deskthority

So I've been researching mechanical keyboards lately, and I'm probably going to post a little piece about my findings on my site once I've decided which keyboard to buy. But in the meantime I thought I'd post this little writeup on keyboard terminology in case someone finds it interesting.

I expect most of the key geeks here will already know this stuff, though.

KEYS

Keyboard. In the context of computers, an electromechanical device which consists of an array of independent movable surfaces - pushbutton switches known as keys - which can be pressed by human fingertips in order to input data. Computer keyboards are modelled after typewriter keyboards, which were mechanical text-entry devices.

Key. A sprung or touch-sensitive electric pushbutton, usually marked with a symbol of some sort, which sends a signal to a computer when pressed or touched. This signal may enter information into the computer or cause it to perform a certain operation. Keys are arranged in specific patterns in an assembly to form a keyboard.

Keystroke. The action of a human being pressing down and releasing a key.

Alphanumeric key. A key which, when pressed, produces a letter of the alphabet or a numeral.

Space bar. A long wide key at the bottom of a keyboard, which produces a space character when pressed.

Return key. A key which issues a "carriage return" when pressed. This is analogous to an old mechanical typewriter: the cursor moves down one line, and all the way to the left. (at least with left to right alphabets)

Enter key. Sometimes synonymous with return, but technically slightly different. On a spreadsheet, for example, pressing the Return key confirms the current text entry and moves the highlighted cell down a row. Pressing the Enter key confirms the current text entry but doesn't usually move the highlighted cell.

Escape or esc key. A key in the upper left corner which has various meanings depending on the application in use. It might mean quit, cancel, end, or close, for example. Bright red escape keys are popular add-on extras with a certain type of geek.

Backspace. A key which deletes the character immediately to the left of the insertion point. Confusingly Macs usually have keys marked delete which actually issue a backspace command.

Delete. Or forward delete, or del. A key which deletes the character immediately to the right of the insertion point. On some keyboards, INS and DEL switched a terminal between text insertion mode and text overwriting mode. The point here is that different keyboards use DEL or Delete to refer to a number of different things.

Cursor keys. Keys which move text insertion points one character in one of four directions.

Arrow keys. See cursor keys.

Function key. A key on a keyboard which can be used to trigger a command or instruction. Most keyboards have a row of keys along the top edge, numbered F1 through F16 or so, which can serve as function keys. Sometimes these are linked to specific actions, such as copying text or ejecting a disc. Sometimes the keys are half-height to save space.

Fkey. See Function key.

Macro keys. Generally speaking, programmable keys on a keyboard which can be used to trigger sequences of other keys, or run programs, etc. Some software may allow Fkeys to be used as macro keys, for example.

Modifier key. A key you press to modify the output of another key. For example, the shift key turns a lowercase letter into uppercase when pressed. Pressing a modifier key alone typically does nothing.

Multimedia key. A key or pushbutton which activates various types of functionality when pressed. These are used by keyboard marketers to differentiate their products from everybody else's. The keys can vary in functionality from useful (speaker controls, mute, play/pause music) to arguably more esoteric (fire up a web browser or mail application).

Shift key. A modifier key which is used to type uppercase letters or access other symbols on the keyboard.

Control key. A modifier key which outputs invisible "control" characters. A throwback to the age of the teletype, really, though on Windows computers control characters are also used as command shortcuts. Typing ctrl-A, for example, might select all text in a document.

Windows key. A key, marked with a trademarked Microsoft Windows flag icon, which enables certain command functions on PCs running versions of Windows since about Windows 95. Analogous to the command key on Macs, or the meta key on UNIX machines.

Command key. On Macs, a modifier key which, when used with alphanumeric keys sends invisible commands to applications, allows for functions such as copy or paste to be performed. Analogous to the Windows key. On early Macs, this key was marked with a square propeller-like symbol. This symbol, incidentally, was derived from Scandinavian road signs where it marks a historical point of interest. On later keyboards, it was marked with both an Apple logo and a propeller symbol. Current keyboards have the word "command" or the abbreviation "cmd" and the propeller.

Alt key. On PCs, a modifier key which performs different functions depending on the application. See Option key.

AltGr key. A modifier seen on some non English language PC keyboards.

Option key. A modifier key on Macs, used for accessing high ASCII characters and other symbols. The key permits Mac users to type diacritical characters or symbols used by Western European languages on a US keyboard, for example. Synonymous with the Alt key.

Fn key. Function: a modifier key on newer Apple keyboards, particularly laptop models. Fn keys switch the function keys from acting as traditional function keys to activating certain Mac features.

Numlock. A feature on some keyboards which switches over certain alphabetical keys on the keyboard to typing numerals. Commonly seen on laptops, numlock effectively creates a virtual keypad.

Capslock. A key, sometimes with a physical latching mechanical lock and sometimes with an electronic button with light, which instructs the keyboard to produce only uppercase letters for all alphabetical characters. Unlike shift it does not alter the output of numeric and other keys.

Scroll lock. An anachronism from the days of terminals - a key which scrolls the window when arrow keys are used, rather than moving the insertion point. A nice idea, but fairly useless today for most users since hardly any programs support the feature.

KEY LAYOUTS

QWERTY. A keyboard arrangement developed by American Christopher Sholes in the 1870s, and thus sometimes called a Sholes layout. QWERTY keys are arranged seemingly randomly across the keyboard, and the layout is so named because the top left keys spell out QWERTY. Many contradictory tales have developed around the bizarre key layout, some claiming that the arrangement was to slow typists down to avoid mechanical typewriters binding, and others claiming that the arrangement was meant to improve typing efficiency. Regardless, it's generally agreed that QWERTY is a pretty lousy keyboard layout, but we're stuck with it out of sheer inertia - it's a drag learning a new keyboard arrangement, so few people do.

Sholes. See QWERTY.

QWERTZ. A QWERTY variant commonly used in Germany.

AZERTY. A QWERTY variant commonly used in France.

Dvorak. The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout designed by American August Dvorak in the 1930s. This layout is said to improve typing efficiency by clustering commonly used combinations of keys together. It was designed around common English language usage patterns, and thus may not be suitable for other languages. It's not common, as most people can't be bothered to learn a new keyboard layout even if it's more efficient. The marketplace inertia of QWERTY and variants is too great.

ANSI. American National Standards Institute. Keyboards with ANSI layouts are commonly used in the USA, Canada, and Australia. They mostly use the QWERTY layout, have full-width left and right shift keys, and rectangular return keys which do not cross rows of keys. (ie: horizontal configuration, if you will) See ISO.

ISO. International Organization for Standardization. (yes, that's the official name) An international standards agency. Keyboards with ISO layouts are commonly used in Europe, and have half-width left shift keys, full-width right shift keys, and L-shaped return keys which cross two rows. (ie: vertical configuration, if you will) They use different key layouts for different regions: QWERTY in the UK, QWERTZ in Germany, AZERTY in France, etc. See ANSI.

Tenkeyless. Marketing term for a keyboard which has the standard alphanumeric keys, FKeys along the top, page/up/down/etc, an inverted cursor T, but no numeric keypad.

Inverted T. A key arrangement for cursors whereby the up arrow key is at the top and the left, down, and right arrow keys are arranged on the next row in a straight line.

KEYCAPS

Keycap or keytop. The top surface of a key upon which a finger rests. Usually made of plastic, such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) plastic.

Cylindrical keycap. A keycap with a slightly dished surface, as if a cylinder rested on it. (ie: left and right edges raised) The most common type of keycap used today. This is a good thing, since human fingers are not flat.

Spherical keycap. A keycap with a round dished surface, as though a marble had rested on it. (ie: all edges raised) Common with older keyboards, such as those used in the 1970s and early 1980s. Sometimes called cupped keycaps.

