What is 'Scroll Lock' key for ?

[overdriver]

I'm just curious.. what is 'Scroll Lock' Key for??

I've used many keyboard since Apple ][+, etc.. but I have never needed to press 'Scroll Lock' key nor any of softwares that I have ever used required to press. ...but it still has status LED light. hmm.. it must be something important function that I miss..so far ? anyone ?

[ch_123]

It was intended for software in the pre-mouse days to facilitate quick scrolling through pages. Implementation was software specific, but in Excel (even in the latest versions AFAIK) enabling scroll lock then pressing down causes the software to scroll down the page as opposed to going down through cells.

Incidentally, do you have a German Ambra Model M, or an American one?

[fireglow]

From Wikipedia:
In the original design, scroll lock was intended to modify the behavior of the arrow keys. When the scroll lock mode was on, the arrow keys would scroll the contents of a text window instead of moving the cursor.

Sounds like a really nice idea to me!

Edit: Salute, ch_123.

[1839cc]

This is a great feature that (almost) no one implements. I can't figure out why.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

This is a great feature that (almost) no one implements. I can't figure out why.

The invention of the scroll wheel?

[overdriver]

It was intended for software in the pre-mouse days to facilitate quick scrolling through pages. Implementation was software specific, but in Excel (even in the latest versions AFAIK) enabling scroll lock then pressing down causes the software to scroll down the page as opposed to going down through cells.

Incidentally, do you have a German Ambra Model M, or an American one?

I c.. thx for explanation. I have an American one. I bought it when it first came out.

[ch_123]

Does it have the fancy lettering like the German ones do? -

[microsoft windows]

Nice Model M.

[quadibloc]

Supposedly, what the scroll lock key would have done in the old days was this:

When the computer is typing out to a screen in DOS text mode, when it has to type a new line after the last line of text on the screen, instead of going to the trouble of moving the whole screen up one line, it would just blank the whole screen, and start putting the new text on the top of the screen.

Instead of quite doing that, it might instead invoke an intermediate mode where perhaps the last 8 lines of text on the screen are copied to the top, and the new text goes to line 9.

This was to reduce the overhead of displaying text on the screen, which is why the functionality quickly became obsolete as computers became more powerful, but I've worked with old terminals that had a similar function.

[microsoft windows]

I'm surprised that newer keyboards haven't done away with those 3 keys. I don't think you'll need to have a System Request in Windows 7.

[ch_123]

They're very useful for Linux for restarting a machine when it's completely locked up. Scroll lock is used by some KVM switches for switching from one computer to the next. Pause/Break is used by some IDEs.

[microsoft windows]

Which key do you use to restart a frozen Linux machine?

[ch_123]

Hold down Alt, press the PrtScr/SysRq button, then press b then release alt.

There's a series of these SysRq key combinations that you can use to kill processes and umount the disks, which allows a clean shutdown, even when the system is completely unresponsive. Try doing that with Windows 2000...

[1839cc]

The invention of the scroll wheel?

If I'm typing I don't want to stop and find my scroll wheel just to move around. I'd rather use arrows and page up/down and I do, but in most word processors arrows only move the cursor. Scroll lock could do great things in that situation.

But it doesn't.

[overdriver]

Does it have the fancy lettering like the German ones do? -

nah.. mine has just 'Ambra' letter logo on it. that's all.

[Megaweapon]

There's a series of these SysRq key combinations that you can use to kill processes and umount the disks, which allows a clean shutdown, even when the system is completely unresponsive.

AKA the Magic SysRq Key.  I especially like the mnemonic device for remembering the various functions:

"Raising Elephants Is So Utterly Boring"

[pseudolobster]

AKA the Magic SysRq Key.  I especially like the mnemonic device for remembering the various functions:

"Raising Elephants Is So Utterly Boring"

I prefer "Reboot Even If System Utterly Broken"

[Oqsy]

"What is 'Scroll Lock' key for?"
spare parts... switches, springs, etc.  it's handy to have a spare right there on the keyboard!

[DreymaR]

My plan is to use it to switch the last bit of my keyboard mapping!

CapsLock switches the second-to-last (aka SGCaps mode), switching between latin and greek input.

With ScrlLck active, the CapsLock instead switches between Kyrillic and Hebrew input.

Just haven't implemented it fully yet. But I will.

If you're not interested in character sets, use that key for setting states in your coding projects. For instance: ScrlLck set = cheat at WoW like the loser you are; ScrlLck off = play the game already you lazy git you.  

[itlnstln]

While it doesn't use the physical key, obviously, side-to-side scrolling on mice use the scroll lock function to perform the scrolling.

[1839cc]

That's true. I wonder what it would take to put that function back on the Scroll Lock key...........

[itlnstln]

The function of the Scroll Lock key hasn't changed.  The scroll wheel just emulates a keypress for horizontal scrolling.  As far as Windows goes, it works fine (it basically locks the arrows for scrolling instead of changing lines in a document, selecting icons, etc.).