Alt Gr is something else. Non-english keyboards use it all day every day for typing their charactersets.
It could probably replace the right OS key, though.
That’s the key I use as a compose key
I use it as a Compose key with WinCompose.
I use the app/menu all the time in Excel.
So long Caps Lock/Scroll Lock
I remap Caps Lock to Escape.
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How did you know I am a Vim user?
Then you had all those “for the web” Windows 95 PCs that had all the extra buttons like the Calculator and Web Browser and Sleep buttons scattered around above the keyboard that I don’t think people tended to use because Windows wasn’t built with them in mind. It seems they’re in the keyboard standard now as if they were any other key.
My keyboard has mail/browser/home/suspend keys in the corner. I use suspend and home (to get to the set main page in the browser) every day.
Swap it with the windows key and put the windows key as the function modified keypress. As long as I can still disable that key, it would be fine.
Before I even read it I knew it was more ads or AI of some sort and yep it’s both. Sure yeah we need more ads. Can I get a Microsoft store button on mouses now? Ohoh a dedicated 2nd screen for ads on every monitor. We must please the share holders and the rich!
I’m plenty fine with all ads consolidated to a dedicated monitor, that would certainly never face the wall on minimal brightness
Attention citizen, your Economic Consumer Activity Monitor has identified error with your system and/or the Citizen Observation Rate to the unit. Your worldwide credits have been locked pending resolution.
I’m plenty fine with an OS that doesn’t try to abuse me in the first place.
Do you remember a few years ago, it came out that some company was working on a new idea that, when you were given an advertisement on a TV, it could require you to say the product name aloud or it wouldn’t continue?
I try not to concede anything related to advertising because everything they want seems so dystopian.
There was also another patent for a TV with an eye-tracker camera in it to make sure you were actually watching the ads, another one that would unmute itself if it was muted during ads, and one designed to count the number of people in a room to charge you for piracy if you didn’t buy enough tickets for everybody for pay per view shows.
Monitors come with proximity sensors now. If the monitor doesn’t detect a user in front of it, ads will be shown on the primary instead.
Please drink verification can to continue.
If only keyboards would have function keys for this purpose, named F1 to F10 for example, so any program could use them for their specific functions…
Nahh gotta place them where they’re obvious in your face and a constant reminder of CONSUME PRODUCT and be accidently pressed! Can guarantee you it’ll take up part of the space of a key hotspot
At least on the PC, it’s easier to remap the buttons. What enrages me more are the TV remote controls with buttons dedicated to specific streaming apps. I mean… none of these services will outlive the TV itself. I’ll just have to look at buttons that do nothing for years.
If you’re using Android TV, you can use something like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton to remap the button to another apps or any other functions
I need that for my Roku. I may just write an automation in Home Assistant that will switch to whatever app I programmed if I press the Paramount+ button. Unfortunately that means I need to install that app on the Roku itself.
I personally find those useful, but I can never find the combination of services that works with my needs.
There’s always like Vudu or Sling that just becomes a wasted button.
Anybody down to 3D print us some? :)
Maybe even F13 to F24 if more is needed?
Because they used to exist, and support for them still does. Really handy for macro keys.I’d like them to leave F13 onwards alone, purely because it’s nice that they’ll only ever do what I want them to do
I remember those keyboard layout cutouts (were they called keyboard templates?) you got which you put on the keyboard with extra explanations of what each function key did in WordPerfect or Lotus or whatever.
I’m old.
Yeah I remember them too. Sometimes games would come with them even, to help with all the keyboard shortcuts. :)
I’m getting Bixby button flashbacks.
Ho well, my wallet’s gonna cry but I’m sure the mechkeyboard community will welcome my ass
Remember when PC keyboards had two Windows logo keys? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
I remember when laptop keyboards had numpads and unabused F keys.
I remember when PC keyboards had zero Windows keys.
Mine currently does. Well they’re actually Cooler Master logos, which I don’t really mind. And both of them are bound to Super.
Open your wallet and prepare your credit cards it’s gonna be a helluva ride!
Rebind ftw
And yet another feature no one ever requested or ever will
I requested it, but I was only kidding!
OR, hear me out, we just have it mapped to alt+win(meta) key and this will be a nothing burger.
Stop being such a socialist. They need to sell more keyboards, and to make the keyboards you own unique to their brand.
Have you met keyboard people? You don’t need to do anything to sell them more keyboards.
This is me. Saw a cool keycap set the other day, and before I knew it BOOM! New keyboard.
I only have 4 (working ones) so far, but that’s still probably one too many. xD
It’s already mapped on windows to Window button and C.
M$ can get absolutely fucked
I swear I blinked and suddenly AI was so ubiquitous that I feel like I’m living, studying and writing incorrectly…
Now I know how the boomers felt when the internet went from dialup to pocketable
Boomers?
I’m a millennial and I remember that, I’m sure many Zoomers would as well.
We’re in the early hype phase of a new innovation fad. It’ll die down and then we’ll find out what it’s ACTUALLY useful for.
Oh cool, another useless gimmick just like the ‘Office Key’
Actually, a dedicated key to open ChatGPT seems convenient. I don’t hate it.
Can’t you go in your desktop settings and bind whatever combination you like to do just that?
Yeah and I already do. But why make it a key combo when you could just have a single dedicated key instead?
It’s not like anyone actually uses the menu key or the right Start key anyway. 'Bout damn time Microsoft remaps them to something more useful. Next they should do the Pause/Break key. That one hasn’t been useful since the DOS days.
We should also get a chrome key
And a windows store key
And a Microsoft.com link key
A key to open minecraft
Why not a key for launching the “windows action menu” or whatever they call it
A key to open the control panel
How about a key to open the settings menu?
Why are we limiting ourselves? We should have 500 keys and at least 300 of them should be unique to windows.
It’s already mapped to Windows Button + C.
You can do Windows Button + C to open CoPilot.
The Clippy Key.
“It looks like you’re trying to make 3d SpongeBob bukkake porn. Can I help?”
I really hope it’s the “Any” key. I have upwards of 40 ys of modal forms from which there is no escape because they demand I press any key to continue…
Whenever something tells me to press any key to continue, I take it as a challenge. “Okay, Imma press Scroll Lock.”
I use Linux, and I actually like the idea. Not because of the Copilot bullshit, but because I’ve always wanted a real
hyperkey.you could use the fn key on any QMK keyboard for that tho. or any F key. or build a keyboard with one extra key. anything else.
Isn’t that just
super/ win key ?Nope, there used to be a fuckton of modifiers on early keyboards. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Space-cadet.jpg
Wow, it even has a Like button. And a button to rub one out!
“Greek”. They knew how to party back then! ;)
It is my understanding that, because of the keyboard on a system that hasn’t been used in 50 years, Unix-like systems understand 6 modifier keys: Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Super, Hyper and Meta.
Linux binds the “Windows” key on a typical PC keyboard to either Super or Meta. Seems to depend on the distro. In either case, in practice it’s used to bind shortcuts and macros similar to how the Windows key works in Windows, a single tap opens the app menu, holding it as a modifier key is usually bound to shortcuts that talk to the desktop environment rather than the active application.
Oh great, another key to accidentally press when I’m in a game.
“It sounds like you’re frustrated. Is there something specific you need help with? I’m here to assist you in any way I can.”
“totally not Clippy”
If only there was another OS you could use instead!
If only that other OS had keyboards tailored for it…
We could have, I don’t know, Compose, Super, Meta, instead of things like Menu that serves no purpose whatsoever.
Introducing you to our almighty penguin… LINUX
I love having a keyboard where every key is programmable.
So a… keyboard?
All keyboard layouts can be customized in software but some keyboard hardware like QMK can be programmed in hardware, which makes it especially convenient for switching computers.
Where do you use it? Do you have to use different computers at work or do you just carry your keyboard with you all the time in case you have to use some friend’s computer?
You just never have to reconfigure it if you reinstall, or move to another computer, or dual-boot etc.