Sculpted keyboard. A keyboard in which the surface angle of each row of keys is slightly different. The keys in home row are fairly flat, for example, whereas those along the top row used for function keys are at more of an angle. The angle makes it easier for fingers positioned at home row to reach up and touch keys in distant rows. Laptops, which are designed to be as flat as possible, do not have sculpted keyboards.

Keycap puller. A simple wire or plastic tool for lifting keycaps off a keyboard. Designed for keycaps which don't use a scissors mechanism, really.

Stabilizer. A metal or plastic bar or hinge arrangement to allow a wide key, such as a shift key or space bar, to move up and down perpendicular to the keyboard base, without wobbling to one side or the other.

Scissors mechanism. A pair of plastic arms of levers, interlocked with tiny clips. These are commonly used on better laptop and some desktop keyboards to make their operation more stable. See stabiliser.

Key legend. Text printed on a keycap to indicate its function.

Double shot. An injection molding technique where the key is moulded twice - once for the legend, and then a second time with a contrasting plastic material for the keycap itself. Rarely seen today owing to the high costs, despite its quality appearance and high durability.

Laser engraved. A laser is used to burn or discolour the surface of the key to mark a legend. Fairly durable, but low contrast.

Pad printing. Simple paint used to print a legend onto the surface of the key. There may be an ugly decal-like clear coating surrounding the legend. Pretty ubiquitous today, though poor durability as the paint can easily wear off.

Dye sublimation printing. A process of printing legends whereby a dye substance is printed into the keycap material. Long-lasting, but rarely used today.

KEYSWITCHES

Keyswitch. An electric pushbutton (normally open) switch mechanism positioned underneath a keycap.

Mechanical keyswitch. A keyswitch which employs an actual physical switch under each key. A moving mechanism, involving springs or levers or other devices, is used. The switches vary in terms of the way they respond to the touch. While superior in longevity and typing performance, mechanical keyswitches are uncommon today since they simply cost more to produce than dome keyboards.

Key travel. How far a key mechanism moves when pressed. Laptops, for example, have short key travel, whereas the full-size keyboards used with desktop computers have longer key travel.

Actuation force or actuation pressure. The amount of pressure required to make a switch trigger, typically measured in grams. Most keyboards have constant actuation pressure, where all keys respond to the same amount of pressure. A few keyboards have variable actuation pressure and are designed with different keyswitches at different points, so that keys further from the centre of the keyboard require less pressure to actuate.

Rubber dome. Most keyboards today employ flat rubber sheets covered with flat-topped rubber domes. Each dome corresponds to a key position on the keyboard. Pressing a plastic keycap downwards flattens the dome, which provides the springiness for the key to return to its off state. Keyboards of this type are cheap to make, but generally lousy to operate. Since they're so ubiquitous these days, however, a whole generation of computer users have grown up with them and have no idea how crap they are.

Membrane. A thin plastic sheet separating layers of contacts. The action of pressing down a rubber dome key causes two electric contacts sandwiched between these plastic membranes to touch. Some keypads used in industrial or commercial systems, or appliances such as microwave ovens, may employ membrane technology. They're not common with computers because of non-existent tactile response.

Chiclet keyboard. A keyboard in which the entire outer surface pressed by the user is made of a sheet of flexible rubber. The keys are moulded rectangular bumps, and the term refers to the once-popular "chiclet" chewing gum sold in the US and other countries. Now uncommon for personal computers, but used on some gaming devices and calculators owing to their water-resistant and resilient design.

Feedback. Some sort of physical pressure response to being pressed on the part of a key. Keys with feedback are much easier to type on.

Tactile. A switch that has a definitive change in pressure or bump as you press it. Eg: Cherry MX Brown switches, Alps switches.

Clicky. A switch that clicks at a certain point when you press it. Eg: Cherry MX Blue switches.

Buckling spring. A keyswitch mechanism which contains a spring and a lever. Pressing the key causes the spring to bend downwards then, at a certain point, flip outward to press a switch. IBM model M keyboards use this type of precise but noisy mechanism

Linear. A switch where the pressure back increases in a linear fashion as you press the key. No clicking or tactile response. Popular with gamers. Eg: Cherry MX Black switches.

