Keyboard - a device, which is a set of buttons (keys) designed to control a device or to enter information. Typically, the buttons are pressed with the fingers.
Keyboard Origin History
Most modern keyboards come from IBM’s original keyboard, the IBM Enhanced 101 Key Keyboard, which the company declared standard in 1987. This type of keyboard was not the first standard, but became the most suitable for PC users.
What were the previous keyboard models?
IBM's original model - XT keyboard had 83 buttons. On the left were 10 function keys, keypads with numbers and pointers were on the right side. So-called buttons Control (Ctrl),left Shift and Alt were located next to the function keys.
Escape (Esc), as we know, was to the left of the numbers in the main row. To the right of the right key Shift there was an asterisk key, allowing you to print the well-known character *. Between the tiny left key Shift and key Zthere was a symbol Backslash (forward slash /). Key Enter It was narrow and vertical and many users often did not notice it the first time.
The design of this initial IBM keyboard standard was a mixture of sensible and absurd solutions for arranging characters on the keyboard. Thus, some of its parts delighted and, as it were, obscured less thought-out places and shortcomings.
The next IBM project was the AT keyboard. It was incompatible with the earlier draft XT.
The keyboard, as before, had ten function keys on the left side, but the key Esc and the unchanging asterisk (*) has been moved to the numeric keypad. Key Enter had an L-shape, and the key Backsplash (/), which now shares space with a dot, in this type of keyboard shared space with a key Backspace.
At a certain point in time, when the market was pushing IBM to modernize its AT keyboard, they introduced a new extended keyboard model that was compatible with the original AT model, but had a completely different keyboard layout. Key Escand 12 function keys were now on top, the numeric keypad was on the right.
A new pointing keypad was placed between the letter keys and the number pad. The pointing keypad (which was actually split into two sets of keys) consisted of four pointers, had an inverted T-shape and was in the base, at the top there was a separate panel with 6 keys:
- Ins (Insert);
- Del (Delete);
- Home and End;
- PgUp (Page Up) and PgDn (Page Down).
But then there was a disaster - users began to click Delete, instead of the key End. This does not seem so catastrophic today, but at that time there were no modern software features. A user who may have spent long hours typing an article, pressed the wrong key, and all his work went down the drain.
After a short time, complaints began to arrive at the IBM headquarters. “From good, they do not seek good,” it was said in letters addressed to IBM. Therefore the key Backspace back to its original wide size. The backslash key (backslash \\) has taken its own key. Caps lockmoved to the old place of the key Ctrl and the twins Ctrland keys Altlocated on both sides of the gap.
Key Delremained in the same place, although in some keyboards it became twice as large.
Whether you like it or not, this location has become the standard for a modern keyboard that is used by millions of users around the world.
Who invented the keyboard layout?It is clear that they are located not just like that. If you take apart the keyboard on the computer and the typewriter and compare them ... Then it turns out that the arrangement of letters on them is exactly the same. In fact, the keyboard was not invented for convenience, but rather to slow down the typing speed. And precisely this goal - to reduce the speed of the typesetter was pursued by the inventor of the typewriter!
The first commercial typewriter was invented by Christopher Scholes. It happened almost 150 years ago in the United States.
We can say that this machine was extremely uncomfortable. The person who was trying to print something was deprived of the opportunity to follow the result. The mallets with letters were under a sheet of paper. But in spite of everything, people learned to type quite fluently even on these terrible typewriters. After some time, another problem arose: all warranty repair workshops were littered with returned typewriters.
Separate mallets in the printing process regularly interlocked, and their separation often led to breakage. In those days, the letters on the keys were arranged in alphabetical order.
Here is an experiment. It is necessary to circle with a felt-tip pen those letters that are often used in English, which are next to each other. It turns out that the situation when two adjacent keys were pressed is common. Too often! Two adjacent buttons, pressed almost simultaneously, led to the fact that the hammers interlocked and jammed each other.
