Useless keys on a keyboard

[calderoats]

I've been debating with some friends about why a keyboard still has a bunch of outdated keys. Check out the image below.

http://i.imgur.com/MEYrik3.png?1

In my opinion everything in red is useless and in orange is debatable.

• Scroll lock and Pause break. These are possible the most useless keys, I just don't see why'd you need it these days.
• Menu key, why?
• Numpad is useful for heavy excel/data users, but honestly these days days barely anybody does that much manual number input and if you really need it, you just buy a separate board. Also those extra function key options on it are repetitive
• Insert, Home, PgUp/Dn, delete, end... I don't use any of them, except for the occasional delete or accidental (+annoying) insert. Things as Home, End and delete, I use the shortcuts and not the keys. I assume most power users rather use short-cuts?   
• Capslock is debatable. I personally use it because I type quite a lot of pinyin (Chinese). It allows you to switch between pinyin and regular. But I rarely use it for its actual function. In my opinion more efficient methods can be applied to activate capslock.

What's your opinion?

[kurplop]

I use delete and caps lock often but have never used the others that you mentioned. I'm not even sure what some of them are for.

[SpAmRaY]

Scroll lock is useful in excel.

Also you can use win key + pause/break to open the windows system screen.

[azhdar]

Red is worthless to me.

Orange is not that important but can be mapped elsewhere.
Rshift because I almost always type on the Lshift with my pinky.

[inanis]

Ctrl + Alt + Insert is the equivalent of Ctrl + Alt + Delete in a Windows Virtual Machine. If you use any kind of virtualization solution, you will find you use the Insert key very often. Whoever designed the FC660 must have realized this as well.

For the other keys, while I use a 60% most of the time, I still use Home, End, Page Up, Page Down and the arrow keys very often. They are on the function layer, for sure, but I still find them very useful keys.

[Tactile]

There are some KVM switches which are triggered with the scroll lock key.

In my AHK script I remap the pause key to suspend the computer. I thought the label appropriate 

[azhdar]

Scroll lock is useful in excel.

Also you can use win key + pause/break to open the windows system screen.

There are some KVM switches which are triggered with the scroll lok key.

In my AHK script I remap the pause key to suspend the computer. I thought the label appropriate 

Still those are keys that don't really need to be on the main layer.

[seville57]

I've been debating with some friends about why a keyboard still has a bunch of outdated keys. Check out the image below.

http://i.imgur.com/MEYrik3.png?1

In my opinion everything in red is useless and in orange is debatable.

• Scroll lock and Pause break. These are possible the most useless keys, I just don't see why'd you need it these days.
• Menu key, why?
• Numpad is useful for heavy excel/data users, but honestly these days days barely anybody does that much manual number input and if you really need it, you just buy a separate board. Also those extra function key options on it are repetitive
• Insert, Home, PgUp/Dn, delete, end... I don't use any of them, except for the occasional delete or accidental (+annoying) insert. Things as Home, End and delete, I use the shortcuts and not the keys. I assume most power users rather use short-cuts?   
• Capslock is debatable. I personally use it because I type quite a lot of pinyin (Chinese). It allows you to switch between pinyin and regular. But I rarely use it for its actual function. In my opinion more efficient methods can be applied to activate capslock.

What's your opinion?

Orange Del to get in UEFI/BIOS

[jerue]

I can't picture most users using SysRq (not print screen) or Pause/Break. I picture a lot of users using CAPS LOCK THAT SHOULD NOT USE A CAPS LOCK.

[calderoats]

Show Image

Red is worthless to me.

Orange is not that important but can be mapped elsewhere.
Rshift because I almost always type on the Lshift with my pinky.

I can agree on this, except for the F keys, but that would be for its Fn+ functions. Such as media keys, led brightness and they're often used for key binding useful things .

Print screen, we have (native) apps for that.

Right side moodier keys I can only justify for left handed people.

[GL1TCH3D]

I've done my own map of keys that are absolutely useless to me in my every day typing and navigating on windows




After that I did my own map of keys that are useless to me for gaming



Between these two images I can clearly see why the HHKB layout is really nice for me for the bottom row and why it probably does well for a lot of other people as well.

[calderoats]

I've done my own map of keys that are absolutely useless to me in my every day typing and navigating on windows

Show Image

After that I did my own map of keys that are useless to me for gaming

Show Image

Between these two images I can clearly see why the HHKB layout is really nice for me for the bottom row and why it probably does well for a lot of other people as well.

I can totally agree on this. Until so far nobody has given a real legit reason why we have these extra buttons still there. You can also get home function by Fn+left arrow, and end by Fn+right arrow.

[GL1TCH3D]

I've done my own map of keys that are absolutely useless to me in my every day typing and navigating on windows

Show Image

After that I did my own map of keys that are useless to me for gaming

Show Image

Between these two images I can clearly see why the HHKB layout is really nice for me for the bottom row and why it probably does well for a lot of other people as well.

I can totally agree on this. Until so far nobody has given a real legit reason why we have these extra buttons still there. You can also get home function by Fn+left arrow, and end by Fn+right arrow.

Oh I'm just saying that for the regular layout, excluding the Fn layer, I don't need these keys.

My GoN mobik has the following layers:







The last image is a bit outdated, added the corresponding numlock key a while ago (though honestly I never use it, just mapped it to show how it would work as a pseudo numpad)

As for your wondering why manufacturers leave those keys in. Just look in this thread at the different keys that people do and don't use. You'll have different answers pertaining to each specific individual and the manufacturers would rather just keep selling the standard layout rather than try and invent a "modern" layout that people will like more.

When I'm answering recommendations for keyboards I often see people absolutely requiring the numpad (even though you could get a cheap separate one) or "X" functions with "Y" add ons.

They'd rather make a keyboard that anyone can use, even if some of the keys are superfluous rather than have a keyboard that only some people will buy.

[Findecanor]

I am building a keyboard with this layout. It was supposed to have all the keys I need and none more. Maybe I won't need the left Meta/Win key.
I split the Space Bar only because Why-The-Hell-Not, so maybe the Backspace key above Return is superfluous and should really have been a Delete instead with the 1u Del key be the ~/§ key that I never ever use.

I need the Home/End/PgUp/PgDn keys for text editing. I am addicted to moving around with them in an obsessive-compulsive way to make sure that there are no extra spaces at the ends of lines anywhere.
I have also removed the scrollwheel from my mouse, using the PgUp/PgDn keys instead when scrolling web pages and other documents.