Cherry MX. A line of mechanical keyswitches produced by German maker Cherry. They are colour coded (these colours are visible if you prise off the keycap) into different categories, depending on the internal mechanical response.

Capacitance. A keyswitch design which employs the principle of capacitance and does not rely on pressure. Some expensive keyboards employ capacitance switches.

Force graph. A diagram indicating the amount of actuation pressure required to depress a mechanical key. Different key designs have different force graphs, reflecting different intended uses.

Blank keycaps. Keycaps with no legends printed on them. These are sold as touch-type training tools (you can't look down to see what key you need to press) or as elite hacker geek tools ("Otaku") aimed at impressing other geeks.

Otaku. A Japanese word that basically means an obsessive geek. Blank keyboards are sometimes marketed as "otaku" keyboards.

Backlighting. A lighting technology whereby a small LED or fibre optic is mounted beneath a key, allowing for the lettering to glow through.

ELECTRONICS

Dropouts. Keystrokes which are never received by the computer. Often caused by people typing too quickly on poor quality keyboards.

Ghosting. A keyboard which produces spurious characters when two or more keys are pressed simultaneously or in rapid sequence is said to be ghosting.

N key rollover. The ability of a keyboard to register each keypress, even multiple keys pressed down together. Gamers love this, as it means you can slam down multiple keystrokes simultaneously. Fast typists also benefit, as it prevents the problem of dropouts when typing rapidly. USB places a limit on simultaneous keystroke, and supports only 6 key rollover.

NKRO: see N key rollover.

Polling rate. The rate at which a keyboard's electronic controller scans the keys for keypresses. A slow polling rate can miss keystrokes entered by really fast typists.

Latency. The response time of a given operation, such as the time elapses between a key being pressed and the computer receiving the keystroke message.

Debouncing. A keyswitch, when pressed, may send several rapid signals in succession. This could be interpreted by a computer as numerous independent keystrokes rather than just one. A debouncing circuit is a timer or similar system to eliminate spurious responses caused by key bounce.

USB. Universal Serial Bus. A technology developed by Intel for connecting peripherals to a computer. Pretty well universal these days for attaching keyboards and mice to a computer.

PS/2. A line of personal computers developed by IBM as successors to their original Personal Computers. The PS/2 keyboard interface is still seen on some PCs, since it supports N-key rollover.

USB hub. A device containing multiple USB sockets, into which USB devices can be plugged. Keyboards with USB hubs are useful because mice and other peripherals can be plugged into them. Usually the keyboard will contain a low-power USB hub only, and so USB devices which demand high power levels, such as hard drives and coffee warmers, typically can't be plugged into such keyboards.

Bluetooth. A low-power wireless system, commonly used for linking devices such as mobile phones or wireless keyboards to personal computers.

Matrix. An arrangement of keys on a keyboard which may be designed to minimize ghosting on those keyboards which don't support N-key rollover. By carefully positioning groups of keys across a keyboard, a designer may be able to reduce the risk of problems when two keys are pressed simultaneously. More expensive keyboards may contain diodes soldered across the keyboard matrix to eliminate unwanted responses from certain combinations.

Controller. An electronic circuit which monitors a keyboard for keypresses and sends appropriate signals to a computer.

PCB. Printed circuit board. A flat, solid or flexible, surface upon which electronic components are soldered.

KEYBOARD DESIGNS

Split keyboard. A keyboard which is divided into two halves. Each half is either placed at a slight distance from the other, or else angled. Split keyboards may or may not have the split as an adjustable setting. Split keyboards are designed to be more ergonomic, as they more closely align with natural hand positions than a straight rectangular board.

Ergonomic. A design that takes human physiology into account. Also known as human factors engineering. Split keyboards are often sold as "ergonomic" keyboards.

Keypad. A device containing numeric keys and possibly a few other keys, such as an enter key and the four basic arithmetic operations. Often sold as accessories for use with laptops which don't have built-in keypads.

