Keyboard Whinge

I’m rather annoyed that I can’t find a mini-wireless keyboard (with touchpad and backlight) to use with a Raspberry Pi, which is both in UK layout and has CTRL then FN at the bottom left. Thought I’d found one on Amazon, but when it arrived it was not the same as the pictures, it had FN then CTRL and was in US layout.

That got me remembering the Archimedes and other A-series machines which had US layout keyboards, which I actually preferred over the RISC PC’s UK layout. Bu that was mainly due to the ordering of CTRL, SHIFT, CAPS Lock on the left rather than CAPS LOCK, SHIFT, CTRL. The CTRL being on the middle row and the wider SHIFT below in the Archimedes layout meant you could hit SHIFT or CTRL plus any letter key without taking your other hand off the mouse. The CAPS LOCK being out of the way meant it was harder to hit by mistake as I find I often do when going for A.

You also got a # key on the numeric keypad instead of a double width plus, which I used in some software I wrote once.

I’ve had enough of freaky weird keyboards (no experience but what the hell ¹ and for the love of god, no) along with bizarre Fn presses for things that ought to be easy to do (like function keys), plus every key is there except that one odd key you need (like ` or ¦ or whatever), not to mention incompatibility with RISC OS when the thing supports fancy stuff like gestures… that my preferred keyboard is a bog standard QWERTY.
Like, literally, find the cheapest one in Tesco that has a USB plug attached. That’ll do.
fn1. So… Fn+Enter is a shortcut to Ctrl-Alt-Del? Is Windows that bad these days? 😂

Trying to use the same keyboard for my Mac Mini & the Pi…well, I end up using the Apple keyboard because the old Acorn one I used to use for the Pi is missing loads of things I want for the Apple. The only thing I really miss for the Pi is the Break key, and I manage without.

Hmm, as a programmer, Alt-Break is very useful. ;)

Me being a bad programmer, Alt-Break is even more useful…

along with bizarre Fn presses for things that ought to be easy to do (like function keys)

Ah, that…
Damned annoying on the MS keyboard, until I found the info that pressing Fn+CAPS LOCK toggles the status of the function key row so that the Function keys do what they are supposed to do¹ instead of F about as a media player button set². Most of the dumbass Fn key set keyboards have a similar combo, you just need to research the info.

Why an MS wireless keyboard? Well the wife had it, and could figure out how to use certain bits – like the function keys – so it was gathering dust, and adopted it.

¹ You have to repeat that combo very time you turn the keyboard off – so I stuck rechargeable batteries in there and just swap when needed.

With the MS keyboard, you’d find that on Windows, you can set it to Fn Lock and all the F key always do F key things, rather than weird things, but being Microsoft, I don’t think it’s a hardware thing, just their tools setting it when you get to the OS.

But that said, it would suggest there is a way to do it with 3rd party software.

With the MS keyboard, you’d find that on Windows, you can set it to Fn Lock and all the F key always do F key things,

Um, yes, that’s what I’m describing: the keyboard in use with a Windows 10 machine. It appears to be a default in the keyboard.
I’m sure other models are different, because Microsoft.

I meant that once set, it stays set, but maybe it’s because mine is wired.

This is because the internals of the Microsoft keyboard are made by someone else – you don’t think Microsoft would intentionally give you a choice of how a user interface works?

On this machine I’m still using the same ‘left handed’ keyboard that I used with my Iyonix. Has to go via an adaptor to work into a USB port these days.

In contrast, just got a wireless keyboard with a touchpad for a different machine. Gradually getting used to it as well. But still dislike touchpads.

Annoyingly, these keyboards come with no real info on what does what despite having all kinds of symbol-decked keytops on fancy keys. Seems people are assumed to know at birth, now.

Annoyingly, these keyboards come with no real info on what does what despite having all kinds of symbol-decked keytops on fancy keys.

Press and see what happens?

These may or may not apply depending on your keyboard

Little sunshine – decrease screen brightness
Big sunshine – increase screen brightness
Padlock – lock machine
Something that looks like the RSS symbol – toggle WiFi / go to WiFi settings
Something that looks like the ROOL logo – go to settings
An envelope (or a rectangle with a triangle in it) – start the email app
A round thing that’s supposed to be a globe – start the browser
Two left facing arrows with a line on the left |<< – Previous media
Right facing triangle with lines >/|| – Play/Pause (toggle) media
Square – Stop media (this is rare)
Two right facing arrows like >>| – Next media
Speaker with an X or / over it – Mute (toggle)
Speaker and minus (or one ‘audio’ bar) – make sound quieter
Speaker and plus (or multiple audio bars) – make sound louder
Looks like the top of a mouse – pretends to be a left-button click
A spy glass – search (how depends on the system)
A square with a circle in it (supposed to be a camera) – either open camera app or take a screenshot
Some maths symbols – open the calculator
A square with an arrow in it – open an app (configurable?)

There may be others for copy/cut/paste, power management, and so on.

Note: Media keys usually funnel input to the current media player, so they’ll work with music and/or video depending on what’s running. Or, in the case of my streaming radio player (android), Prev/Next changes channel.

Annoyingly, these keyboards come with no real info on what does what despite having all kinds of symbol-decked keytops on fancy keys. Seems people are assumed to know at birth, now

I think there is a large element of “the king’s new clothes” in that most people don’t know, but won’t admit to anyone else that they don’t know.