The conclusion suggests itself - it is necessary to spread the frequently repeated letters away from each other. So Christopher Scholes did. It became inconvenient to type texts. But the mallets stopped breaking. The goal has been achieved. AND in 1874 the Remington 1 typewriter was born. The arrangement of letters on it did not begin as before with “ABCDEF”, but with “QWERTY”. This arrangement of Latin letters has survived to the present day!
Mechanical typewriters improved. It was on the QWERTY keyboard that the method of touch typing with ten fingers was first introduced. Up to this point, they were typed with four fingers, although there are still people who use only two index fingers. The pursuit of excellence did not end there.
In the 40s of the last century, the American Arthur Dvorak proposed his own version of the arrangement of Latin letters. He calculated that it is more convenient when frequently used letters are in the middle and upper rows. Under the left hand in the middle row he placed all the vowels, under the right hand the most frequent consonants. The load on the hands turned out to be more balanced.
It can be calculated that for an 8-hour working day, our fingers travel about two kilometers on a new keyboard. While on the traditional QWERTY keyboard the same indicator was already 7 kilometers, which, you see, is much more!
Why did Dvorak fail to convince the whole world of the benefits of his rationalization proposal? Perhaps only because no one dared to renounce the millions of cars, by which time faithfully served humanity.
Now America. Here typewriters appeared later than in the United States. By this time, designers eliminated many technical imperfections. The hammers no longer clung to each other. That is why in Russia the letters were arranged rationally - often used letters appeared in the middle of the keyboard.
In conclusion, the conclusion suggests itself that our domestic layout turned out to be an order of magnitude more ergonomic than the English one. Under the strongest and fastest index fingers were the most popular letters, and under the little fingers the rarest. But still, there is one drawback.
When it came to Russification of the computer keyboard, someone decided that the comma could be anywhere. And he settled it with a dot, but in upper case. Now, in order to write a point, you need to press one key, and in order to comma, you need to press two keys! But the comma in Russian is used much more often than the point!
You can, of course, start the struggle for rationality. But recalling the story of Dvorak, who never managed to convince anyone to abandon uncomfortable stereotypes ... And so it turns out that the whole world prints not as wiser but more familiar. And does not want to change these habits!
Sources of information:
- byaki.net - Who invented the keyboard layout;
According to their purpose, the keys on the keyboard are conditionally divided into main groups:
Additional groups:
A certain number (twelve in the PC / AT-keyboard) of the function keys are located in the upper row of the keyboard. Below is a block of alphanumeric keys. To the right of this block are the cursor keys, and at the very right edge of the keyboard is a digital panel that can be removable.
Alphanumeric Block
Alphanumeric keys are also referred to as alphanumeric keys, data keys, data entry keys. The basis of this block is a set similar to a typewriter. Usually, several letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols are attached to one data key. Which letter will be entered is determined by the specified keyboard register - the keyboard operation mode set by the control keys or register shift keys.
The alphanumeric block includes keys for entering letters, numbers, punctuation marks and characters major arithmetic operations, as well as special characters. In standard keyboard PC / AT this unit includes 47 keys. For some languages, where the number of letters in the alphabet is more than 26, keyboard manufacturers produce keyboards with additional keys in the alphanumeric block - for example, there are already 48 on the keyboards for the Ukrainian language (33 letters) (see: Ukrainian keyboard layout). No special keyboards are produced for the Russian alphabet with its 33 letters - all letters of the Russian alphabet are placed on the keys of the standard keyboard PC / AT.
The keys of the alphanumeric block are divided into rows and zones. [ ] The bottom row of the block is located above the space bar and modifier keys Ctrl, Alt, AltGr. He is considered the first. Above is the second, in the ten-finger press method also called "home" nearby [ ]. Even higher is the third. The top row of block keys — the fourth — in the QWERTY Latin layout does not contain keys for entering letters, but it includes all the keys for entering numbers. For this reason his often called a digital series [ ] . A zone is a set of keys fixed in the ten-finger press method for fingers of each hand. The numbering of zones goes from left to right. [ ]
The result of the action of the alphanumeric keys depends on the register (lower or upper) and the level (first or second) at which these keys are pressed.