Chording keyboard. A keyboard with a limited number of keys that must be pressed together simultaneously to type a symbol. Such keyboards mean that fingers press inwards to activate the buttons, but don't have to move around a flat keyboard. Advocates of chording keyboards claim that they offer improved ergonomics and reduced injury, but there's a steep learning curve to use them - you can't simply look at the keycaps to know what to type.

OTHER

Wrist rest. A platform, either hard or padded (sometimes with pressure-absorbing fabric, leather, or gel material) positioned in front of a keyboard. This allows a wrist to rest naturally when typing. Some people object to wrist rests, and argue that hands should be held in the air, parallel to the desk surface, when typing.

Muscle memory. The ability of the human body to learn certain physical procedures through repetition. These actions can then be triggered almost unconsciously. Simple touch-typing is an example of this process, whereby it becomes second nature to press a keyboard's keycaps to translate thought directly to the screen without having to look consciously at the keys.

RSI. Repetitive Strain or Stress Injury. Injury to the hands or wrists caused by repeated physical activity, such as typing. RSI induced by typing can be painful and deeply debilitating.

OEM. Original Equipment Manufacturer. This term has various meanings. It often refers to the maker of a product which is then rebranded and sold under a different brand name.

Remapping software. Software that allows the output of a given key on the keyboard to be mapped to a different character from that printed on the keycap. It may be possible, for example, to transform a QWERTY keyboard into a Dvorak one by remapping its key positions. Macs, which use a slightly different arrangement of modifier keys, may also use remapping to adjust modifier key positions when used with a keyboard designed for Microsoft Windows.

MAKERS AND PRODUCTS

Cherry. A German keyboard manufacturer which produces a wide range of expensive high-end keyboards, frequently intended for engineering or point of sale (POS) applications. Makers of the classic Cherry MX mechanical keyswitches. Cherry also sells the traditional G80-3000 mechanical keyboard series.

Leopold. A Korean keyboard maker which sells keyboards, including some employing Cherry MX keyswitches.

Filco. A brand of keyboards produced in Taiwan by Japanese maker Diatec. Many employ Cherry MX keyswitches.

Majestouch. A popular line of Cherry-equipped keyboards made by Filco. Different keyboards use different Cherry MX keyswitch types.

Alps Electric. Japanese manufacturer, which used to make a popular line of mechanical keyswitches. Modern keyswitches built around a simplified version of the classic Alps design are sold today.

Matias. Canadian company which sells Asian-built keyboards built to its designs. Markets heavily to the Mac community, and makers of the Tactile Pro, a mechanical keyboard using simplified Alps keyswitches apparently built by a firm named Fukka.

Topre. Japanese electronics manufacturer.

Realforce. Line of keyboards from Topre which employ capacitance keyswitches. Some of these keyboards have keyswitches with different keypressure requirements across the keyboard. (ie: the keys located further from home row require less pressure to push)

Happy Hacking Keyboard. Expensive line of keyboards produced by Japanese maker PFU. Unusual design, in that they lack function keys, a keypad, and arrow keys. Multiple keys must be pressed together to enable other functions. Some use capacitance switches.

Das Keyboard. A line of keyboards sold by Metadot, a US firm, and built by Costar in Taiwan. Two variants with Cherry blue or brown keyswitches, and optional key legends.

IBM Model M. A classic heavy duty keyboard sold by IBM in the 1980s. Deafeningly loud, but built like a proverbial tank. Employs buckling spring switches.

Unicomp. American company which still produces and sells keyboards of the IBM type today.

Costar. Korean manufacturer of the Das Keyboard.

Elite Keyboards. US retailer of geek-oriented keyboards. Formerly sold Filco keyboards; no longer does so. Carries Happy Hacking and Leopold lines.

The Keyboard Company. British retailer of unusual specialist keyboards, including the Filco products.

I'd suggest making an article for this on our Wiki.

