New answers tagged keyboards
33
Chromatix answer already perfectly nails the technical background. Especially the reference to classic typewriter mechanics, predating any TTY or terminal, were the symbol used quite closely follows the hand movement when isueing a new line.
Historically it may be interesting to look at the development. The combined function as a single key was only ...
48
Even though the CR usually goes before the LF in ASCII text, most printer mechanisms actually perform the LF before, or during, the CR. So the shape of the arrow is actually accurate.
This is even true of mechanical typewriters, in which the carriage is returned through a physical lever which, before enough force is transmitted through it to move the ...
6
The bumps were on the d and k keys because these letters are touched by the longest fingers, which come into contact with the keyboard first if the hands are relaxed.
Landing on the wrong key is recognised instantly.
Having to bend your three fingers on each hand, lifting up the thumbs to make room for letting the index fingers detect being in the right ...
4
I learned to touch type while doing my service in the Swedish Air Force. We were trained to use D and K as home keys for left and right middle finger.
This was in 1989, and it was a standard in Sweden in touch typing courses.
I checked on two keyboards (all swedish variant):
my LK201 keyboard: no marking on dfjk while the ibm type M at f and j.
Runes ...
27
The official answer (at https://support.apple.com/kb/TA34988?locale=en_US) is that they pretty much made it up as they went along:
At some time in Apple's history it was decided to put the "bumps" on the D and K keys while some other computer companies use the F and J keys. [...] Apple engineering has indicated there is no standard, such as ISO or ANSI ...
23
Personally I know this from a typewriter course in school (ca. 1973). The machines we used hat slightly different cavity on D/K to support touch-typing. we were supposed always rest our middle fingers there while having the rest afloat. A similar lesson was given for the use of adding machines with a similar keycap for the 5 key. But so far I couldn't find ...
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