Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
details on connecting keyboards via USB.
The 101-key keyboard layout can be divided into the following four sections:
• Typing area
• Numeric keypad
• Cursor and screen controls
• Function keys
The 101-key arrangement is similar to the Selectric keyboard layout, with the exception of the Enter
key. The Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, and Backspace keys have a larger striking area and are located in the
familiar Selectric locations. The Ctrl and Alt keys are on each side of the spacebar, and the typing
area and numeric keypad have home-row identifiers for touch typing.
The cursor- and screen-control keys have been separated from the numeric keypad, which is reserved
for numeric input. (As with other PC keyboards, you can use the numeric keypad for cursor and
screen control when the keyboard is not in Num Lock mode.) A division-sign key (/) and an
additional Enter key have been added to the numeric keypad.
The cursor-control keys are arranged in the inverted T format that is now expected on all computer
keyboards. The Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys, located above the
dedicated cursor-control keys, are separate from the numeric keypad. The function keys, spaced in
groups of four, are located across the top of the keyboard. The keyboard also has two additional
function keys: F11 and F12. The Esc key is isolated in the upper-left corner of the keyboard. In
addition, dedicated Print Screen/Sys Req, Scroll Lock, and Pause/Break keys are provided for
commonly used functions.
Foreign-language versions of the Enhanced keyboard include 102 keys and a slightly different layout
from the 101-key U.S. versions.
103/104-Key Windows Keyboard
When Microsoft released Windows 95, it also introduced the Microsoft Natural Keyboard, which
implemented a revised keyboard specification that added three new Windows-specific keys to the
keyboard.
The Microsoft Windows keyboard specification, which has since become standard for many desktop
and laptop keyboards, outlines a set of additional keys and key combinations. The 104-key layout
includes left and right Windows keys and an Application key (see
Figure 15.1
)
. Many forego the right
Windows key, using only the Application key on the right side, and thus have 103 total keys. The
Windows and Application keys are used for operating system (OS) and application-level keyboard
combinations, similar to the existing Ctrl and Alt combinations. You don't need these keys to use
Windows, but many software vendors have added specific functions to their Windows products that
use the Application key (which provides the same functionality as clicking the right mouse button).
The recommended Windows keyboard layout calls for Windows keys (called WIN keys) to flank the
Alt keys on each side of the spacebar, as well as an Application key on the right of the right Windows
key. An alternate layout has a single Windows key on the left and the Application key on the right.
Note that the exact placement of these keys is up to the keyboard designer, so variations exist from
keyboard to keyboard.
