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  3. Why There is 12 Function key on Key board? [modified]

Why There is 12 Function key on Key board? [modified]

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  • A Ali Taghvajou

    U joking or it is real?? any doc if real?

    CPalliniC Offline
    CPalliniC Offline
    CPallini
    wrote on last edited by
    #20

    Well, he wrote the documentation on old newspapers sheets (i.e. the former 'devices' for egg-packing tasks) and I don't know if it survived... :-\

    If the Lord God Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the Creation, I would have recommended something simpler. -- Alfonso the Wise, 13th Century King of Castile.
    This is going on my arrogant assumptions. You may have a superb reason why I'm completely wrong. -- Iain Clarke
    [My articles]

    In testa che avete, signor di Ceprano?

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    • P PIEBALDconsult

      Arbitrary. My LK201 has F1 through F20, plus PF1 through PF4. :-D

      W Offline
      W Offline
      Wayne Gaylard
      wrote on last edited by
      #21

      What do you use the Compose key for now then ?

      ...and I have extensive experience writing computer code, including OIC, BTW, BRB, IMHO, LMAO, ROFL, TTYL.....

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      • A Ali Taghvajou

        Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

        modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

        realJSOPR Offline
        realJSOPR Offline
        realJSOP
        wrote on last edited by
        #22

        I personally think the keys should start at F0 instead of F1.

        ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
        -----
        You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
        -----
        "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

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        • realJSOPR realJSOP

          I personally think the keys should start at F0 instead of F1.

          ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
          -----
          You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
          -----
          "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #23

          I've often wished I had access to an Eff Oh key.

          Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

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          • N NormDroid

            VT220 had 20 Fn keys.

            Software Kinetics - The home of good software

            L Offline
            L Offline
            Luc Pattyn
            wrote on last edited by
            #24

            I doubt that. Picture here[^]. :)

            Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [My Articles] Nil Volentibus Arduum

            Please use <PRE> tags for code snippets, they preserve indentation, improve readability, and make me actually look at the code.

            N 1 Reply Last reply
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            • L Luc Pattyn

              I doubt that. Picture here[^]. :)

              Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [My Articles] Nil Volentibus Arduum

              Please use <PRE> tags for code snippets, they preserve indentation, improve readability, and make me actually look at the code.

              N Offline
              N Offline
              NormDroid
              wrote on last edited by
              #25

              Oh like this? VT320/VT220[^] and this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LK201[^] ;P

              Software Kinetics - The home of good software

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              • L Lost User

                I've often wished I had access to an Eff Oh key.

                Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

                I Offline
                I Offline
                Ian Shlasko
                wrote on last edited by
                #26

                Maybe we should go back to 24 keys, but use letters instead of numbers... FA, FB, FC, FD... And the-key-formerly-known-as-F21 should be a shortcut for Kill Process.

                Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
                Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

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                • A Ali Taghvajou

                  Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

                  modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

                  D Offline
                  D Offline
                  Dave Parker
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #27

                  *shrugs* dunno. My first computer was a C64 with 8 function keys though. After that I had an Amiga which had 10 (though it did have separate dedicated keys for "Help" and maybe a few other things). My latest keyboard (which I can't currently use due to driver issues and think I need to reinstall windows to get the damn thing working) has 24 - F1 to F12 and G1 to G12. Though the G keys are programmable macro ones which I've never really found a use for.

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                  • R R tsumami

                    With people complaining that instead of hitting f1 they hit esc?

                    saru mo ki kara ochiru (even monkeys fall from trees) Usualy i'm that monkey. If you want an intelligent answer, Don't ask me. To understand Recursion, you must first understand Recursion.

                    realJSOPR Offline
                    realJSOPR Offline
                    realJSOP
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #28

                    On the keyboard I'm using, there is room over the backspace key for a 13th F key, even with the little gap that separates every fourth key.

                    ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                    -----
                    You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                    -----
                    "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • A Ali Taghvajou

                      Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

                      modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

                      G Offline
                      G Offline
                      Gregory Gadow
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #29

                      On the earliest computer keyboards, there were no dedicated function keys. Instead, you had a Fn button which, when used with the number row keys, had special meaning. Some laptop computers continue to use this arrangement today. The next step was to expand the keyboards to eliminate the Fn key and add dedicated function buttons. Because of their being ten numbers, there were ten function keys. In later designs, keyboards typically had 14 keys in the top row: the backtick, one through zero, bottom dash, equals, and backspace. Briefly, keyboards had 14 function keys, one above each of the keys in the regular top row. Having the Esc key in the top left became common and eventually the standard, replacing the left-most function key. Rather than have 13 function keys and scaring off a lot of superstitious ninnies, the number was reduced to 12. This also added a bit of space to offset the function keys, making them a bit easier to use quickly.

