DavidMD
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2008 06:05
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Greetings!
I am very eager to try MapKeyboard and appreciate Freeware Home listing InchWest's tool, and I really need a way to swap the functionality of two keys, which ironically are usually in the same space on most boards.
I used Debian GNU/Linux 4.X most of the time and, after I stopped installing and using Windows (XP Professional) on my personal computers, I recently received a new HP notebook preloaded with Windows Vista Home SP1.
I have two Sun Microsystems keyboards (both USB), a Type 6 and a type seven, which I received as gifts, as well as two PFU Systems Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 keyboards that I use the most often, mainly because the keyboard/mouse tray on my two computer desks barely have enough space for a standard-size keyboard plus a mouse.
I love the Sun keyboards but the extra keys on the left site make them about two inches wider than the "standard keyboard," which the IBM-clone makers copied. (I have to compensate for the "aircraft carrier" Sun keyboards by using inexpensive cloth-covered mouse pads and cutting two inches off one of the long sides so that I can squeeze a mouse pad onto the try beside the keyboard.
I now use the Sun keyboards, which I like very much, mainly with servers, but if a Sun Type-7 keyboard seems like an aircraft carrier, the Happing Hacking Lite II keyboard is a "canoe" in comparison, although it provides all of the functionality of a Sun Type-6 or -7 keyboard.
Unlike my new notebook computer, the Happy Hacking II keyboard has full-size keys but is about a foot wide. It lacks a CAPS LOCK key, which I never use, nore does it have a physical numeric keypad or two of function keys. Instead one uses combinations of the [Control], [Alt], [Fn], [Shift], and [Meta] keys to provide all of the features of the Sun keyboard,
There is no [Caps Lock] key and, as is standard for UNIX/Linux keyboards, the [Shift] and [Control] keys are "swapped," compared to the layout of all keyboards for Windows or Mac OS X.
I have tried to get used to the "Windows" key layout, but I use Linux much more than I use Windows and constantly get these two keys "backwards. I hate the metallic glare caused ty the entire top of the notebook because a 60-watt bulb emits enough light that I cannot see that its hard for me to get back on the correct row when typing on the laptop.
I have a registry hack to remap the [Control] and [Shift] in Windows, but I printed out the relevant text from a Web page about Windows XP, but MapKeyboard is a much easier option.
If MapKeyboard has a way to revert to a default keyboard, my hope is that I can remap the laptop's keyboard and the Linux/Unix keyboard separately, in case a relative or friend needs to borrow the nobtebook.
My note book is apparently a lemon, because Windows needed to run is restore tool the first time I turned the new notebook (evidence of a bad image installation) -- but every time I reinstall Vista using the recovery DVD's from the manufacturer (a process I've repeated too many times), new and serious problems start to arise within a few hours.
My tests reveal no problems with the hard drive or 4-GB of RAM, so I am returning the notebook to the store where it was bought, because it has a two-year extended protection plan beyone the manufacturer's warranty and I can, theoretically get the repaired or replaced notebook back much soon than I would if I had to shop it back to the manufacture.
Installing any OS other than the one that came with the laptop instantly voids the warranty, and if the technicians use the keyboard for any reason, they will assume that it has a strange malfunction (or that I was careless, and "abuse" violates the warranty, as well.
Therefore, I will install MapKeyboard AFTER (and IF) my notebook woes are resolved.
Given that fact that I everyone in my family has a computer, I have decided that I will use MapKeyboard on the notebook,because if I take advantage of the portability of the notebook, I don't want to continue tormenting myself. (I just wish that the CAPS LOCK and CTRL keys on the notebook were the same size. The CTRL key is so small that I can cover it with a dime.
MapKeyboard is listed as being compatible with Windows "XP/2003/2000/Vista," and I assume that MapKeyboard will load at system startup. I find that Vista's UAC is overly zealous about blocking many non-Microsoft programs that load at startup. (I usually make the auto-start changes in the regsitry, because every application shortcut that is installed in the Start menu's Startup directory always gets blocked.
Cordially,
David
P.S. -- It appears that MapKeyboard is properly coded, rather than automatically putting a shortcut in the Startup folder. It is also very flexible:
...After you are done with remapping the keys, click "Save layout" button on the bottom-right of the window to save your keyboard mapping. If you want to remove the whole keyboard mapping i.e. set the default layout, click "Reset Keyboard Layout."
"That's it, [sic] after a restart, all your mappings should take effect. Note that MapKeyboard does not need to be running for the changes to remain in effect. You only need to run it when you want to change the keys again on your keyboard or reset them."
Source: MapKeyboard Manual
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Dee
Member
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# Posted: 23 Mar 2009 15:24
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One of our members posted this request:
Quoting: derelict
My wife got a new eee netbook, which she's *completely* fallen in love with!!
(snip)
However, it has one, very small, very annoying quirk. As usual, the keyboard is a somewhat odd layout. Most of the normal keys are where you would expect, but the right-shift key is NOT. It's been moved to the far-right edge of the keyboard, and where a touch-typist would expect to find the Rshift key, they instead find the up-arrow key. Eventually she'll get used to this odd layout, but for now it's making it hard to keep up during lectures.
So, what I'd like to find is a key-redefiner. She wants to just swap the up-arrow and right-shift keys. However, this needs to be a global conversion that works in *all* programs!!
We recommended "MapKeyboard". Here's derelict's reply:
Quoting: derelict Wow, it worked great, she's really happy with it!!
Always good to know that a program works "as advertised" :-)
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