Copilot key will eventually be required in new PC keyboards, though not yet.
So now Windows bloat is extending to the physical keyboard itself.
Looking at the Microsoft blog post they haven’t said exactly how they want keyboard layouts to change. So on a full size keyboard this could be either new key entirely, or replace an existing (and arguably more useful) key.
They should put it adjacent to the up arrow key so that when I hit it accidentally, copilot can ask “did you mean to press the up arrow key?”, which will cause me to smash the keyboard with my fists and then I’ll need to buy another one. Sales will skyrocket.
Not particularly relevant, but my friend randomly told me to press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Windows key+L one day. I’m still horrified.
I just tried this. Why does this exist? Why does this need to be a shortcut? Who uses LinkedIn so much that they need to use a 5 key shortcut to get there faster?
For anybody who doesn’t want to try it, this key combo opens LinkedIn in your default browser.
It’s not a setting you can change, the only way to disable it is to edit the registry.
WTF.
Lol Windows is so bad these days. What were they thinking?!
It’s not a setting you can change, the only way to disable it is to edit the registry.
So you are saying the setting can be changed. You can even do it over terminal if you like.
They have an “Office Key” on some official keyboards. Pressing Office+L opens LinkedIn. The Office key is actually mapped to that long modifier shortcut.
Did you think the MS C-Suite does much other than bloviate on LinkedIn in-between (and during) meetings? It’s for them and execs everywhere.
🤢 🤢 🤢 🤢 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮
Damn, that works in Windows 10 as well. Blech.
I mean, they did it before with the windows/super button. Before that you just had ctrl and alt there.
I use mainly keyboard-controlled WM configurations, so a Super key or a Meta key is useful for me, to separate it from Alt and Ctrl.
Which reminds us of the fact that PC keyboards didn’t have those or a Windows key obviously, but Sun keyboards, from googling, did have a Super key.
So it’s not them.
(And it’s not bad in my opinion)
I always assumed the windows key was a late attempt at copying the “Apple” keys on Macs. then Macs stopped using that, and switched to the clover (called command), then to actual Command text.
I don’t remember the last time I pressed the “right click” contextual menu key, so honestly it’s not like it’ll be too annoying. Unless they do replace an actually useful key, at which point I guess the people making “make Windows actually work good” apps will get to live another year.
I pressed it like, 20 minutes ago? It’s a pretty normal part of a lot of coding workflow, not to mention browsing, accessing context menu keyboard shortcuts without having to move your hand to the mouse for one buttonpress.
Fair enough. Alt used to be that before we decided to have a button to annoyingly pop up the menu strip. And there’s still Alt Gr for that in full sized keyboards if we want to go back that way.
Alt Gr is something else. Non-english keyboards use it all day every day for typing their charactersets.
It could probably replace the right OS key, though.
Yeah and even on many english keyboards it is used to show special characters
Been coding in vim for decades without that key
That’s the key I use as a compose key
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I’ve never even heard of this key that you are talking about, yet it’s mentioned several times in this thread.
thanks for the picture. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Just to check, I went over and looked at my wife’s work laptop and it’s not on that keyboard, but it is on her external keyboard, but not as a separate key, it’s part of the print screen button!
I use the app/menu all the time in Excel.
I use it as a Compose key with WinCompose.
So long Caps Lock/Scroll Lock
I remap Caps Lock to Escape.
.
.
.
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How did you know I am a Vim user?
Same. TouchBar Macs inadvertently forced me to move to a more comfy layout.
CTRL+[ YA LUDDITES! /s
Then you had all those “for the web” Windows 95 PCs that had all the extra buttons like the Calculator and Web Browser and Sleep buttons scattered around above the keyboard that I don’t think people tended to use because Windows wasn’t built with them in mind. It seems they’re in the keyboard standard now as if they were any other key.
Yeah there were some wacky keyboard shortcut buttons in the 90s, particularly during the dot com bubble. Perhaps we could bring back the pizza key!
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
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My keyboard has mail/browser/home/suspend keys in the corner. I use suspend and home (to get to the set main page in the browser) every day.
Swap it with the windows key and put the windows key as the function modified keypress. As long as I can still disable that key, it would be fine.
Before I even read it I knew it was more ads or AI of some sort and yep it’s both. Sure yeah we need more ads. Can I get a Microsoft store button on mouses now? Ohoh a dedicated 2nd screen for ads on every monitor. We must please the share holders and the rich!
I’m plenty fine with all ads consolidated to a dedicated monitor, that would certainly never face the wall on minimal brightness
Attention citizen, your Economic Consumer Activity Monitor has identified error with your system and/or the Citizen Observation Rate to the unit. Your worldwide credits have been locked pending resolution.
You’re joking but that literally exists
I’m plenty fine with an OS that doesn’t try to abuse me in the first place.
Do you remember a few years ago, it came out that some company was working on a new idea that, when you were given an advertisement on a TV, it could require you to say the product name aloud or it wouldn’t continue?
I try not to concede anything related to advertising because everything they want seems so dystopian.
Please drink a verification can.
