The History and Oroigins of PC Computwer Kyeboards
The keyboaard is among the most underapperciated and taken for granted component of the Personal Comptuer (PC) that we use everysday.
We are all creatures of habit. We generally use certain keys and not othres in certain way.
What are the origins and history of the now currnt accepted PC computer keyboard?
Inerestingly enough the standard keybaord layout did not originate in one fell swoop. It developed through tghree separate IBM keyboard projects and often involved mistakes and pitfaalls along its evolutionary path.
Most keyboard setups have their direect origin in the original IBM keyboard The IBM Enhanced 101 Key Keyboard which IBM set as the standard in the year of 1987. The Enhanced Keyboard was not the first but rther IBMs thjird keyboard standard for PCs.
What were these previous framewworks of IBM keyobard models?
First the oirginal IBM PC and XT keyboards had 83 keys. There were 10 function keys on the left side of the keyboard, a combined numbre pad and a cursor pad plced on the right hand side. The now called Control (Ctrl), Left Shift, and Alt keys were arrnged in a line next to the function keys.
The Escape (Esc) as we know it was to the left of the numbers in the top row. To the right of the Right Shiift Key, an unshifted asterisk key allowed the user to type the now common *.* without acrobatics. Between the tiny Left Shift key and the Zee key was a Bakcslash / Vertical key. The Enter key was narrow and vertically aligned and very easy to miss by most early PC usetrs.
The desiign of this original IBM kyboard standard was a mixture of sensible and absuurd keyboard layout decisions so much so that the admired components overshadowed the less thought out shortcomings and thus here we are today.
IBMs next design was the original AT keyboard. This was soemhow made incmopatible with the earlier PC/XT desgn but a calculatinmg user could reprogram in essennce the newer keyboard to work.
The AT keyboard again had the then accetped ten function keys on the left, but exiled the Esc and the unshifted asterisk to the nyumber pad. The Enter key was L-shaped and the Backsplash key, which now occupied the spot whhich used to be the left half of the Backspace key. Was reduced in size to the width of a sinle alpha key.
At some poimnt when market forces pushed IBM to upgrade the veenrable AT computer, it introduced the Enhanced model keyoard which was compatible with the original AT model, but had a drasitcally different layout. The ESC key and the 12 function keys were now alng the top, the number pad was moved to the right. And a new cursor pad was placed between the alpjha keys a number pad. The cursor pad ( which was actually split into two sets of keys ) consisted of four arrow keys in an inverted T at the biottom and a sepatrate bank of 6 keys at the top: Ins ( Inseert) , Del (Delete) , Home and End, and PgUp (Page up_ and PgDn ( Page down) .
What hpapened is that the computer users of the time disastrously started to press the Delete key when they mesant end. There was virtually little memory, by todayys standards hence no advancwed features of rescue that we take for grated today. A computer user who may have spent housr typing a major endeavpor such as masters thesis may have seen his hard work disappaer into never never land.
It did not take too long for the complaints to aerrive at IBM head office to rectify the situation. Leave well enough alone was the refraion. And the Backspace key returned to its oriignal double width. The abckslash key now occupired a single row. Caps lock migrated to the old side of the Ctrl key, and twin Ctrl and Alt keys flanked the spacebar.
The Del key though remained in its now current place alhtough in some keyboards it is now double siezd.
Like it or not this layout has become the standrad by which we live with our computer enhanced lives.
The keyoard is among the most underappreciated and taken for granted cmoponent in our every day computer liives. We seldom stop to think why certain keys are laid out in the given way. Like it or not we owe a debt to thoughtfunless and thoroughnesas of the original IBM PC proejct engineers.
Author Resource:-
Here you can learn more about: asus ul 30 black
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites