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In article <rsperlin.101.2EA050B3@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> rsperlin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Richard Sperling) writes:
>Does anyone know what the first key to the left of the righthand Ctrl key does 
>on the Microsoft keyboard? Thanks.
>________________________________
>Richard Sperling|Graduate Fellow

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.

Bert
cholette@jsp.umontreal.ca
>

Cholette Martin (cholette@JSP.UMontreal.CA) wrote:
: In article <rsperlin.101.2EA050B3@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> rsperlin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Richard Sperling) writes:
: >Does anyone know what the first key to the left of the righthand Ctrl key does 
: >on the Microsoft keyboard? Thanks.
: >________________________________
: >Richard Sperling|Graduate Fellow

: 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.

: Bert
: cholette@jsp.umontreal.ca
: >

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...

In <Cxqpop.1M3@cc.umontreal.ca> cholette@JSP.UMontreal.CA (Cholette Martin) writes:

:In article <rsperlin.101.2EA050B3@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> rsperlin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Richard Sperling) writes:
:>Does anyone know what the first key to the left of the righthand Ctrl key does 
:>on the Microsoft keyboard? Thanks.
:>________________________________
:>Richard Sperling|Graduate Fellow

: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.

	The two Windows-specific keys are to provide one-key access to the
graphical Task Manager which is planned as the replacement for both Program
and File Manager in Windows95.  The third new key is an application key?!?!?!

-YUEN

	I saw one of these at Egghead today so I thought I'd play with it 
for a little bit.  For a hundred bucks, this keyboard sucks.  It's feels 
flimsy and the keys are all loose.  Although the ergonomics seem like 
they do feel a little better than a normal keyboard, overall quality is 
horrible.  I hate to say this, but so far, Macs have the best feeling 
keyboards around.  Anyone knwo of any IBM keyboards out there that feel 
like the Mac keyboards?  They're also cool 'cause they don't have that 
click.  I used to like the click but now I'm sharing a room with someone 
and I don't want to keep them up at night.

--
		chartang@uclink2.berkeley.edu

In <37sjjp$e03@agate.berkeley.edu> chartang@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Char Tang) writes:

>	I saw one of these at Egghead today so I thought I'd play with it 
>for a little bit.  For a hundred bucks, this keyboard sucks.  It's feels 
>flimsy and the keys are all loose.  Although the ergonomics seem like 
>they do feel a little better than a normal keyboard, overall quality is 
>horrible.  I hate to say this, but so far, Macs have the best feeling 
>keyboards around.  Anyone knwo of any IBM keyboards out there that feel 
>like the Mac keyboards?  They're also cool 'cause they don't have that 
>click.  I used to like the click but now I'm sharing a room with someone 
>and I don't want to keep them up at night.

 I still haven't seen one of these Microsoft keyboards yet to pass
judgement.  Although the 3 extra keys won't do me much good, as I
don't run windows. :(

 I never really cared for most of the Mac keyboards I've used.  I have never
tried their ergo one, though.  But for that spongy feel without the click,
the keyboards that come with Dell and Compaq low end machines seem to match
it.  I'm not sure who makes them though.

 Personally the best keyboard is still the Northgate OmniKey/Ultra.  Of
course it clicks so you probably won't like it.  But if you are a fast
typist it's really nice.

-- 
Steve Sheldon           [These are my own opinions]
Iowa State University   ICSS Resource Facility by day
sheldon@iastate.edu     ProMap by night
   BEEF! -- Cause the west wasn't won on salad.

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