However, I do use the PrtScr/ScrLk/Pause keys ... as media keys. I have them mapped to Prev, Next and Play/Pause.

[Shaussman]

When I'm answering recommendations for keyboards I often see people absolutely requiring the numpad (even though you could get a cheap separate one)

Having a separate one is a bit of the pain, though, and it doesn't bring about the same experience. You have twice as many wires, more stuff to move around, it won't necessarily stay put next to your keyboard, etc. In general I'd rather have it then not.

I think I could do fine with a 10kl layout, though, or a 75%. Overall, something like this would most likely be the smallest layout I could use:


I like having the numpad if I need it, but with FN+Numlock or some such thing the rest of the keys would work. I actually thought this up a few weeks ago and sort of want to try building it at some point.

[GL1TCH3D]

When I'm answering recommendations for keyboards I often see people absolutely requiring the numpad (even though you could get a cheap separate one)

Having a separate one is a bit of the pain, though, and it doesn't bring about the same experience. You have twice as many wires, more stuff to move around, it won't necessarily stay put next to your keyboard, etc.

Frankly that's exactly why I would want to have the separate one. I don't want it next to my keyboard the entire time. I find full sized keyboards too long especially when gaming. I don't normally use the numpad for typing so I'd be fine with having it stored away until I need it.

[Shaussman]

I just don't like the idea of having something that won't stay put, even when in use. I shuffle my keyboard around a little bit as I change my seating position/posture, and having a numpad that wasn't quite in the same spot relative to the board every time I shifted would be super annoying.

[chyros]

Here's my rarely used (orange) and never used (red) keys.



My optimal layout woudl probably be with a bigass enter, the backslash key between left ctrl and alt, one winkey in the other recess, the esc where ¬ is, and F12 where Break is.

[rm-rf]

Personally. I use scroll lock, and pause/break on a daily basis.
They are not useless at all.

I think what it boils down to is what you are doing on your computer...

[daerid]

I've been debating with some friends about why a keyboard still has a bunch of outdated keys. Check out the image below.

http://i.imgur.com/MEYrik3.png?1

In my opinion everything in red is useless and in orange is debatable.

• Scroll lock and Pause break. These are possible the most useless keys, I just don't see why'd you need it these days.
• Menu key, why?
• Numpad is useful for heavy excel/data users, but honestly these days days barely anybody does that much manual number input and if you really need it, you just buy a separate board. Also those extra function key options on it are repetitive
• Insert, Home, PgUp/Dn, delete, end... I don't use any of them, except for the occasional delete or accidental (+annoying) insert. Things as Home, End and delete, I use the shortcuts and not the keys. I assume most power users rather use short-cuts?   
• Capslock is debatable. I personally use it because I type quite a lot of pinyin (Chinese). It allows you to switch between pinyin and regular. But I rarely use it for its actual function. In my opinion more efficient methods can be applied to activate capslock.

What's your opinion?

Every so often this comes up, and I'll say the same thing I always do: I use every damn key on the keyboard. Granted, I use Scroll Lock less than most, but when I do need it, I'm super happy I have it.

[demik]

Cherry

[rowdy]

Have you been running some software that counts the number of times you press each key?  Might provide some interesting statistics.

Scroll Lock does something in Excel that catches me by surprise when I accidentally hit it.  Kinda odd, but maybe useful to people who use Excel on a regular basis.

Ctrl-Break works at MS-DOS prompt when ^C gets queued in the buffer.  Otherwise you have to wait for the buffer to empty until the ^C is recognised.

Menu is nice sometimes when using an editor, as it gives you various text manipulation options without having to take your hands off the keyboard or right-click with the mouse, potentially losing the cursor position.  Unfortunately most of the keyboards I use these days either remap the menu key to Fn, or don't have one at all.  I miss it a little bit.

I prefer TKL keyboards, and I only really miss the numpad for entering IP addresses.

Navigation keys I use all the time in various editors and IDEs.

Caps Lock I do actually use, as work's coding standards need all SQL to be in uppercase.

[jerr]

I use all the debatable keys frequently, but the useless ones I never use.

[davkol]

I use all keys on my Noppoo Choc Mini, except I wish it had Insert instead of Pause, and the left Shift was split into the Shift and international keys. However, I use 75% or tenkeyless keyboards mostly for compatibility with software that I can't reconfigure (or it isn't worth it), such as others' MS Windows, Visual Studio or some games.

My very own primary setup is different though. I have function keys on a layer. Navigation cluster including arrows on a layer as well. Only 40 out of 47-48 physical alphanumeric keys. But a whole lot of mirrored extra modifiers, i.e., 2×(3×Ctrl, 2×Alt, Shift, Super, AltGr, L1, Fn). ErgoDox for now, of course.

[suicidal_orange]

Control and pause/break I use lots while debugging macros at work, it could be relegated to a layer.

Insert is for the abomination that is SAP, which randomly switches between overwrite and not modes.  Again, it could be on a layer.

Page up/down, home, end and arrows I use combined with shift and/or control to select or move past blocks of text - shift control FN and another key would be possible if FN was next to ctrl, but the standard is to put menu between them

If keyboards were column stagger rather than random I wouldn't mind getting rid of the numberpad and using a layer but my current plan for work, where I do lots of number input, is a 60% plus numberpad.

Caps lock?   I haven't coded in a language that needs it for a while, but even if I did it would be better there so it can't be pressed accidentally!

[jacobolus]

Orange = worthless to have dedicated keys for, should either be scrapped or put on a layer

Purple = poorly positioned, taking more reaching than necessary

White = arbitrary inefficient asymmetrical layout, but at least all these keys are in reach

Spacebar = damn that thing is a waste of space

[daerid]

Caps Lock I do actually use, as work's coding standards need all SQL to be in uppercase.

O_o

Spacebar = damn that thing is a waste of space

Idunno, Every time I use a board without a wide spacebar, I end up with pain in my thumb

[GL1TCH3D]

Caps Lock I do actually use, as work's coding standards need all SQL to be in uppercase.

O_o

Spacebar = damn that thing is a waste of space

Idunno, Every time I use a board without a wide spacebar, I end up with pain in my thumb

I'm the opposite. I always hit the exact center of the spacebar.

