My rant on Notebook Keyboards

I'm extremely happy with my A8Jm but the keyboard is another matter. Mind you it's the same as half the other notebook keyboards out there.

But then comes a game of Warcraft 3: TFT. I'm a pretty good player imo and hence I have to do alot of micro. First game, I must have pressed "windows" 20+ times with disastrous effects, to the point that I asked them mid-game if they'd let me pause to install "I Hate That Key," a program whose sole purpose is to disable the Windows key. They were kind enough to oblige, laughing the whole time.

Also, alt and ctrl are smaller than a desktop keyboard and the Fn key is annoying, though at least it doesn't minimize anything if I press it by accident.

What I want to know is:
-what's the point of having the right alt and right ctrl keys? Does anyone use them?
-even worse, what's with the key b/w them? From pressing it I assume it's the equivalent of a right-click in that it opens a context-sensitive menu. I've NEVER used it...especially on a laptop, where right-click is about 5cm away, what's the point?
-would it cause anyone grief to take out right alt, right ctrl and that button, put Fn in their place, to the RIGHT of spacebar, and have properly sized ctrl, windows, and alt keys, in that order?

 

That is actually a really great suggestion. I was playing starcraft recently again ( old school baby!) and i kept pressing the windows button on accident trying to hit the ctrl!!!

 

oh you'll get used to it in a week.

But i do agree, i never use the right ctrl/alt keys. or the windows key and that other key u talked about.

 

lol, everyone has that problem at first. I know I did. I bind keys for everything. And that windows key was always a pain, until I got this keyboard - Logitech G15 - can disable the windows key, woo. You can always use an external key board, just as a suggestion.

 

Ya, there are some keys i don't use. I would not miss the windows, right click, right ctrl/alt keys. Fn has some uses. However, i don't do computer gaming, so them being there does not bother me. Almost never strike them by accident.

 

I would miss the Windows key, actually, but it needs to be where the current right click button is, and the left crtrl and alt keys need to be a bit bigger. I personally hate the whole switched Fn adn ctrl keys, screws me up when I use my friends X41. Luckily my VAIO doesnt have those...
I see no point to the right ctrl and alt keys on *any* keyboard, but I dont really know what I would put there instead, so they might as well be there.

 

this key is disastrous for WoW

 

Nah, I'm used to it myself

At first, it's annoying, but sooner or later, it's natural, and when you go back to a 'regular desktop' keyboard, that'll feel awkward

 

Well, I use the right Shift, Alt and Ctrl usually to shortcut typing in the www and the .com or .net or .org in browsers ... other than that.. can't think of where else I use those keys.. mostly it's the left side...

 

I think left handed people benefits the right shift, alt, and ctrl keys. Don't they type on the opposite side when accessing these keys using their right fingers?

 

Good point. Yes, I think they would benefit from the keys unless they slide the board over. But, I think they do. I guess form follows function.

 

I'm left handed and I've never used the right shift, alt, or ctrl key in my life except to see what they do. Actually I do use the Ctrl and Alt keys on the right so I can hit Ctrl, Alt, Del with one hand, but that is the only case. Most left handed gamers just teach themselves to play games the same way right handed people do.

 

I remember using the right Alt key as 'fire' in Wolfenstein 3D, with space being to open doors and push walls. Right-Ctrl, either never used or hardly.

That's about all the use there was for me. Maybe it really is time to revamp our Qwertys.

 

I use the right click key on my laptop alot... I keep away from the touchpad as much as possible and do alot of keyboarding around, especially in class. Much faster, imo.

 

Im a lefty too and the "Fn" key is in a odd position as the Control, Alt ,Delete action shows task manager and I like seeing whats on at that moment. After some time, your fingers and movements on the keyboard try to avoid the Fn key alot.
If you make a custom keyboard, its too complicated and confusing than the QWERTY keyboards to make so they make the keyboard with the custom buttons.

 

I do have to say that I use all of theys keys eveyday and none of them bother me the slightest bit. My suggestion is that if you can't get used to the key location for games, you should 1) play more, so you do get used to the keys, or 2) don't complain that someone else made a product that wasn't tailored for you. I will admit that playing fear on my V6j is less desirable with the built in keyboard than my logitech, but the keyboards, by notebook standards, are out of this world. I would take the keyboard for use over any that I have used, which is lots (hell there are 5 other laptops in this room right now).

 

Worth mentioning is that on European keyboard the right alt is called "Alt Gr" and works slightly different from the US one.

More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_Gr

 

Oh, the other thing, I am left handed and don't have to use the different sides for anything but convience. I just type like everyother person, right-handed, or left-handed.

 

I like the windows keys, just wished it was moved. I use it windows+r , windows+M prett frequently.

 

Yeah, don't get rid of the Windows key! I use it all the time in Linux for my window management keybindings. I wouldn't mind if you got rid of that logo, though... Heck, I even use it in Windows at work all the time, Win-D shows the desktop. And saving a split second by having the start menu open when your mouse gets there as a graphics artist *****es at you about 5 minutes of fileserver downtime last month or a corrupted font is a lifesaver.

In Linux it's fairly easy to set an option to swap caps lock and left control. The theory is that a button that's used so commonly as control combined with so many other keys should be in a spot that minimizes reach as much as possible. And honestly, how often do you use caps lock? I think I've used it... not once on purpose. I'm sure I've heard of a way to change keymaps in Windows, and I'd think it would be easier to get used to control in the standard caps lock position than to the right of fn.

Anyway, my reason for posting to this thread. Caleb, you say you love the V6J keyboard and can compare it to a bunch of other laptops. What about the Thinkpad T series? Or any Thinkpad, really. I spend so much time typing, I'd really love a comparison before I commit to the Asus.

 

Just so ppl are clear that I like my windows button and use it frequently, I just want it properly sized and flanked by properly sized ctrl and alt keys so as to eliminate accidental button presses