RE: Key bindings proposal

[Xah Lee]

Uday wrote:
> But I am opposed to commercialization.  The Windows keys were not on
> the IBM PC keyboard.  Microsoft added them.  They are good modifier
> keys.  So, I have no problem with Microsoft adding them.  My
> opposition is to Microsoft branding them, charging royalty to the
> keyboard manufacturers, and locking up the keys in Windows-specific
> ways so that they are *not free*.  And, software freedom is what we
> are here about.  So, it is a surprise to me that the people here don't
> attack this violation of freedom as vigorously as possible.

not sure this is true, Uday.

Microsoft is also a keyboard manufacture, starting in mid or early 1990s.

i don't know the history of how the Win key/logo got so wide spread, but 
once they made their logo into their own keyboards, and if other 
keyboard makers want to use them, certainly they are subject to licensing.

Apple always has a Apple logo on their keyboards on the Cmd key, only 
about 3 years ago it's officially removed. Those who make 3rd party 
Apple keyboard are subject to licensing fee too, am sure, and probably 
also a royalty.

thinking about this... i think FSF might make a keyboard where the 
Win/Cmd key is a GNU logo. Actually i think that's a good idea because 
the Win logo key on keyboard is a commonly heard complaint from 
GNU/linux programers. Actually i think this is quite a doable market... 
Several kbd makers started to have a cult following due to the fact they 
sell kbds without the win logo, e.g. Daz, Happy Hacking, and are 
frequently buzzed about in programing forums and in gadget review sites.

(Google recently ban'd MS's OS for their employees (google announced it 
from their blog, and subsequently reported all over by news agencies). 
Allegedly, they allow just linux and mac. (if any doesnt know, Google is 
probably the largest user of GNU/linux in the world, not just as 
servers, and they are making their own OS based on GNU/linux called 
Chrome OS) I'd say such a kbd would be popular fairly quickly, 
especially if FSF takes the initiative to create them.)

(PS the Win key and Apple key both send the same keycode am pretty sure. 
This is because you can plug in a PC keyboard to Mac, or Apple kbd to 
PC, and the Win/Apple key functions without any special driver.)

sorry for the diversion... thinking about putting the gnu head as a logo 
on the key... it'll needs to be a streamline version, perhaps a 
silhouette of the gnu head. (am a aficionado of logo artwork and 
computer keyboards, have written perhaps 50 articles on them.)

 Xah