[0100010]

1 . Scroll Lock and Pause/Break - Scroll lock gets used in excel when needed (which is a lot).  Pause / Break is used for debugging in old compiler environments.
2. Menu key - Use this in excel a lot too - much faster than right clicking.
3. Numpad is useful for heavy excel/data users, but honestly these days days barely anybody does that much manual number input and if you really need it, you just buy a separate board. Self explanatory.
4. Insert, Home, PgUp/Dn, Delete, End. The 6 pack is extremely helpful in navigating.
5. Capslock. This is the only key I don't really use that often.

What's your opinion? In Bold.

[TopreFan333]

Rshift because I almost always type on the Lshift with my pinky.

If you're using correct typing form, you need both shift keys, absolutely. You're slowing yourself down if you only use one.

[azhdar]

Rshift because I almost always type on the Lshift with my pinky.

If you're using correct typing form, you need both shift keys, absolutely. You're slowing yourself down if you only use one.

Yeah I know it's a bad habbit but I don't type with ten fingers , 8-9 at best, the pinky only does Rshift,Rctrl, and the iso key right next to Rshift.
I would need to work on my technique at some point.

[Shaussman]

Rshift because I almost always type on the Lshift with my pinky.

If you're using correct typing form, you need both shift keys, absolutely. You're slowing yourself down if you only use one.

Eh, what works, works. The notion that there's a "correct" way to type always sat wrong with me, as long as you're touch typing you're pretty much good and speed will come with time.

[davkol]

Who cares about speed nowadays… Pinkie strain and awkward finger stretches/curls OTOH. I learned the hard way.

[TopreFan333]

Eh, what works, works. The notion that there's a "correct" way to type always sat wrong with me, as long as you're touch typing you're pretty much good and speed will come with time.

Sure, the human hand is very adaptable -- but why make extra work for yourself? I'm lazy and find that spreading the work out among all 10 fingers is easiest.

[Shaussman]

Sure, the human hand is very adaptable -- but why make extra work for yourself? I'm lazy and find that spreading the work out among all 10 fingers is easiest.

They tried forcing the normal homerow stuff on me in back in 4th/5th grade and it was always super uncomfortable and bad to use, not to mention that it felt super clumsy. I really just ended up learning to type just by playing MMOs and chatting to folks on there.

I just feel like the best bet is to get people typing and let them figure out what's comfortable for them. Trying to force myself to type a certain way (1 finger per key, doing it some specific way) is a lot more effort then just typing however feels naturally, and my speed hasn't suffered for it, so sticking with what's comfortable is the way to go.

[davkol]

They tried forcing the normal running stuff on me in back in PE and it was always super uncomfortable and bad to use, not to mention that it felt super clumsy. I really just ended up learning to run just by running around. Who cares that I couldn't run more than a few kms and then I ended up with a knee injury several years later.

Different body part, same story. I don't deny that some teachers are idiots and most mainstream equipment sucks though.

Posture is the same thing. People figure it out on their own and later wonder, why they have back pain.

edit: a word

[Jixr]

for most people, i see it, but for me, someone who's work requires all caps text, i need my caps lock right where it is, and the escape key as well.

According to whatpulse, esc is my #2 press key, and i'm at about 400k presses for it.

[Shaussman]

They tried forcing the normal running stuff on me in back in PE and it was always super uncomfortable and bad to use, not to mention that it felt super clumsy. I really just ended up learning to run just by running around. Who cares that I couldn't run more than a few kms and then I ended up with a knee injury several years later.

Not quite the same thing, though. Not to mention that your posture/how you hold your hands are going to cause injuries, not which fingers you use to push which keys.

Posture is the same thing. People figure it out on their own and later wonder, why they have back pain.

Indeed, this is something that you can definitely do wrong.

[davkol]

You're ignoring unnatural finger stretches/curls and finger overload.

[jacobolus]

They tried forcing the normal running stuff on me in back in PE and it was always super uncomfortable and bad to use, not to mention that it felt super clumsy. I really just ended up learning to run just by running around. [...] Posture is the same thing. People figure it out on their own and later wonder, why they have back pain.

If we didn’t wear inflexible padded shoes, and spent less time sitting in chairs and more time using our bodies, then “just running around” would be a pretty good way to learn to run, as well as a way to have decent posture.

I see keyboards the same way: if our keyboards were shaped in a way which afforded an obvious comfortable technique, people would have much better chance of using them comfortably.

The main problem is not training or lack of training. The problem is an environment that is significantly different than the one our bodies are evolved to handle, plus a bunch of bad interventions to attempt to fix the new problems that cropped up, driven by poor understanding + marketing for consumer product solutions.

In general, our society is really bad at circulating solutions when there’s no profit to be made, and really bad at fixing root causes instead of treating symptoms, especially when there’s someone making money on both causing the problem and patching up the bad impacts.

(Though sometimes our modern solutions to acute problems are pretty nice, like antibiotics and doctors who can fix broken bones.)

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

guysthespacebarisobviouslythemostuselesskeyofthemall;imeancomeonewhoneedsspaces...

[calderoats]

for most people, i see it, but for me, someone who's work requires all caps text, i need my caps lock right where it is, and the escape key as well.

According to whatpulse, esc is my #2 press key, and i'm at about 400k presses for it.

That is mad much, I would consider placing ESC somewhere more comfortable in that case.

[cutterline]

Menu key is not useless if you're relying heavily on keyboard (read:lazy to move your hand) and know what you're doing.
If you mistype (or forgot the correct spelling) something and you can move to the middle of the word (arrow type), press menu key and voila, word suggestion.
It also serve as right click in most cases.

Insert, Home, etc themselves are not useless but are misplaced these days. They needs to be layered in the 60%, we actually need standard for that. So you're right it is useless to put in that location.

Scroll lock and Pause/Break is actually a legacy keys, nowadays there is a shortcut for those, I think e.g ctrl+c for cmd in windows for pause/break

Functions keys is better off layered in the number keys, so nobody needs to stretch their hand far away like alt+f4 and Esc layered inside the ~ button (or ~ layered inside Esc)

Numpad... well debateable, you can get another numpad board for that. So doesn't matter

Capslock should be swapped with L-ctrl as L-ctrl is more used that capslock

Well, that's for me. Probably because I'm very lazy to move to mouse. It is quicker to do with most of the tasks with keyboard

Lastly the massive space in space bar needs to be shaved off, make it closer to minila air layout, with 2 fn keys replacing. Japanese actually realized this inefficiency
Majority types with 9 fingers anyway, so we need to start utilizing one of those thumb with fn key or any other thing in that space.

