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

[Wayne Gaylard]

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.....

[realJSOP]

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

".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"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

[Lost User]

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

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[Luc Pattyn]

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

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[NormDroid]

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

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[Ian Shlasko]

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.

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[Dave Parker]

*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.

[realJSOP]

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
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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

[Gregory Gadow]

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.

[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.

[leppie]

Ali Taghvajou wrote:

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[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

[Chris Losinger]

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

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[JimmyRopes]

John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

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

It does F0 is Esc. :-D

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[OriginalGriff]

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.

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[Peter Mulholland]

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

[Peter Mulholland]

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

Pete

[Chris Meech]

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. :)

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[Lost User]

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.

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[realJSOP]

I hate the keyboard I use at work. :/

".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