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    Why you should give in to the new Thinkpad keyboard

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by mikew3456, Jul 18, 2012.

  1. Jason404

    Jason404 Newbie

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    Apparently the old keyboards physically fit perfectly into the new laptops, but they are mapped differently. If somebody comes up with a software shim or, preferably, a modified BIOS, that would be the solution for me.

    I quite like the clean look of the new keyboards, but I don't like the layout and just cannot live without the Back/Forwards keys.
     
    Jason404, Jul 22, 2012
    #51
  2. ThinkRob

    ThinkRob Notebook Deity

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    I'm not too concerned about this since it's pretty trivial to remap in software. I'm more concerned about the missing keys...

    I mean... if I only bought keyboards that matched my ideal hardware layout I'd be completely out of options since nobody puts the Control key in the right location anymore! ;)
     
    ThinkRob, Jul 22, 2012
    #52
  3. Jason404

    Jason404 Newbie

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    Yes, the correct place for the Control key is to the right of the Fn key, isn't it? At least Lenovo has screwed that up. Also, Enter keys ought to be blue.
     
    Jason404, Jul 25, 2012
    #53
  4. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Yeah, in Thinkpads the Control key is to the right of the Fn key (both in the -20 series and before as well as the current -30 series). Most laptops have it the other way around though, so it's a little confusing when using non-Thinkpads lol.
     
    Jarhead, Jul 25, 2012
    #54
  5. SecretAsianMan

    SecretAsianMan Notebook Consultant

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    I prefer the ThinkPad location of Control vs Fn. It makes often-used keyboard shortcuts a little easier for those of us with small hands.
     
    SecretAsianMan, Jul 25, 2012
    #55
  6. Jason404

    Jason404 Newbie

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    It has always been like that. The Fn key is in the corner on my ThinkPad 755C, from the mid-'90s (Made in Scotland!).
     
    Jason404, Jul 25, 2012
    #56
  7. hmmwv

    hmmwv Notebook Consultant

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    I only get them refurb too, got the T410 for $400 and T420 for $500, the T430 will be the first new Thinkpad for me for a while (briefly had an x100e and x120e). Oddly the older T series are serving as HTPC at home now, I got the T430 so I can at least play some half decent games on the go.
     
    hmmwv, Jul 25, 2012
    #57
  8. ThinkRob

    ThinkRob Notebook Deity

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    No! The correct location is where the Caps Lock key is. ;)

    As far as the Fn/Ctrl placement is concerned... well... as others have said, it's been that way on basically every ThinkPad. And given that IBM quite literally invented the PC, I think that their placement is about as close to a "canonical" layout as you're going to get. Still, I can certainly see arguments for both locations.
     
    ThinkRob, Jul 25, 2012
    #58
  9. jcvjcvjcvjcv

    jcvjcvjcvjcv Notebook Evangelist

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    And on newer ThinkPads you can swap their functions in the BIOS so everyone can be happy, something that can not be said of their new 6-row keyboard.
     
    jcvjcvjcvjcv, Jul 25, 2012
    #59
  10. ThinkRob

    ThinkRob Notebook Deity

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    Yep. And with most OSes (at least with Linux + FreeBSD -- I assume w/ Windows too) you can remap any key that emits a scancode to whatever you'd like -- so even those of us who dislike the Caps Lock key can be happy. :D
     
    ThinkRob, Jul 25, 2012
    #60
  11. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    Hey, I do COBOL and FORTRAN.
     
    Kaso, Jul 25, 2012
    #61
  12. ThinkRob

    ThinkRob Notebook Deity

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    :D I will admit it is useful for WHEN I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M THE LOUDEST PERSON IN A CHANNEL.
     
    ThinkRob, Jul 26, 2012
    #62
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