ctrl key

I bought a T500 2 weeks ago. Had it for a week now. It works great with the whole webcam and switchable graphics.

Once annoyance though: Placement of the ctrl key.

Now, this may not be much deal for most people, but it has become a little annoyance for me. I am so used to having ctrl key at the end of my left-bottom corner, that the change in T500 keyboard feels out of place. The Fn key is placed where the ctrl key is naturally found.
I had gained a good skill in locating my ctrl key without looking at my keyboard. So now when I press the command and wonder what has happened, I see that I am pressing the fn key and not the ctrl key. It works more annoying when I have to switch between keyboards. All other keyboards I use has ctrl key at the bottom left corner. I been trying to learn to use the ctrl key on the T500, and I gained some ease, but when I try the same motion on a different keyboard, I end up hitting the window key...

So my whole question is: Why did not they keep the position of the ctrl key as the first key in the last row of the keyboard, instead of making it the second key?

 

Hey, same with me. I've had my T500 for a bit more than a week now

All Thinkpad keyboards have historically had the Fn key in the corner, rather than the Ctrl key. Changes to a line with returning customers would very likely be ill-received. For example, only in the recent lines has Lenovo added a Windows key to the bottom row - previous Thinkpad keyboards have always left it out.

I actually prefer this layout, since it is the same as my Averatec's keyboard, and the external wireless keyboard I have at home.

 

Many of us long time ThinkPad users are used to it where it is. Wherever they place it someone's going to be unhappy. In this case it's you.

 

This is an age old complaint, but as MidnightSun says, it's a legacy type of thing in that a ThinkPad has always had a keyboard layout this way. I don't think there's any usability advantage or what the ThinkPad design team argument is for it. As you state, it actually takes some time to adjust to so it leans toward hindering usability.

 

Yeah, that would be a downside of the keyboard for me, but Toshibas are the worst I've experienced (the Win key placement!).

I 100% love my Vostro layout though.

 

Well I sure wish they would make it selectable, that is having the ability to remap the keys in the BIOS. That way they would allow anyone to make it how they want it.

 

I completely agree. HP Business notebooks, amongst other notebooks, allow the user to swap the Fn and Ctrl key in the BIOS settings - and their keys are positioned with the Ctrl key in the left corner...! I've had my T400 for a month now, and while my correct targeting of the Ctrl key is improving, I'm still making mistakes.

There's a thread on the Lenovo Forums about implementing a Fn/Ctrl swap option in the BIOS. I'd voice your opinion there:

http://forum.lenovo.com/lnv/board/m...&thread.id=7121&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

 

You get used to it eventually. I did anyways. Now I can't stand the Ctrl in the corner on the other laptops.

 

it is an issue initially when i first used a t61. u will get used to eventually. i prefer it this way, helps to switch on thinklight even in darkness and also increase brightness of screen in pitch blackness

 

I posted in their questionaire, in regard to those three keys. My preference would be to have those near the Fn key, so I can do those functions with one hand. So fn+c decrease, fn+v increase. fn+b = thinklight.

I also recommended that they place the sleep function on f1 instead of f4. Just what sounds logical to me.

 

This probably should be an option as it has no real downside.

I swapped the FN and control keys on a work issued HP via the BIOS to get back to the ThinkPad style.

IBM/Lenovo has used the same layout and hotkeys at least since 2002 (probably even earlier), and it has become entrenched with the faithful (the keyboard is one of the top reasons I choose a ThinkPad).

Lenovo caused a pretty heavy uproar when they tried to reduce the weight of the T400 keyboard and compromised the stiffness. As a result, I don't think you will see any changes (e.g. Backlit keyboards, swapped keys, new shortcuts, etc.) in the near future.

 

It only took me a few days to get used to and I like where it is. The control being inside is much eaiser to use for the one-handed commands (copy, past, undo, etc) as your hand stays in a more natural position.

Also, legacy. Every heard the saying "No one ever got fired for buying thinkpads"? Everything is about comprimises and the Thinkpad line continues to be designed for businesses (notice the limited webcam options and few models with HDMI ports?) Thinkpads are made to work, and work as they always have and people like that. As such when people buy a Thinkpad they expect Thinkpads to have the Fn key where it is, and moving it would cause an uproar. You'll known they want to change the layout when they change the ideapads. Thoes are all new-ish consumer models where expectations are more about price and value and less about stability/technology/tradition.

 

It was like that when I got my first ThinkPad - a 755CE in 1995.