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • realJSOPR realJSOP

                        I personally think the keys should start at F0 instead of F1.

                        ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                        -----
                        You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                        -----
                        "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

                        G Offline
                        G Offline
                        Gregory Gadow
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #30

                        Originally, there were no function keys, just a special button (Fn) similar to Ctrl or Alt. Fn was used with the number keys, which have always been layed out 1 to 0. So when dedicated function keys were added to keyboards, they kept the same arrangement with F1 on the left, then F2, F3 and so on. Having F0 as the right most looked funny, so it came to be labeled as F10.

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                        • A Ali Taghvajou

                          Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

                          modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          leppie
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #31

                          Ali Taghvajou wrote:

                          Any Story or Reason?

                          CPU architecture proved that RISC is superior to CISC.

                          ((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x)))

                          D 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • N Nish Nishant

                            Ali Taghvajou wrote:

                            why 10 why not 9?

                            10 is a nice round number and one that naturally occurs to designers/technicians because of its association with the decimal base. So they automatically chose it over arbitrary numbers like 9 or 11. Later they tried to squeeze in 2 more and got 12. 14 would have been nice but it would have crowded the keyboard layout. These days it does not matter much.

                            Regards, Nish


                            Are you addicted to CP? If so, check this out: The Code Project Forum Analyzer : Find out how much of a life you don't have! My technology blog: voidnish.wordpress.com

                            D Offline
                            D Offline
                            Dan Neely
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #32

                            10 also fit naturally with the function keys on the side layout since a standard keyboard has 5 rows of keys.

                            3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18

                            OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • A Ali Taghvajou

                              Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

                              modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

                              C Offline
                              C Offline
                              Chris Losinger
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #33

                              Nobody will ever need more than 12 function keys. -- Bill Gates

                              image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                              • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                I personally think the keys should start at F0 instead of F1.

                                ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                -----
                                You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                -----
                                "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

                                J Offline
                                J Offline
                                JimmyRopes
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #34

                                John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                I personally think the keys should start at F0 instead of F1.

                                It does F0 is Esc. :-D

                                Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                                Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
                                I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

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                                • D Dan Neely

                                  10 also fit naturally with the function keys on the side layout since a standard keyboard has 5 rows of keys.

                                  3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18

                                  OriginalGriffO Offline
                                  OriginalGriffO Offline
                                  OriginalGriff
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #35

                                  And so it was with the original IBM XT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ibm_px_xt_color.jpg[^] 83 keys, 10 of them function keys.

                                  Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."

                                  "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                  "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

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                                  • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                    To give people practice writing the word "Function", which you apprently still need...

                                    ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                    -----
                                    You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                    -----
                                    "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

                                    P Offline
                                    P Offline
                                    Peter Mulholland
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #36

                                    John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                    apprently

                                    :snigger: function is one of those words that I frequently swap the n and the c when typing altho, I can't remember doing it recently.

                                    Pete

                                    realJSOPR 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • G Gregory Gadow

                                      Originally, there were no function keys, just a special button (Fn) similar to Ctrl or Alt. Fn was used with the number keys, which have always been layed out 1 to 0. So when dedicated function keys were added to keyboards, they kept the same arrangement with F1 on the left, then F2, F3 and so on. Having F0 as the right most looked funny, so it came to be labeled as F10.

                                      P Offline
                                      P Offline
                                      Peter Mulholland
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #37

                                      So that begs the question: Why does zero come after 9 on the keyboard instead of before 1?

                                      Pete

                                      G 1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • A Ali Taghvajou

                                        Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

                                        modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

                                        C Offline
                                        C Offline
                                        Chris Meech
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #38

                                        Before there were PCs with keyboards, there were video terminals with keyboards. A lot of them that I remember had function keys on them. Most of the early VT, Wyse and even IBM terminals that I used to work with invariably had at least 10 function keys on them. :)

                                        Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra] posting about Crystal Reports here is like discussing gay marriage on a catholic church’s website.[Nishant Sivakumar]

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                                        • A Ali Taghvajou

                                          Do any one know the philosophy of existing 12 function key F1-F12 on key board? why it is not 14 or 10? I searched and found it was 24 at first and Over time it reduced and now is 12. But Not Convinced, yet! Any Story or Reason?? :confused::confused:

                                          modified on Friday, May 20, 2011 8:50 AM

                                          L Offline
                                          L Offline
                                          Lost User
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #39

                                          The XT keyboard had 10 since that was all there was roomm for but most terminals had 12 because they had room so the AT keyboard ended up with 12 as well.

                                          Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^] "Program as if the technical support department is full of serial killers and they know your home address" - Ray Cassick Jr., RIP

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