Control keys
Modifier keysThe modifier keys include the ⇧ Shift, Ctrl, ⇪ Caps Lock, Alt, and AltGr keys (right Alt). They are designed to change (modify) the actions of other keys. Turn on the upper case of keys (when ⇪ Caps Lock is disabled) by pressing and holding the ⇧ Shift key. Pressing and holding the AltGr key is used to go to the second level of the keyboard.
Modifier keys are used most often, therefore they have the increased size. In addition, the ⇧ Shift and Ctrl keys are duplicated on both sides of the block of alphanumeric keys.
System Command Keys
These include: SysRq, Esc, PrtSc, Pause, Break, ≣ Menu.
Function keys
Also on PC / AT the keyboard at the top of the keyboard is a block of so-called function keys - from F1 to F12. (On the PC / XT keyboards, there were 10 function keys from F1 to F10, arranged in two columns on the left side of the keyboard.) The functions of these keys are determined depending on the system or application software: configuration program motherboard (Setup BIOS) and subsequently launched by the operating system.
The functions of individual function keys, the combination of function keys with the ⇧ Shift, Ctrl and Alt keys and the “normal” keys form part of the user interface and, as a rule, are constant for a particular type of software. There are a number of universal assignments that are used most widely: often when you press F1, the built-in program guide is displayed on the screen (often already open on the page corresponding to the program mode in which it is located), and pressing ESC will interrupt the current operation.
Numeric keypad
The basis of this block is a set of 17 keys, similar to those used in calculators, cash registers and the like. The main purpose of the keys of the digital keyboard is to duplicate the functions of the keys of the alphanumeric block in terms of entering numbers and symbols of basic arithmetic operations. The keys of this panel are more convenient for entering numbers and arithmetic characters than the keys of the alphanumeric block. In disabled mode, duplicates the cursor keys.
Specialized Keys
Multimedia keyboards
Many modern computer keyboards, in addition to the standard set of 104 keys, are equipped with additional keys (usually of a different size and shape), which are designed to simplify the management of some basic computer functions:
- sound volume control: louder, quieter, enable or disable sound;
- managing the tray in the CD-ROM drive: remove the disc, accept the disc;
- control the audio player: play, pause, stop playback, scroll forward or backward the audio recording, go to the next or previous audio recording;
- management of computer network capabilities: open, put into sleep mode, wake up the computer, turn off the computer.
Since many of these functions (controlling sound and playing back recordings, managing CDs, etc.) are multimedia, such keyboards are often called “multimedia keyboards”.
The proprietary drivers of such keyboards, as a rule, do not provide users with the ability to control the assignment of most of the additional keys (except, perhaps, a special group of “user keys”), and also do not provide the ability to define additional combinations of several keys (with multimedia) and assign them new ones special functions. However, this problem can be solved using independent universal drivers from third-party developers.
Programmable keyboards
Keyboards are designed in which the purpose and appearance The keys change programmatically depending on the selected character set, and even on the currently running application. Each key is actually a mini-display showing its current purpose. These can be not only symbols of various alphabets, but also pictograms of the application’s hot keys.
A keyboard is a device for entering data into a computer: letters, numbers, and signs. It is also used to control the system, that is, it is an analogue of a computer mouse. By the type of connection, it can be wired and wireless.
Wired connects to the computer via a USB port or PS / 2 connector.
Wireless can be connected via a radio transmitter (USB receiver) or bluetooth. The range is usually about 10 meters.
Since wireless devices do not have stationary power, they need to be recharged separately. To do this, a special battery can be built into the keyboard itself, which needs to be recharged from time to time. Or it can run on batteries.
Key Layout
The location of the buttons is subject to the same generally accepted pattern. Twelve function keys from F1 to F12 (located in the top row). Below them are alphanumeric keys. On the right are the cursor buttons.
