3 ms·
Not even mentioning that (some) non Mac keyboards have an Fn key too (Thinkpads do for instance). But no secrets are re veiled for those
by polonbike 3y ago
Not even mentioning that (some) non Mac keyboards have an Fn key too (Thinkpads do for instance). But no secrets are re veiled for those
- rf15 3y agoI think that's covered by "[...] and has become a fixture in the lower-left corner of laptop keyboards ever since." ? But yes, it seems fairly Mac-centric.
- sbuk 3y agoTidBITS has been only about Apple since it's inception 33 years ago.
- Jendrej 3y agoIf you read it this way, it would seem like the PowerBook from 1998 was the first laptop to have an Fn key. But from what I managed to find, ThinkPads for example have had a function key even before then (although it was labeled Func). See ThinkPad 500 from 1993: https://laptop.pics/ibm-thinkpad-500/ https://laptop.pics/ibm-thinkpad-500/
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Aachen 3y agoPretty sure was Lenovo laptop which has a menu button but stopped labeling it on the keyboard at some point. If you know where it's supposed to be, it still works. Either that or I found a hidden Fn mapping on a Dell laptop. I ought to write a blog about secrets of the Fn key and omit which hardware it's about to get clicks from everyone (spoiler for those reading the comments first: the article is exclusively about Apple and reveals no secrets)
- Findecanor 3y agoAFAIK, Apple's keyboards are the only keyboards that actually report the Fn key to the computer. On other keyboards, the Fn key traditionally toggles layer only locally on the keyboard, with the layout defined by the keyboard, not the OS. One thing close to it (now that it is also the "Globe key"), would be the Emoji key on some Microsoft keyboards, which sends Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Windows + Space. (same as "Office key" + Space)