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Lenovo Tinkers With Larger Delete and Escape Keys

Slatterz writes "After a year's research, Lenovo boffins have decided the time is right to install larger Delete and Escape keys on their updated ThinkPad laptop T400s range. While it is a small change, it is fairly radical to tinker with an area of hardware which has been largely unchanged since the 19th century. What convinced them to make the size-change was doing some tests on users to see which keys they use the most. They found that on average, people used the Escape and Delete keys 700 times per week, yet those were the only non-letter keys that Lenovo hasn't made any bigger." The article says Caps Lock may be next on the agenda; death is too good for Caps Lock.

38 of 586 comments (clear)

  1. HERE'S AN IDEA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Get rid of the keyboard entirely. I'm fucking sick of it. Why don't we have shapeshifting touch screens yet? Yes, I'm impatient.

    1. Re:HERE'S AN IDEA by elashish14 · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's because it's optimized for Canadian, not American.

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      I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
    2. Re:HERE'S AN IDEA by oldhack · · Score: 4, Funny

      Screw that. I want a mind reader. Interface directly to my tinfoil hat.

      --
      Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
    3. Re:HERE'S AN IDEA by suzerain · · Score: 4, Funny

      I could definitely use a BS key. I'm tired of writing it myself.

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      gameDB
  2. No need by NotBornYesterday · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pfft. Deletee kye? I never usses taht aneemore.

    --
    I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
    1. Re:No need by flyingsquid · · Score: 5, Funny

      Making the "Delete" key larger isn't a bad idea. But since Windows is still the most widely used operating system out there, maybe they should make the "Control" and "Alt" keys larger as well...

    2. Re:No need by MrCrassic · · Score: 3, Funny

      So how's that iPhone treating ya? :)

    3. Re:No need by JPLemme · · Score: 1, Funny

      I remapped my Caps Lock key to be an escape key (for vi). It's great unless I'm trying to type in a CONSTANT_NAME (I'm old-school). I had to learn how to twiddle an entire word in vi to make up for not having Caps Lock.

      So if you program computers but won't use a real editor, Caps Lock is useful. Therefore the Caps Lock key should be left off the keyboard and instead packaged separately with Visual Studio and XCode.

    4. Re:No need by daveinthesky · · Score: 2, Funny

      Heh, don't be silly now...

      cobol programmers can make bank. it's true.
      obscure/arcane knowledge = $$$

    5. Re:No need by walt-sjc · · Score: 5, Funny

      Waaay back when, in the days of the glory of DOS, I transitioned a programmer from a terminal to a PC. He only had one arm. When telling him how to reboot, his response was "Oh that's just fucking great." He had to use a pencil in his mouth.

    6. Re:No need by xouumalperxe · · Score: 4, Funny

      Real Men use ^H.

    7. Re:No need by lwsimon · · Score: 4, Funny

      If the origin of the word is from an old LISP machine, shouldn't it be the "Thuper Key"?

      --
      Learn about Photography Basics.
    8. Re:No need by lwsimon · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, not really. Most of us just remap the keys how we want them. It has the added bonus of confusing people trying to use out terminals.

      --
      Learn about Photography Basics.
    9. Re:No need by EdIII · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can see the point of it if you're an accountant or frenchman

      Can you explain that? I am just racking my brain here and I don't see how a numeric keypad and a "frenchman" relate. My curiosity demands an answer..... please? I don't think I can sleep without the answer.

  3. So conflicted... by XnavxeMiyyep · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lenovo has adware in their updates, but they might sell a laptop without a caps lock key! It's like they're simultaneously the worst and best computer company at the same time.

    --
    I put the 't' in electrical engineering.
    1. Re:So conflicted... by rdnetto · · Score: 3, Funny

      Looks like the first quantum computers are already here!

      --
      Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
  4. caps lock by Bitch-Face+Jones · · Score: 5, Funny

    is cruise control for cool

    1. Re:caps lock by CyberDragon777 · · Score: 5, Funny

      mOD PARENT UP!

      --
      We both said a lot of things that you are going to regret.
  5. Re:Nineteenth Century by MichaelSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    Show me a keyboard that even HAD the Delete or Escape keys, idiot. Hell, when I learned to type, you had to use a lowercase L for the digit 1, and a capital O for the digit zero. Exclamation point was "apostrophe, backspace, period."

    You had backspace? I had to disconnect the carriage and slide it to the left.