[paicrai]

theyre there for the people that use them
if the vast majority doesnt use them thats not a reason to remove them cuz they still serve a function/purpose

[0100010]

Thinking more about how I type , I rarely if ever use the Windows key.  Still not useless though.

[chyros]

Thinking more about how I type , I rarely if ever use the Windows key.  Still not useless though.

I've found it extremely useful for locking a computer with win+L. Win+m for minimise all is quite useful for pre-win 7 stations too. Other than that, never use it. I rebound F9 to be a winkey if I use a board without one at work.

[daerid]

I can't live without winkey shortcuts (win+arrows especially)

[jerue]

Forgive me if this sounds noob-ish, but the actual default keycap for Ctrl on Realforce boards is useless. Why does it have a window for the LED? I don't think you can even get that led on the RF to shine through there unless you have it set to Caps Lock.

[Joey Quinn]

I never use right shift or the right keys on the bottom row so I normally try to do something useful with them.

[daerid]

Forgive me if this sounds noob-ish, but the actual default keycap for Ctrl on Realforce boards is useless. Why does it have a window for the LED? I don't think you can even get that led on the RF to shine through there unless you have it set to Caps Lock.

Yeah, that's true, but I think that some models don't/didn't come with the replacement caps.

[calderoats]

I never use right shift or the right keys on the bottom row so I normally try to do something useful with them.

I always imagined that the right side keys are useful for left handed people. When you are a left handed mouse user, those modifier keys are useful for you own right-handed hotkey layout. Oh! I just noticed I always use the right hand shift for typing, not the left at all.

[Grrizz]

I use everything except scroll lock (I hear its useful if you use excel a lot though), pause/break, num lock and menu would probably be the least used out of my used keys though.

[TopreFan333]

I use everything except scroll lock (I hear its useful if you use excel a lot though), pause/break, num lock and menu would probably be the least used out of my used keys though.

I actually just remapped "pause" to mute notifications on OS X -- seemed like kind of a good fit.

[Nai_Calus]

Here's my map of useless/marginal/required/daily keys to me: http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/a3a7bca76145322cf8a8

Blue is at least several times a day, green is frequent but not necessarily daily, yellow is occasional use, red I never use for anything ever. NumLock I suppose is a special case because it's never used due to always being active; so I technically need it to enable NumLock, but after that it never gets used again.

[Eszett]

Here's my opinion.

[ctm]

Get a 60% and get rid of the useless keys
On my 60% kb, I change the caps lock to dual role ctrl/esc. This works great for me because I am a programmer. I also type Pinyin but I use super+space to switch input methods between English and Chinese, so I don't really miss the caps lock.

[bigDave]

I have done part time work at my dads in the past where'd I had to scan and rename documents, I used the menu key a lot then, it has become a habit and I use it to this day.

[KRKS]

My try at picking out keys by usefulness and making a layout out of them. The bottom row is weird like that because that puts the spacebar switch exactly where I hit spacebar.

Raw data(because saving layouts requires now a github account apparently):

More

[{c:"#d1e00b"},"Esc",{x:1},"F1","F2","F3","F4",{x:0.5},"F5","F6","F7","F8",{x:0.5},"F9","F10","F11","F12",{x:0.25},"PrtSc",{c:"#e31010"},"Scroll Lock","Pause\nBreak"],
[{y:0.25,c:"#19d8e6"},"~\n`","!\n1","@\n2","#\n3","$\n4","%\n5","^\n6","&\n7","*\n8","(\n9",")\n0","_\n-","+\n=",{w:2},"Backspace",{x:0.25,c:"#e31010"},"Insert","Home","PgUp",{x:0.25},"Num Lock",{c:"#d1e00b"},"/","*","-"],
[{c:"#19d8e6",w:1.5},"Tab","Q","W","E","R","T","Y","U","I","O","P","{\n[","}\n]",{w:1.5},"|\n\\",{x:0.25,c:"#e31010"},"Delete","End","PgDn",{x:0.25,c:"#d1e00b"},"7\nHome","8\n↑","9\nPgUp",{h:2},"+"],
[{c:"#19d8e6",w:1.75},"Control","A","S","D","F","G","H","J","K","L",":\n;","\"\n'",{w:2.25},"Enter",{x:3.5,c:"#d1e00b"},"4\n←","5","6\n→"],
[{c:"#19d8e6",w:2.25},"Shift","Z","X","C","V","B","N","M","<\n,",">\n.","?\n/",{w:2.75},"Shift",{x:1.25,c:"#e31010"},"↑",{x:1.25,c:"#d1e00b"},"1\nEnd","2\n↓","3\nPgDn",{h:2},"Enter"],
[{w:1.25},"Caps",{w:1.25},"Super",{c:"#19d8e6",w:1.25},"Alt",{a:5,w:6.25},"Teal = Often\nRed = (Almost) Never\n\n\n\n\nYellow = Sometimes",{a:4,w:1.25},"Alt Gr",{c:"#e31010",w:1.25},"Super",{c:"#d1e00b",w:1.25},"IME Toggle",{c:"#e31010",w:1.25},"Ctrl",{x:0.25},"←","↓","→",{x:0.25,c:"#d1e00b",w:2},"0\nIns",".\nDel"],
[{y:0.75,x:1},"-","*\n\n\n\nF10","/\n\n\n\nF11",{c:"#19d8e6"},"~\n`\n\n\nF12",{x:0.25,c:"#d1e00b"},"Esc",{c:"#19d8e6"},"!\n1","@\n2","#\n3","$\n4","%\n5","^\n6","&\n7","*\n8","(\n9",")\n0","_\n-\n\n\nPgDn","+\n=\n\n\nPgUp",{w:2},"Backspace\n\n\n\nDelete"],
[{x:1,c:"#d1e00b",h:2},"+\n\n\n\nCaps","7\n\n\n\nF7","8\n\n\n\nF8","9\n\n\n\nF9",{x:0.25,c:"#19d8e6",w:1.5},"Tab","Q","W","E","R","T","Y","U","I","O","P","{\n[\n\n\n↑","}\n]",{w:1.5},"|\n\\\n\n\nInsert"],
[{x:2,c:"#d1e00b"},"4\n\n\n\nF4","5\n\n\n\nF5","6\n\n\n\nF6",{x:0.25,c:"#19d8e6",w:1.75},"Control","A","S\n\n\n\nMute","D\n\n\n\nVol +","F\n\n\n\nVol -","G","H","J","K","L",":\n;\n\n\n←","\"\n'\n\n\n→",{w:2.25},"Enter"],
[{x:1,c:"#d1e00b",h:2},"Enter\n\n\n\nScroll","1\n\n\n\nF1","2\n\n\n\nF2","3\n\n\n\nF3",{x:0.25,c:"#19d8e6",w:2.25},"Shift","Z\n\n\n\nPrev","X\n\n\n\nStop","C\n\n\n\nPase","V\n\n\n\nNext","B","N","M","<\n,\n\n\nHome",">\n.\n\n\nEnd","?\n/\n\n\n↓",{w:2.75},"Shift"],
[{x:2,c:"#d1e00b",w:2},"0\n\n\n\nNum",".\n\n\n\nPause",{x:0.25,c:"#cccccc",w:1.5},"Fn",{c:"#d1e00b",w:1.5},"Super",{c:"#19d8e6",w:1.5},"Alt",{a:7,w:4},"",{a:4,w:1.5},"Alt Gr",{c:"#cccccc",w:1.5},"Fn",{c:"#d1e00b",w:1.5},"IME Toggle","Print Screen",{c:"#cccccc"},"what ever"]