I remember another one proposing using eye tracking on a phone’s selfie camera to make sure you were watching ads, with the ads pausing every time you looked away.
There was also another patent for a TV with an eye-tracker camera in it to make sure you were actually watching the ads, another one that would unmute itself if it was muted during ads, and one designed to count the number of people in a room to charge you for piracy if you didn’t buy enough tickets for everybody for pay per view shows.
Please drink verification can to continue.
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Hey, finally a legitimate reason for a Realdoll!
You’re right, but you also know the answer to this. Loath as I am to say it, the solution to this is simple: just use Linux.
If only keyboards would have function keys for this purpose, named F1 to F10 for example, so any program could use them for their specific functions…
Nahh gotta place them where they’re obvious in your face and a constant reminder of CONSUME PRODUCT and be accidently pressed! Can guarantee you it’ll take up part of the space of a key hotspot
At least on the PC, it’s easier to remap the buttons. What enrages me more are the TV remote controls with buttons dedicated to specific streaming apps. I mean… none of these services will outlive the TV itself. I’ll just have to look at buttons that do nothing for years.
If you’re using Android TV, you can use something like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton to remap the button to another apps or any other functions
I need that for my Roku. I may just write an automation in Home Assistant that will switch to whatever app I programmed if I press the Paramount+ button. Unfortunately that means I need to install that app on the Roku itself.
I personally recommend tvQuickActions for remapping. Pro Version.
It is quite feature rich as well for power users
I personally find those useful, but I can never find the combination of services that works with my needs.
There’s always like Vudu or Sling that just becomes a wasted button.
Anybody down to 3D print us some? :)
I get your point but at least three of those services will outlive the tvs expected life. Netflix Hulu and espn aren’t going anywhere, at most espn will be rolled into Disney+ and a software update could point that button to it
My TVs crackle and I heart radio buttons on the other hand…
Maybe even F13 to F24 if more is needed?
Because they used to exist, and support for them still does. Really handy for macro keys.I’d like them to leave F13 onwards alone, purely because it’s nice that they’ll only ever do what I want them to do
Here’s an idea… what if we had every key do all kinds of weird shit?
I remember those keyboard layout cutouts (were they called keyboard templates?) you got which you put on the keyboard with extra explanations of what each function key did in WordPerfect or Lotus or whatever.
I’m old.
Yeah I remember them too. Sometimes games would come with them even, to help with all the keyboard shortcuts. :)
I found out recently that you can buy replacement keycap sets that have many of the Vim functions printed on them, and I thought that was pretty exciting. I am also old, lol.
After 25 years of using vim I have replaced a lot of otherwise useful reflexes and brain capacity with vim keybindings (using a swedish variant of Dvorak none the less). I am way too old for needing a cheat sheet stuck on the keyboard, and it would even then be wrong not using QWERTY.
I’m getting Bixby button flashbacks.
Ho well, my wallet’s gonna cry but I’m sure the mechkeyboard community will welcome my ass
Remember when PC keyboards had two Windows logo keys? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
I remember when laptop keyboards had numpads and unabused F keys.
I remember when PC keyboards had zero Windows keys.
Mine currently does. Well they’re actually Cooler Master logos, which I don’t really mind. And both of them are bound to Super.
Open your wallet and prepare your credit cards it’s gonna be a helluva ride!
Rebind ftw
I remapped the Bixby button to turn on the flashlight. Best decision ever.
Removed by mod
I requested it, but I was only kidding!
copilot key will eventually be required
Fuck that, and fuck you, Microsoft
Microsoft learns nothing from their continued pattern of going all-in on a trendy and unproven concept. Windows 8 “live tiles” that were supposed to create one look and feel across devices, Cortana was supposed to be the digital assistant of the future, they even did their own poorly executed folding phone.
OR, hear me out, we just have it mapped to alt+win(meta) key and this will be a nothing burger.
Stop being such a socialist. They need to sell more keyboards, and to make the keyboards you own unique to their brand.
Have you met keyboard people? You don’t need to do anything to sell them more keyboards.
This is me. Saw a cool keycap set the other day, and before I knew it BOOM! New keyboard.
I only have 4 (working ones) so far, but that’s still probably one too many. xD
True but we’re not interested in adding a dedicated adware/spyware button
I said this above… I’ve had the same Das Keyboard model so long that the USB ports in the side are USB 1.0. And I will use it as long as I can because it’s a great keyboard and I’ve never needed a new keyboard since I bought it even when I’ve needed a new computer. Fuck this shit.
I’m still using a Kinesis Contoured daily with PS/2 connection. Pretty impressed a new motherboard still came with a combo mouse/keyboard PS/2 port.
It’s already mapped on windows to Window button and C.
M$ can get absolutely fucked
Gee, I imagine this will go the same way as Cortana, but now there will be a key forever visible to be it’s gravestone.
Oh cool, another useless gimmick just like the ‘Office Key’
What about the LinkedIn key.
That’s actually a shortcut for ctrl+alt+shift+L… that is an (unconfigurable?) hotkey for opening LinkedIn in edge.