The far right side is the so-called digital panel. It duplicates the alphanumeric block (more precisely, only numbers and arithmetic signs). It is activated using the Num Lock button.
On many keyboards, in addition to this standard set, there are also additional buttons of a different shape and size (sometimes a different color). Their task is to simplify the management of certain computer functions.
So, among others, there may be buttons that control the volume, launching some programs (browser, Word, Excel), keys for controlling the player (pause, rewind).
Keyboard device
Membrane The most popular and most inexpensive form. Inside each key is a special membrane. When pressed, it pushes through and closes the contact. The service life of each key is about 5 million keystrokes.
Scissor. Such keyboards are installed in all laptops. The principle of operation of the keys is similar to scissors - that’s the name. Pressing is soft and clear, which is very convenient when printing. But it costs more. Service life of about 10 million clicks.
Mechanical. The best, but also the most expensive view. Under each key is a switch with a metal spring and metal contacts. Thanks to him, the button works even before it is lowered to the end. Using such a keyboard is easy and pleasant - completely different tactile sensations. But the sound when you press the keys is louder. Service life of about 50 million clicks.
The keys they have are of different types depending on the needs: gaming, for working with text, universal and all sorts of others.
Semi-mechanical. Something between membrane and mechanical. In fact, they are the same membrane, but with an extended service life.
Design
The classic keyboard looks simple and unpretentious - a plastic rectangular thing. It happens in different colors, but it is better to choose the standard one: white, black or metallic (gray).
But now on sale you can find other types, for example, rubber keyboards. They look interesting, but actually quite uncomfortable - the keys are too tight.
There are still all sorts of design options: wooden and even glass. But there are generally “virtual” ones, where the keys are simply drawn with a laser.
By the way, they are very inconvenient in work: even on a perfectly flat surface, the device is constantly “buggy”.
But from the really useful, I would single out two types: ergonomic and gaming.
Ergonomic. They have a non-standard curved shape, and some models even consist of two separate parts (which, by the way, is worse). Thus, the keyboard repeats the natural position of the hands and helps to avoid tunnel syndrome.
Such a device is simply necessary for those who print a lot of text blindly (with all fingers, without looking at the keys).
Gaming. They have a more convenient keyboard layout for gamers. Plus, usually they have a backlight and additional keys.
What else to look for when choosing
Destination Despite the fact that the keyboard is a universal thing, now there are special ones on sale - for laptops, televisions and media players. Actually, they are not much different from the classic ones, but they are still more convenient for these devices.
Keyboard Type. This is how the letters and numbers are applied to the buttons. Most often, two types of application are used: conventional printing (90%), laser burning.
In normal printing, the letters appear to be on stickers.
With laser - every character is burned out. They do not erase for a long time, but the inscription is visible worse.
In general, there are no problems with the keys now - in almost any computer store you can find special stickers for them. And those to whom this option is not suitable can order engraving - such a service is also now being provided and is not so expensive. This is especially true for laptops purchased abroad (they do not have Russian letters).
Water protection. Such protection happens only with membrane keyboards, and even then not with all. Whether or not it can be found in the description of a particular model.
Backlight Actual for gaming keyboards. It is in almost every one of them.
Issue price
The price of a standard “tailed” keyboard starts from $ 3, wireless - from $ 10. Scissors are more expensive (from $ 15), and mechanical ones are hard to find for less than $ 25. Ergonomic are even more expensive.
How to clean the keyboard
It would be nice to do this at least once every couple of months. After all, not only do we usually not wash our hands before working at the computer, but also different dirt and dust get through the cracks between the keys.
It’s easy to clean it:
1 . Blow out the dirt with a vacuum cleaner (in blow mode). You can do this with a hairdryer, but only with cold air. If there is neither one nor the other, just flip and shake the keyboard.
2. Wipe the keys themselves on top with a cloth slightly moistened with an alcohol-containing solution (can be bought at the pharmacy). Just do not overdo it: with alcohol, you can accidentally erase the labels on the buttons.