[Zawvat]

I'm surprised by how many people don't use forward delete. I love it. Putting it on a layer would not be the same. I remapped my capslock into an extra control key.

[TopreFan333]

I'm surprised by how many people don't use forward delete. I love it. Putting it on a layer would not be the same. I remapped my capslock into an extra control key.

Same. I don't always use it, but when I want it, I want it. On the HHKB, it's FN + ~ so I used Karabiner to remap it to just be the ~ key, which I rarely rarely need. (I would probably need it a lot more if I was a programmer, but I'm not)

[Polymer]

They tried forcing the normal homerow stuff on me in back in 4th/5th grade and it was always super uncomfortable and bad to use, not to mention that it felt super clumsy. I really just ended up learning to type just by playing MMOs and chatting to folks on there.

I just feel like the best bet is to get people typing and let them figure out what's comfortable for them. Trying to force myself to type a certain way (1 finger per key, doing it some specific way) is a lot more effort then just typing however feels naturally, and my speed hasn't suffered for it, so sticking with what's comfortable is the way to go.

That method works for some but not others.

If you're typing with good speed and not creating problems for your hands/wrists/arms, I say go for it...

But there are so many people losing a lot of speed and also creating physical problems for themselves because their form is so terrible. 

As far as what is good speed...That's all very subjective...IMO, sufficient speed is a speed that allows you to do what you want without slowing you down (what you perceive as being too slow).  If I had to place a number on that, I'd probably say, for anyone typing below 65-70WPM and not using "proper" form, you can probably improve considerably by changing the way you type.  In reality, you're not often going at full speed and you're thinking about what you want to write so this should allow you to keep up somewhat.  If your job relies on you copying something where you're not thinking, just typing, you probably need a much higher speed. 

[phosphor]

Are there any keys that are just completely neglected by most software? i know i have NEVER used the Pause/Break, Scroll Lock and Print Screen/ SysRq keys.
Ever.
And i often hit the Insert key but i think the only key in that cluster i use is Delete.

[filphil]

Are there any keys that are just completely neglected by most software? i know i have NEVER used the Pause/Break, Scroll Lock and Print Screen/ SysRq keys.
Ever.
And i often hit the Insert key but i think the only key in that cluster i use is Delete.

I don't use pause it scroll lock.

I find pg down and pg up more comfortable to use than the scroll wheel when browsing.

[KaminKevCrew]

On Mac keyboards the f13-f15 or so. I don't think I've ever heard of those being used.

[phosphor]

I don't use pause it scroll lock.

I find pg down and pg up more comfortable to use than the scroll wheel when browsing.

I've used those too, mostly when writing in an office suite. It depends on the scroll wheel for me. A better gaming mouse with a weighted wheel feels pretty good.
But why are there still all those stand alone keys when you can do the same thing from the number pad on a full size?

On Mac keyboards the f13-f15 or so. I don't think I've ever heard of those being used.

not being a Mac user (far too poor), i didnt even know they had that many function keys.

[KaminKevCrew]

not being a Mac user (far too poor), i didnt even know they had that many function keys.

I'm not a mac user either. My school had them though, and the full size keyboards have function keys across the entire top of the keyboard. It seemed totally pointless, there weren't even any shortcuts that I came across that used them.

[fohat.digs]

I do use Print Screen but Scroll Lock and Pause Break are holdovers. I use Scroll Lock in spreadsheets, but rarely.

Caps Lock is occasionally useful and Delete is one of my most often-used keys. I don't ever use Home and End.

[hwood34]

I don't even think I've touched scroll lock or pause break before. Don't really use pgup/pgdn, much prefer scroll wheel

[alienman82]

removed.

[vivalarevolución]

I keep trying to hit Delete for all my life mistakes, but it never seems to work.  We should eliminate it.

[user 18]

Insert and Scroll lock. I know they have uses, but they rarely come up for me. Pause actually pauses several games I play.

[Bucake]

the right windows button. never used it in my life.
never used insert (except for hitting it accidentally).
never used scroll lock.
never used the menu key.
i also never use caps lock; it's simply redundant for me.

i see how some could be useful, but to me they are not..

[jacobolus]

Why make a new thread when we already have https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=73835 about the same topic, active for the last few weeks?

[Steezus]

Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause/Break have no use for me. I love having the num pad though, if I ever get a TKL I would definitely need to get a Duck Pad of B Pad to go along with it.

[Findecanor]

What you don't use can also depend somewhat on which nation'slanguage's layout you use.
In Swedish layout there is the § key. It is where ~ is on US-ANSI, next to number row-1.

[Coreda]

Page up/down and Home/End are easily the most useful keys outside of the alphanumeric set and arrow keys.

That said I've become accustomed to not using them as often with my Poker as the default equivalent hotkeys aren't ideal.

[azhdar]

Page up/down and Home/End are easily the most useful keys outside of the alphanumeric set.

Those are very very usefull keys when you code.

[physicalist]

Insert ans ScrollLock are certainly among the least useful keys. But I have also remapped CapsLock to FN on my POK3R and I'm not missing this key at all.

[jd29]

As long as you have a numpad, the nav cluster and arrow keys are pretty much useless. The "inverted T" format for the arrow keys is a little more ergonomic than the "+" used in the numpad, but I don't think it's worth including it.

As someone who does a lot of numeric input, I would much rather have a navless than a tenkeyless keyboard. This will probably be the layout for my next keyboard.

Also, if I had a compatible keycap set, I would definitely replace caps lock with backspace. I first heard about it in the workman layout and it is glorious.

[davkol]

Page up/down and Home/End are easily the most useful keys outside of the alphanumeric set.

Those are very very usefull keys when you code.

Most certainly, if you code in a beefed-up notepad.exe. I recommend using an actual text editor instead though.

[Steezus]

Insert ans ScrollLock are certainly among the least useful keys. But I have also remapped CapsLock to FN on my POK3R and I'm not missing this key at all.

I was thinking of remapping my caps lock to control for my RS96 until I got some MX Lock switches, you don't see too many of them so I definitely wanted to toss a few on my board for the lock keys.

[eddie]

caps lock

[fohat.digs]

I would much rather have a navless than a tenkeyless keyboard

OMG!

The worst of all worlds!

That is what keeps the Model F AT with ANSI/Alt mod from being one of the truly great keyboards.

Dedicated keys are essential for people who actually work with numbers. Toggling between arrows and numbers is painful death.

[jd29]

OMG!

The worst of all worlds!

That is what keeps the Model F AT with ANSI/Alt mod from being one of the truly great keyboards.

Dedicated keys are essential for people who actually work with numbers. Toggling between arrows and numbers is painful death.

I'll just make navigation an alt layer of the numpad or something, if the num lock bothers me.

It can't be the worst of all worlds because I still have a numpad, and TKL doesn't

[Leslieann]

Menu key is good if the mouse fails (batteries, bad cord)
Capslock has it's uses once in a great while (software codes).
Print Screen is handy for screen shots.
Scroll lock works on some KVM's to switch computers.
Pause, can actually pause your computer on bootup, while still in Bios. I've had to use it once or twice to see how much memory is in a computer and find the key to enter bios. I'm not sure if that still works, especially with UEFI.

The key that needs to be burned in eternal hellfire is the insert key. This is the only key I have never, ever found it useful.

I remap Insert to delete and Capslock to shift (some remap it as a ctrl)
During games, my left Winkey is disabled and most uncommon keys become macro keys.
I also have it auto-correct common typing errors.

[tp4tissue]

Pg up and Pg down  is from before smooth-scrolling..

Because if it's skipping 3 lines,  then you somewhat lose track of where you were reading anyway..

But now that we HAVE smooth-scrolling...  it doesn't make much sense to use pg up and pg down,  unless you're scroll wheel setting is too slow, and you gotta get down a bit faster.

[KeypressGraphics]

The only key on my HHKB I press very rarely (excluding cmd & right alt/shift) is forward slash. Thankfully the DOS days are long gone and I seem to get very little use out of that key these days.

The lack of redundant keys is another reason to love this little keyboard's amazing functionality & efficiency.

[Steezus]

Menu key is good if the mouse fails (batteries, bad cord)
Capslock has it's uses once in a great while (software codes).
Print Screen is handy for screen shots.
Scroll lock works on some KVM's to switch computers.
Pause, can actually pause your computer on bootup, while still in Bios. I've had to use it once or twice to see how much memory is in a computer and find the key to enter bios. I'm not sure if that still works, especially with UEFI.

The key that needs to be burned in eternal hellfire is the insert key. This is the only key I have never, ever found it useful.

I remap Insert to delete and Capslock to shift (some remap it as a ctrl)
During games, my left Winkey is disabled and most uncommon keys become macro keys.
I also have it auto-correct common typing errors.

I can see how the menu key can be useful but I have a bunch of old mouses lying around that if my main one broke I would have a backup.
I have found caps lock useful only for programming, little kids on games such as minecraft find this the most useful key when it comes to communication. 
Print screen has become obsolete for the most part for me because I the use the program Gyazo which lets you take snapshots of whatever you want on the screen. I would say it is useful for games but if you're playing a game on Steam than F12 captures the screen image.
As for the insert key, destroy them all! 

[Sifo]

the "G" key is pretty useless

I never lose

[Steezus]

the "G" key is pretty useless

I never lose

Yeah getting rid of the G key is a great idea...maybe not. 

[Blaise170]

I replaced my Caps Lock with Fn on my 60%. Never use Scroll Lock or Pause/Break on my other boards either.

[keshley]

Caps lock. But then I always remap Control to Caps Lack, putting Control back in its proper place. Scroll Lock. Every other key (on a 101/104) I've used at least occasionally. On a 80% board, I've never used a couple more keys. All keys get used on most 60% boards I've owned (minus the Japanese layout HHKB I had).

[fatchoi]

Well... The scroll lock is useful in MS Excel. The pause break is quite useful in some BIOS as well as Excel VBA.
Insert is useful for IBM lotus note to mark email as read.

Nevertheless, in my custom Ergodox keyboard, I map them as 2nd layer. lol

[phosphor]

Why make a new thread when we already have https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=73835 about the same topic, active for the last few weeks?

Yeah, i noticed that after i posted it. I was screwing around with a keyset template, wondering why the hell i should bother with keys i never use and decided to see if i was the only one. I'll probably remap the keys and use generic symbols i like. And NEVER map Insert to anything.

[rowdy]

Why make a new thread when we already have https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=73835 about the same topic, active for the last few weeks?

Yeah, i noticed that after i posted it. I was screwing around with a keyset template, wondering why the hell i should bother with keys i never use and decided to see if i was the only one. I'll probably remap the keys and use generic symbols i like. And NEVER map Insert to anything.

And that other thread has pictures too

[chyros]

As someone who does a lot of numeric input, I would much rather have a navless than a tenkeyless keyboard.

I agree completely. If they stick the down arrow on num 5 rather than num 2 (something I'm not quite sure of why it hasn't happened ages ago yet) I wouldn't mind using that sort of payout at all. Not the greatest fan of what IBM did to the numpad on the AT, though.

[Oobly]

Every single key on the board has a use in current software and I have used them all. However, I could easily live without quite a lot of them. And I do. Proud 60%, 48% and 40% user. It's just a matter of how often they're used and whether that functionality is worth a dedicated key.

[HoffmanMyster]

Merged the duplicate threads.  Unfortunately there's a bit of overlap, so it may be difficult to follow the conversations, especially on tapatalk.  Please search for existing threads before creating new ones to avoid these issues.