  6. Re:Caps lock will be the end of unintended shoutin by ignavus · · Score: 3, Funny

    They had laptops or typewriters with function and modifier keys in the 19th century?

    Yeah, of course!

    What do you think Ada Lovelace, the first programmer, used to code with?

    --
    I am anarch of all I survey.
  7. Re:Nineteenth Century by machine321 · · Score: 2, Funny

    You had backspace? I had to disconnect the carriage and slide it to the left.

    You had a carriage? I had to type by hand-compositing.

  8. I just wish..... by chooks · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...they would make the Any key bigger :(

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    -- The Genesis project? What's that?
  9. The Following keys also need to be altered Lenovo by failedlogic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here's a better idea Lenovo: enlarge the: U, O, Y, K, C, U, F keys. ;)

  10. Re:Nineteenth Century by mathx314 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You had a hand? I had to use a hook.

  11. Dear Aunt, by XanC · · Score: 2, Funny

    let's set so double the killer delete select all

  12. Boffins? by IceFoot · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lenovo has boffins? What the heck are they, creatures from Lord of the Rings? Some kind of exotic bird? Wait, the dictionary says it's BRITISH SLANG. Well, you can just keep your esoteric BRITISH SLANG over there on your little island, buster, because we don't need no stinking BRITISH SLANG over here in America, or the rest of the world for that matter. If you can't write in standard English so English speakers around the world can understand it, just press your DELETE key (no matter what size it is) and go do something else. *grumble* damned Recoats *grumble*

  13. Apple must be scared by mevets · · Score: 2, Funny

    This has to be the biggest upgrade to PC usability since PC 97 added colour coding the mouse and keyboard connectors. Well done.

  14. Re:Incomplete statements by elashish14 · · Score: 5, Funny

    By the way, who constituted what they refer to as "people?"

    Vi users of course.

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    I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
  15. Re:Lenovo aren't the only ones by fractoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    I find it always mind boggling that people will pay incredible sums for their mices, but will get $9,99 keyboards with the argument that "it's just a keyboard, you know".

    The term is 'meese'. ;) As for $10 keyboards, my current keyboard was free. I got it off a 'dead keyboard' pile and it's awesome, can't beat the motion of the older keyboards.

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  16. Re:Location, location, location by Swanktastic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Agreed. I'm boycotting Apple until they bring back the closed Apple key.

  17. Please think of the forum junkies by fragMasterFlash · · Score: 5, Funny

    On behalf of myself and all the other forum junkies can we please get a larger, ruggedized F5 key?

  18. Re:Incomplete statements by Drishmung · · Score: 2, Funny

    who constituted what they refer to as "people?"

    Soylent Green

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    Protoplasm. Quiet Protoplasm. I like quiet protoplasm.
  19. Re:Kill the delete key by JPLemme · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why stop there? The IBM Selectric is a bunch of new-fangled nonsense. In my telegraph office the keyboard only had one key and WE LIKED IT.

    --.- . -..

  20. Re:Incomplete statements by Al+Dimond · · Score: 3, Funny

    A vi user that only uses Esc 700 times a week isn't getting much work done!

  21. Re:Location, location, location by Baloo+Uriza · · Score: 2, Funny

    My T400 has a "Super" and a "Compose Character" key, but for some reason, they're mislabelled with a wavy thing and something that looks like a ladder. I dunno what's wrong with yours.

    --
    Furries make the internet go.
  22. Re:Caps lock will be the end of unintended shoutin by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 2, Funny

    and, more importantly, reduce calls during your off hours because a user locked out his/her account due to CAPS LOCK being on when entering a password.

    Give them Vista - it helpfully warns with "OMG WTF CAPS LOCK!!!" at login screen when it sees it on.

    Then again, when the user cannot login, that's 1 problem. Once they can, be sure that there will be many more - so why call it upon yourself?

  23. And make intended shouting much harder! by jonaskoelker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Caps lock will be the end of unintended shouting

    I would like you to meet my friend, Khassaki:

    <Khassaki> HI EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!
    <Judge-Mental> try pressing the the Caps Lock key
    <Khassaki> O THANKS!!! ITS SO MUCH EASIER TO WRITE NOW!!!!!!!
    <Judge-Mental> fuck me

    (From http://www.bash.org/?835030)

  24. Re:The Following keys also need to be altered Leno by ya+really · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought he was talking more about this