New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

Re:New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft by dpark on Tuesday October 06, 2015 @03:50PM (#10341812)

I think the number pad on a laptop is a massive waste and an anti-feature for 99% of users. Most people don't use it enough to justify the space it takes, and especially the ergonomic awkwardness of having the keyboard perpetually off-center.

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Re:New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft by kibibu on Tuesday October 06, 2015 @10:53PM (#10343950)

Here are some other keys that are a massive waste for 99% of users:

* Home

* End

* Backtick/tilde ` ~

* Backslash/pipe \ |

* PrtScn

* Break/Pause

* Any F key that is not F1 or F5

When's the last time most users typed a backslash? A pipe char? A backtick?! (If you say "in a command prompt" you are not talking about the mythical 99% of users)

Depending on the audience, [delete] is a waste of space too - a lot of people just use backspace. Would you abandon it?

Not being useful for everybody doesn't mean it's useful for nobody.

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Re:New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft by girvo on Wednesday October 07, 2015 @12:45AM (#10344219)

Sure. A number-pad that nearly no-one uses takes up a lot more space than keys that would leave empty space or necessitate a brand-new keyboard layout if they were removed. Very different.

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Re:New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft by kibibu on Thursday October 08, 2015 @11:22PM (#10357979)

Removing the function keys wouldn't necessitate a brand-new layout, and I suspect the num keys get used more than function keys.

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