[HoffmanMyster]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

[Blaise170]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

I think a lot of people aren't aware of the functionality. I used to use arrow keys to go forward/back for most of my life.

[henz]

i use all keys, some more than others. If you think a key is useless, you should make it useful.

[TopreFan333]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

I wonder if that's a PC-specific thing, using the END button to move the cursor to the end of the line. On a Mac, it only seems to function for page scrolling (jumping to the bottom of whatever you're in).

I tend to use [CMD] → to jump to the end of the line, and [OPTION] → to jump a word at a time, adding [SHIFT] to select words as I go.

[HoffmanMyster]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

I wonder if that's a PC-specific thing, using the END button to move the cursor to the end of the line. On a Mac, it only seems to function for page scrolling (jumping to the bottom of whatever you're in).

I tend to use [CMD] → to jump to the end of the line, and [OPTION] → to jump a word at a time, adding [SHIFT] to select words as I go.

Yep!  You're right.  I actually complained about that very functionality on MacOS in the Bothering thread.  )  So I suppose if you use a Mac, I can understand not needing that key.    And apparently the Delete key doesn't do much on a Mac either?  I always have to right click a file to "send to trash" - why doesn't Delete...delete...it?

[davkol]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

Have you considered that there are _other_ user interfaces?

For example, I use VimFx in Firefox (for convenience); simple `gg` goes to the beginning of the page, `G` to the end. My preferred text editor is Emacs—then Ctrl-A goes to the beginning of the line, Ctrl-E to the end (I believe similar shortcuts work on OS X too), and Meta-[<>] jumps to the start/end of the document. There are hotkeys for jumping between sentences too…

[HoffmanMyster]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

Have you considered that there are _other_ user interfaces?

I have.  I have not, however, experienced them all, so I think it's a valid question.

For example, I use VimFx in Firefox (for convenience); simple `gg` goes to the beginning of the page, `G` to the end. My preferred text editor is Emacs—then Ctrl-A goes to the beginning of the line, Ctrl-E to the end (I believe similar shortcuts work on OS X too), and Meta-[<>] jumps to the start/end of the document. There are hotkeys for jumping between sentences too…

Thank you, that's very enlightening.

[davkol]

BTW I highly recommend VimFx and It's all text! add-ons for Firefox. They make it very easy to browse with barely leaving the home-row surroundings, while the default browser UI is nearly intact.

[Leslieann]

Also everyone who doesn't use home/end must really love their arrow keys or switching back to their mouse...maybe that's why people feel the need to have their mouse so close to the alpha keys...? 

Seriously though, honest question for those that don't use home/end.  If you have to edit the middle of a sentence while you're posting, why not hit 'end' to skip to the end of the line?  Or maybe you just don't make mistakes like that. 

I wonder if that's a PC-specific thing, using the END button to move the cursor to the end of the line. On a Mac, it only seems to function for page scrolling (jumping to the bottom of whatever you're in).

This was one of the things that drove me nuts on my Hackintosh, luckily, there is a way to fix it with some tweaks. And yes, it's why some people rarely use them.

There was a recent study that also showed that the right mouse key was rarely used, this too was because the study was Mac centric, despite the authors not really clarifying that. 

[fohat.digs]

There was a recent study that also showed that the right mouse key was rarely used, this too was because the study was Mac centric, despite the authors not really clarifying that. 

My wife is a Mac addict, and I can't see it, on the mouse perhaps more than anywhere else.

I use my right button and the scroll wheel constantly, although I don't use other side buttons, etc.

[Blaise170]

My wife is a Mac addict, and I can't see it, on the mouse perhaps more than anywhere else.

I use my right button and the scroll wheel constantly, although I don't use other side buttons, etc.

I use my two side buttons constantly when I'm navigating through folders or webpages.

[Steezus]

My wife is a Mac addict, and I can't see it, on the mouse perhaps more than anywhere else.

I use my right button and the scroll wheel constantly, although I don't use other side buttons, etc.

I use my two side buttons constantly when I'm navigating through folders or webpages.

I bought the first generation razor naga back when it was released(suprisingly works fine still) because I was an avid WoW player back in the day and have grown accustom to use every mouse button I can for macros and such. I even have multiple shortcuts for the 12 buttons on the side just for daily use. It may not be the best mouse but it hasn't caused me any problems this long.

[Steezus]

...Oops I made a mistake 

[jonathanyu]

for me is scroll lock and pause. 

[jacobolus]

And apparently the Delete key doesn't do much on a Mac either?  I always have to right click a file to "send to trash" - why doesn't Delete...delete...it?

You want command + delete (that is, backwards delete), which has been the shortcut on Mac OS since before MS Windows even existed.

Command + shift + delete to empty the trash.

One way to see these and other shortcuts is to look through the menus at the top of the screen in any application. The command to move something to the trash from the Finder is File -> Move to Trash. While you’re looking at a menu, try holding down the Option key to see additional actions.

Hoff: you should just learn the Mac shortcuts, which are in my experience more complete, more logical, and at least as convenient as shortcuts on Windows or Linux. Complaining that they’re different with little eyeroll emojis, because Microsoft picked different shortcuts in Windows 1.0 in 1985 or later versions of Windows than Apple was using since 1984 (or maybe earlier on Lisa or Apple II) just seems silly.

But if you really want some Windows keyboard behaviors to transfer over to OS X text boxes, try dropping this file in
~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict

https://github.com/jrus/cocoa-text-system/blob/master/KeyBindings/Windows%20Bindings.dict

For more, see my (now slightly out of date but still mostly transferable) 2006 article about this:
http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/cocoa-text.html
http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/selectors.html
http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/system-bindings.html

Beyond that, you can add your own shortcuts for menu items (either across applications or in a specific application) from the Keyboards section of System Preferences.

[jacobolus]

My wife is a Mac addict, and I can't see it, on the mouse perhaps more than anywhere else. I use my right button and the scroll wheel constantly, although I don't use other side buttons, etc.

I almost exclusively use a Mac and use scroll wheel and right button constantly (or on a trackpad, two-finger scrolling and two-finger click). What’s your point?

What really sucks is that there’s nothing in the USB spec about pixel-precise scrolling, or scrolling in 2D instead of just up and down. As a result, all third party mice, which are designed for Windows-style coarsely chunked linear scrolling, kind of suck on a Mac. (They suck on Windows too of course, but since all mice have that behavior on Windows it isn’t as noticeable.)

