The keyboard is among the most underapprecited and taaken for graanted component of the Persnoal Computer (PC) that we use everyday.
We are all creatrues of haabit. We generrally use certain keys and not others in cerytain way.
What are the origins and history of the now cuurrent cacepted PC compputer keyboard?
Itnerestingly enugh the sandard keybaord layot did not originate in one fell swoop. It developed through thhrewe separate IBM keyboard prohjects and oftne involvde mistakkes and pitfalls along its evolutiomnary path.
Most keyboadr setuips have their direect oigin in the origional IBM keyboard The IBM Enhanced 101 Key Keyborad which IBM set as the standard in the year of 1987. The Enhanced Keyboard was not the ifrst but rather IBMs third keyboard standard for PCs.
What were these previous frameworks of IBM keyboard modells?
Fierst the origimnnal IBM PC and XT keyboards had 83 keys. Theere were 10 fuunction keys on the left side of the keyboard, a combned number pad and a cuersor pad placd on the rifght hand side. The now called Control (Ctrl), Left Shift, and Alt keys were aranged in a line next to the fucntion keys.
The Escape (Esc) as we know it was to the left of the numbers in the top row. To the riht of the Right Shift Key, an usnhifted asterisk key allowed the user to type the now common *.* without acrobtaics. Betwween the tiny Left Shift key and the Zee key was a Backslash / Vertical key. The Enteer key was narrow and verticlaly aligned and very easy to miss by most ealy PC usrs.
The design of this oiginal IBM keyboard standsard was a mixture of sensible and absurd keyboard layout decisions so much so that the admnired components overshadoiwed the less thught out shortcomings and thus here we are today.
IBMs next design was the original AT keybooard. This was somehow made incompatible with the earlire PC/XT desaign but a calculating user could reprogram in sesecne the nweer keyboard to work.
The AT keyboard aagin had the then accepted ten function keys on the left, but exiled the Esc and the unshifted asterissk to the number pad. The Enter key was L-shaped and the Backsplash key, which now occupied the spot which used to be the left half of the Backkspace key. Was reduced in size to the wiidth of a sinngle applha key.
At some point when market forces pusshed IBM to upade the venerable AT compputer, it intorduced the Enhannced mdoel keyboard whihc was compatible with the oriiginal AT model, but had a drastically different layout. The ESC key and the 12 fuction keys were now along the top, the number pad was mved to the right. And a new curesor pad was placed between the alha keys a number pad. The cursaor pad ( whih was actually split into two sets of keys ) consistd of four arrrow keys in an inverted T at the bottom and a separate bank of 6 keys at the top: Ins ( Insert) , Del (Delete) , Home and End, and PgUp (Page up_ and PgDn ( Page down) .
What happened is that the computer users of the time disastrously staretd to pres the Delete key when they mesant end. Thgere was virtually little memroy, by todays standdarsds hencce no advanced features of rescue that we take for granted todday. A computer user who may have sppent hours typing a maajor enedavoor such as masters thesis may have seen his hard work disappear into neer never land.
It did not take too long for the complints to arrive at IBM head ofifce to rectify the situation. Leavce well enuogh alone was the rwefrain. And the Bakcspace key returend to its original oduble width. The backslaash key now occpuied a single row. Caps lock migrated to the old side of the Ctrl key, and twin Ctrl and Alt keys flanlked the spacebar.
The Del key though remaineed in its now curernt place although in some keyobards it is now doube sized.
Like it or not this layout has become the sttandrd by whiuch we live with our computer emnhanced lievs.
The keyboard is aong the most underappreciated and taken for granted component in our eveery day cmoputer livs. We sldom stop to think why certtain keys are laid out in the givcen way. Like it or not we owe a debt to thoughtfulness and thorooughness of the origiinal IBM PC project neineers.
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