🚀 go-pugleaf

scott@calvin.muug.mb.ca (Scott Armstrong) writes:

>Cholette Martin (cholette@JSP.UMontreal.CA) wrote:
>: In a recent article rsperlin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu writes:
>: >Does anyone know what the first key to the left of the righthand
>: >Ctrl key does on the Microsoft keyboard? 

>: From what I read it is a special Windows key.  It will allow you to 
>: execute certain Win functions.  I am not too sure how flexible it will be
>: but MS stated in the article I read that other keyboard manufacturers
>: are looking to implement the same sort of Winkey (tm?).  Chicago will 
>: support Winkey.  There will be support for it under Win 3.x.

>I have one of the Microsoft keyboards, and I can't find any reference to the
>functionality of this key. If microsoft intends to support it under 3.x, one
>would expect that a direct shipment from Microsoft (one week ago) would have
>some mention of it...

It's the "application" key.  The only support in Windows is that the driver
for the new keyboard recognizes the scan code for the keystroke and sends
an appropriate message.  No applications currently in retail ship status
monitor that message, so for now it's effectively nonfunctional.

The other two new keys (left and right Windows) call up the ersatz Task
Manager dialog.  Personally, I don't like the design but some users do.

I assume that future Microsoft releases will find something for the 
Application key to do, but I haven't seen any info about them.

Any programmer who wants to use it need only monitor the message queue
for the appropriate key-down or key-up message.

Incidentally, the scan codes for the new keys are (in hex):

Key             Make   Break
---             ----   -----
Left WINDOWS    E0 5B  E0 DB
Right WINDOWS   E0 5C  E0 DC
Application     E0 5D  E0 DD

I haven't figured out why the designers felt it necessary to use the E0
prefix scan code, but they did.

Joe Morris / MITRE