Lenovo Tinkers With Larger Delete and Escape Keys 586
Slatterz writes "After a year's research, Lenovo boffins have decided the time is right to install larger Delete and Escape keys on their updated ThinkPad laptop T400s range. While it is a small change, it is fairly radical to tinker with an area of hardware which has been largely unchanged since the 19th century. What convinced them to make the size-change was doing some tests on users to see which keys they use the most. They found that on average, people used the Escape and Delete keys 700 times per week, yet those were the only non-letter keys that Lenovo hasn't made any bigger." The article says Caps Lock may be next on the agenda; death is too good for Caps Lock.
HERE'S AN IDEA (Score:1, Funny)
No need (Score:5, Funny)
So conflicted... (Score:5, Funny)
caps lock (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Nineteenth Century (Score:5, Funny)
Show me a keyboard that even HAD the Delete or Escape keys, idiot. Hell, when I learned to type, you had to use a lowercase L for the digit 1, and a capital O for the digit zero. Exclamation point was "apostrophe, backspace, period."
You had backspace? I had to disconnect the carriage and slide it to the left.
Re:Caps lock will be the end of unintended shoutin (Score:4, Funny)
They had laptops or typewriters with function and modifier keys in the 19th century?
Yeah, of course!
What do you think Ada Lovelace, the first programmer, used to code with?
Re:No need (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Nineteenth Century (Score:2, Funny)
You had backspace? I had to disconnect the carriage and slide it to the left.
You had a carriage? I had to type by hand-compositing.
Re:HERE'S AN IDEA (Score:5, Funny)
That's because it's optimized for Canadian, not American.
I just wish..... (Score:2, Funny)
...they would make the Any key bigger :(
The Following keys also need to be altered Lenovo (Score:5, Funny)
Here's a better idea Lenovo: enlarge the: U, O, Y, K, C, U, F keys. ;)
Re:Nineteenth Century (Score:4, Funny)
Dear Aunt, (Score:3, Funny)
let's set so double the killer delete select all
Boffins? (Score:5, Funny)
Lenovo has boffins? What the heck are they, creatures from Lord of the Rings? Some kind of exotic bird? Wait, the dictionary says it's BRITISH SLANG. Well, you can just keep your esoteric BRITISH SLANG over there on your little island, buster, because we don't need no stinking BRITISH SLANG over here in America, or the rest of the world for that matter. If you can't write in standard English so English speakers around the world can understand it, just press your DELETE key (no matter what size it is) and go do something else. *grumble* damned Recoats *grumble*
Apple must be scared (Score:3, Funny)
This has to be the biggest upgrade to PC usability since PC 97 added colour coding the mouse and keyboard connectors. Well done.
Re:Incomplete statements (Score:5, Funny)
By the way, who constituted what they refer to as "people?"
Vi users of course.
Re:No need (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Lenovo aren't the only ones (Score:3, Funny)
I find it always mind boggling that people will pay incredible sums for their mices, but will get $9,99 keyboards with the argument that "it's just a keyboard, you know".
The term is 'meese'. ;) As for $10 keyboards, my current keyboard was free. I got it off a 'dead keyboard' pile and it's awesome, can't beat the motion of the older keyboards.
Re:Location, location, location (Score:4, Funny)
Agreed. I'm boycotting Apple until they bring back the closed Apple key.
Please think of the forum junkies (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Incomplete statements (Score:3, Funny)
who constituted what they refer to as "people?"
Soylent Green
Re:No need (Score:2, Funny)
So if you program computers but won't use a real editor, Caps Lock is useful. Therefore the Caps Lock key should be left off the keyboard and instead packaged separately with Visual Studio and XCode.
Re:So conflicted... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Kill the delete key (Score:5, Funny)
--.- . -..
Re:HERE'S AN IDEA (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Incomplete statements (Score:4, Funny)
Re:caps lock (Score:5, Funny)
mOD PARENT UP!
Re:No need (Score:2, Funny)
Heh, don't be silly now...
cobol programmers can make bank. it's true.
obscure/arcane knowledge = $$$
Re:Location, location, location (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Caps lock will be the end of unintended shoutin (Score:3, Funny)
and, more importantly, reduce calls during your off hours because a user locked out his/her account due to CAPS LOCK being on when entering a password.
Give them Vista - it helpfully warns with "OMG WTF CAPS LOCK!!!" at login screen when it sees it on.
Then again, when the user cannot login, that's 1 problem. Once they can, be sure that there will be many more - so why call it upon yourself?
Re:HERE'S AN IDEA (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No need (Score:5, Funny)
Waaay back when, in the days of the glory of DOS, I transitioned a programmer from a terminal to a PC. He only had one arm. When telling him how to reboot, his response was "Oh that's just fucking great." He had to use a pencil in his mouth.
And make intended shouting much harder! (Score:5, Funny)
Caps lock will be the end of unintended shouting
I would like you to meet my friend, Khassaki:
<Khassaki> HI EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!
<Judge-Mental> try pressing the the Caps Lock key
<Khassaki> O THANKS!!! ITS SO MUCH EASIER TO WRITE NOW!!!!!!!
<Judge-Mental> fuck me
(From http://www.bash.org/?835030 [bash.org])
Re:No need (Score:5, Funny)
Real Men use ^H.
Re:No need (Score:5, Funny)
If the origin of the word is from an old LISP machine, shouldn't it be the "Thuper Key"?
Re:No need (Score:3, Funny)
No, not really. Most of us just remap the keys how we want them. It has the added bonus of confusing people trying to use out terminals.
Re:The Following keys also need to be altered Leno (Score:3, Funny)
I thought he was talking more about this [img45.exs.cx]
Re:No need (Score:3, Funny)
Can you explain that? I am just racking my brain here and I don't see how a numeric keypad and a "frenchman" relate. My curiosity demands an answer..... please? I don't think I can sleep without the answer.