Will a keyboard with a US layout work on an OS using UK layout?

[ty_moon]

I understand that when you press a key, the OS determines what you are pressing, but I wonder what would happen when I use a US keyboard with a UK OS layout. Would I have to switch the keyboard language and get used to the US layout?

On an unrelated note, do they make Leopolds with UK layout? What about Rosewills?

[IvanIvanovich]

On any layout that expects a 105 ISO board, it will drop whatever key is between left shift and Z(Y) and move whatever is assigned to the home row key left of enter to the \ key above. Everything else is same. I know several UK people that just remap the $ to £ on US layout, since thats really all that is different character wise.
Leopold available in US ANSI and Korean, Rosewill US ANSI only.

[ty_moon]

Thanks, having a little trouble visualising it. Do you mean it will drop the '\' key completely? What do people use to remap the keys?

I think I'll get a tenkeyless leopold while I'm in the US. Works out to about £62-- nearly 1/2 as cheap as a Filco.

[IvanIvanovich]

Yes, if you use the UK layout on an ANSI board, the \| key does not physically exist, so it is mapped to nowhere and the #~ key moves to the key above enter which is \| on US. To remap depends which OS you are using. Windows you can use MSKLC or sharpkeys. On linux xmodmap.

[hoggy]

I'm in the UK and I prefer the US layout.  Having that return key nearer to the home keys makes it a superior layout for programmers.

If you swap keyboards often, then autohotkey might be worth a look - you can suspend the remapping from the system tray.

[fossala]

I use the US layout and I live in the UK. I started because you can get my keyboards in ANSI but I have grown to like it more and now never use ISO.