I would add to ghosting that a lot of gaming companies are using it to refer to key blocking.

Yeah sounds like this would fit good in the wiki.

Cool stuff. When I get a chance I'll steal some and put it in the Geekhack Mechanical Keyboard Guide glossary.

Ours has BigAss. And Hysteresis. That one stumped Daedalus. Surprising since he designed the Minotaur's Maze and hysteresis is from the Greek (everything I learned about Greek mythology I learned from Harry Harryhausen, Gladiator movies (so WHAT if they were Romans), and Star Wars).

And WHAT does AltGr DO anyway?

ripster wrote:And WHAT does AltGr DO anyway?

In the UK key map, it makes it easy to type € (AltGr, 4) Fairly useful given that it's used more often than $


It's an essential modifier required to create a whole lot of characters in many languages, Wikipedia lists many, and even if the accuracy isn't 100% (due to being wikipedia) at least you can get an idea of the importance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AltGr_key & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout

Microsoft think it's the same as Ctrl+Alt, they're wrong...

nkg wrote:AltGr key. A modifier seen on some non English language PC keyboards.

I haven't looked at them all, but I think it's an essential part of the ISO layout, and as important to many languages as the modifiers on JIS keyboards. The above description reads as rather dismissive.

nkg wrote:So I've been researching mechanical keyboards lately, and I'm probably going to post a little piece about my findings on my site once I've decided which keyboard to buy. But in the meantime I thought I'd post this little writeup on keyboard terminology in case someone finds it interesting.

I expect most of the key geeks here will already know this stuff, though.

Good stuff! Like said previously, you should add it to our wiki

Content updated and moved:

http://photonotes.org/articles/keyboards/

Thanks for the comments and corrections!

nice guide
should let my friends know about this.thanks ~

Hundreads guys have thousands dictionaries.
Good.


Just one tiny thing.

Costar is not a Korean company.
Costar is a Taiwanese company.
http://www.costar.com.tw/

Kind of big one in keyboard area (I do not know details).

ripster wrote: And WHAT does AltGr DO anyway?

It's like second shift or fn, basicly used for this: @£$€{[]}\ ~| on SW/FI layout, oh and ofcourse the µ and second € ;D

Useless copy and paste crap with the sole purpose of getting to 10 posts. Useless because it will end up invisible on page 10 of the forum. And he doesn't understand the concept of wiki.

webwit wrote:Useless copy and paste crap with the sole purpose of getting to 10 posts. Useless because it will end up invisible on page 10 of the forum. And he doesn't understand the concept of wiki.

Who does? ;D Hmm, maybe I just understand it very differently from some...

webwit wrote:Useless copy and paste crap with the sole purpose of getting to 10 posts. Useless because it will end up invisible on page 10 of the forum. And he doesn't understand the concept of wiki.

THIS IS EVERYONE'S LAST CHANCE TO GET TO 10!
+1, QFT, Ya Sure Ya Betcha, Yawohl Mein Herr, FO Schnizzle Ma Fizzle!

Useless copy and paste crap with the sole purpose of getting to 10 posts. Useless because it will end up invisible on page 10 of the forum. And he doesn't understand the concept of wiki.

Well, that's nice. I wrote all that material from scratch so that I could post some useful original content to contribute my 10 posts - not just content-free jokes like everyone else did.
And one of the forum maintainers dismisses it as "useless crap."
How welcoming!
Feel free to delete this topic.

I don't think the info itself is crap. But if you copy paste it in some random topic in 9 posts, and don't return until the end of the Filco contest, you gotta toughen up if someone says something about it. Nonetheless, I do hope you don't get disencouraged by this and put the info in the wiki where it would be useful. If you really wrote everything from scratch, I humbly apologize.

Is there a word/character count limit on individual posts?

It's a phpbb option currently set at 500000 characters.

500000 characters should be enough for anybody...

Also, nkg's posts had (only) 25199 characters if my 'wc' utility does it's job right.


... I'm almost glad I didn't partake in this giveaway.