Actually, a dedicated key to open ChatGPT seems convenient. I don’t hate it.
Can’t you go in your desktop settings and bind whatever combination you like to do just that?
Don’t you see? They’re fucking with the denominator. My 60% is already technically closer to 58%. If they keep adding keys, I don’t know how my mech can keep up with the shrinkflation. I can’t become one of those 50% weirdos. Microsoft is just finding more ways to ruin my life.
It’s already mapped to Windows Button + C.
Yeah and I already do. But why make it a key combo when you could just have a single dedicated key instead?
It’s not like anyone actually uses the menu key or the right Start key anyway. 'Bout damn time Microsoft remaps them to something more useful. Next they should do the Pause/Break key. That one hasn’t been useful since the DOS days.
We should also get a chrome key
And a windows store key
And a Microsoft.com link key
A key to open minecraft
Why not a key for launching the “windows action menu” or whatever they call it
A key to open the control panel
How about a key to open the settings menu?
Why are we limiting ourselves? We should have 500 keys and at least 300 of them should be unique to windows.
Try a stream deck, each key is also a small monitor for customizable button actions.
You think you are joking but in the 90’s that was a thing for keyboards.
it had a few hardcore fans, a quick search for RT9450 shows people still trying to get that to work up to about 2020
honestly i wouldn’t mind having another scroll wheel/bar on the keyboard somewhere, in the middle above the function keys might be cool
also fyi that link can be tidied to https://www.ebay.com/itm/363221421164
Because none of those keys are useful. AI is useful and isn’t Microsoft exclusive.
Once keyboards start adding the key, I’d be legitimately surprised if the major Distros didn’t eventually follow suit and integrate AI into their platforms as well. Hell, it might get built right into your favorite desktop environment in a couple years.
I get your point, AI is useful for some people, but what about the rest of us who don’t want it or use it? I genuinely use the menu key and would prefer to keep it functioning as it does and now I’m going to be forced to lose that key and now I have to deal with AI? It has no use for me. I also don’t want something actively watching and “thinking” about what I’m doing. I want my computer somewhat dumb and to only do what I tell it to. If you want a keyboard with a dedicated AI button, get one with a macro pad or something. Don’t inconvenience the rest of us by forcing a nonsensical change
Their point was that you could just assign the scroll lock key (or whatever) to open ChatGPT instead because who the fuck uses scroll lock?
Funny you say that, cause as a FL Studio user I hit that key all the time. (It switches between auto/manual scrolling of playlist, i.e. it locks/unlocks auto scrolling.)
Im pretty sure you could look up key remappers and do that already
Yes but you’re missing my point entirely. What I’m saying is that I’m happy that Microsoft is making it official, so that I don’t have to remap anything.
MS used to sell a keyboard with a custom button to start your web browser.
Now that web browsing is common but that key has been removed from keyboards, do you still remap a hotkey to bring up Firefox?
I’m ambivalent about all this, but I think the distinction is that a web browser button would simply open a persistent window, and therefore only really needs to be used once or twice per “session”. Copilot is designed to act more like the Start menu, in that it is opened frequently and disappears after each use.
That being said, and as much as I use ChatGPT myself, it’s hard to see this as anything more than an easy way to further the perception of Microsoft as first-class AI company, thereby justifying its high stock price for a corporation with limited new growth opportunities.
Hey! I do use menu key regularly! And same with pause and scroll lock! Print creen is obvious and everyone uses it. Right? Right!? RIGHT?!?
Print screen used to be a good button for screen capture/window capture. But now the various screenshot apps do the job better. Ctrl+Prt Scr is maybe still good for being fast
Pause is usually the compose key (diacritics starter) on Linux desktops. But I’ll agree about Scroll Lock, that one is truly useless.
Excel uses scroll lock to
make people think it’s brokenlock the scroll bars in case you don’t want to be able to see the rest of your sheet
You can do Windows Button + C to open CoPilot.
And again, install Linux and get rid of this Microsoft bullshit
I swear I blinked and suddenly AI was so ubiquitous that I feel like I’m living, studying and writing incorrectly…
Now I know how the boomers felt when the internet went from dialup to pocketable
Boomers?
I’m a millennial and I remember that, I’m sure many Zoomers would as well.
We’re in the early hype phase of a new innovation fad. It’ll die down and then we’ll find out what it’s ACTUALLY useful for.
I have a conspiracy theory that the only reason major browsers have switched to AI is to tactically deny you what you’re really looking for; and keep you on their service, longer.
Ugh. Why do keyboards have to have Microsoft logos. I hate it. I want nothing to do with them.
I would imagine this isn’t going to go over very well with a lot of companies. I would bet many already ban employees using copilot or other AI assistants because they don’t want their company’s proprietary data being sent to Microsoft or Google or whoever. Stick a key on the keyboard that, if accidentally hit, brings up copilot (and maybe sends data to Microsoft), and those keyboards might be banned.
Some companies will probably just deal with it by setting up their PCs so that copilot is disabled and that key does something else. But, other companies will either not be technically savvy enough to do that, or will not want to take a risk of someone accidentally reverting to the default behaviour.