I sure hope it’s possible to reverse-engineer whatever proprietary extension to USB Apple is using for precise 2D scrolling when I make my own trackball someday. I suspect it will be possible, but it might be a pain to figure out.

[Macsmasher]

I'm surprised at the keys deemed useless by some. Granted, as a coder, I live on the nav cluster for jumping around in code to edit / cut / copy / paste. Reaching for the mouse is just a waste of time. But I'm surprised non-coders who are still heavy computer users that don't utilize these keys more. Excel, email composition, etc. is just a lot faster with nav keys.

F keys I couldn't do without:

Alt + F4 to close windows is something I use every minute of my work day.
F2 to rename a file or folder.
F11 to full screen a window. Handy when running one display in portrait with project notes.)

I do swap Caps Lock and Control on my keyboards of course. But I still use Caps Lock when writing a lot of SQL statements.

Anybody not utilizing Home and End must have way too much time on their hands...

[jacobolus]

I'm surprised at the keys deemed useless by some. Granted, as a coder, I live on the nav cluster for jumping around in code to edit / cut / copy / paste. Reaching for the mouse is just a waste of time.

You know what’s also a waste of time? Reaching for the arrow keys, F keys, etc.

If you have programmable firmware on your keyboard, you can do so much better.

[HoffmanMyster]

Hoff: you should just learn the Mac shortcuts, which are in my experience more complete, more logical, and at least as convenient as shortcuts on Windows or Linux.

I should!  I totally forgot to read that, to be honest. 

Complaining that they’re different with little eyeroll emojis, because Microsoft picked different shortcuts in Windows 1.0 in 1985 or later versions of Windows than Apple was using since 1984 (or maybe earlier on Lisa or Apple II) just seems silly.

Are are absolutely correct.  I was definitely more implying that the people essentially saying "throw away those keys" were being silly for not considering their applications in other OSes. 

[Macsmasher]

I'm surprised at the keys deemed useless by some. Granted, as a coder, I live on the nav cluster for jumping around in code to edit / cut / copy / paste. Reaching for the mouse is just a waste of time.

You know what’s also a waste of time? Reaching for the arrow keys, F keys, etc.

If you have programmable firmware on your keyboard, you can do so much better.

Still faster than a mouse, but a very good point. Lately I've been using my HHKB exclusively, which allows navigation without moving from home row. My RF 87Us don't see much use these days.

[Blaise170]

Still faster than a mouse, but a very good point. Lately I've been using my HHKB exclusively, which allows navigation without moving from home row. My RF 87Us don't see much use these days.

I use those keys just as much as any programmer but you aren't really saving all that much time reaching for your mouse. Arm fatigue maybe.

[Macsmasher]

Still faster than a mouse, but a very good point. Lately I've been using my HHKB exclusively, which allows navigation without moving from home row. My RF 87Us don't see much use these days.

I use those keys just as much as any programmer but you aren't really saving all that much time reaching for your mouse. Arm fatigue maybe.

Honestly, from an RSI prevention standpoint, reaching more is probably better for me anyway.

[Oobly]

I'm surprised at the keys deemed useless by some. Granted, as a coder, I live on the nav cluster for jumping around in code to edit / cut / copy / paste. Reaching for the mouse is just a waste of time.

You know what’s also a waste of time? Reaching for the arrow keys, F keys, etc.

If you have programmable firmware on your keyboard, you can do so much better.

I've tried both, TKL and 60% (and a 48% with arrows and a 40% without) for a reasonable length of time. I currently exclusively use 60% and smaller, but that's still the one thing I miss from TKL layout. It's definitely faster and easier to use dedicated arrow keys than Fn layer arrows, despite the extra hand movement. It's a fast movement and easy to do "blind" since the position and areas around them make them super easy to index to.

But I love the compactness and aesthetics of a smaller board, so it's really a compromise. It also depends where you locate your Fn key and arrows on the layer. Here's my favourite layered layout:







So, as you can see, I have trimmed off a lot of "useless" keys, but all the keycodes are still generated when needed (Print Screen, Scroll Lock, etc are on the blank caps in the EDIT layer). It's designed primarily for prose writing, but I've used it for coding, writing GH posts, etc and although it's taken a couple of hours of use to get used to when to press the Fn key, it's a real joy to use.

[Macsmasher]

I almost sold my HHKB until I set the left Opt key to be a Fn key. Now my right hand stays on home row while left hand slides over and operates Fn, Shift and Control. That made the layout work for me. I also have Alt keys next to Spacebar.

[Voltasalt]

Scroll Lock/Pause Break isn't useless! They're useful for binding to stubborn programs that can't bind to mouse buttons. I have my G502's thumb button bound to Pause Break, and Pause Break bound to Push to Talk in Skype/Mumble.

Also, the Pok3r only has one useless key, Pn. Who thought that was a good idea? With the Poker 2 you could at least program it but now it's completely useless for everything except quitting programming mode (which can EASILY be done by another key)... damnit vortex

[cheebs]

Hey OP, have you heard of this thing called key remapping? 

[chyros]

Pause Break bound to Push to Talk in Skype/Mumble.

Wait.... how does it know when you've released the key? Oo

[dustinhxc]

Windows key UNLESS my steam game is frozen. Lol

[TopreFan333]

Yep!  You're right.  I actually complained about that very functionality on MacOS in the Bothering thread.  )  So I suppose if you use a Mac, I can understand not needing that key.    And apparently the Delete key doesn't do much on a Mac either?  I always have to right click a file to "send to trash" - why doesn't Delete...delete...it?

In the Finder, Command-Backspace (which most people think of as Delete, I guess) deletes the file. Command-Delete really ought to be mapped to that too, but for whatever reason, it's not. I usually find myself reaching for the Backspace key pretty much everywhere I need to delete something. Generally OS X doesn't use the Delete key as much, although in text editing, it does a forward delete, which is useful.

[samhwang]

I would say Menu, Scroll Lock and Pause/Break off the bat. Menu and SL would be useful if you use Excel and Pause/Break would be the equivalent for coding in terminal, but I don't feel the necessities for it. Must be because I don't use Excel a lot ?

This was Windows, by the day I moved the Mac, the Scroll Lock and Pause/Break button adjusts the brightness of the screen so it got a teeny tiny bit useful again. As for the Menu key, if possible I would just change it into an Fn key, and I believe there are a lot of brands that are doing this already.