Get ready for Windows keyboards to change! First time since 1994.

[thewayne]

*sigh* At least it's been a long time since the last one, but it's going to be a rough transition.

Microsoft is taking away the Ctrl key on the right.

In its place will be a key for its CoPilot AI Assistant.

Won't that be just dandy?

The last change was when MS added the Windows key to the Natural Keyboard back in '94. But MS really wants people to use its AI assistant, so what better way than to make a key dedicated to it where people regularly use a normal key?

Here's the kicker: it's possible that it may not be able to be reassigned!

I was reading an article on Dell's new XPS series that's going through a complete refresh for 2024. They all have the new CoPilot key - to the left of the left arrow key - and it is immutable. Cannot be changed. That's definitely going to force a lot of people to retrain muscle memory who are semi-touch typists.

Personally, if they'd tied it to a function key, or left the key reprogrammable - that'd be fine. But if it is indeed not reprogrammable, that's going to be quite an issue!

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/ai-comes-for-your-pcs-keyboard-as-microsoft-adds-dedicated-copilot-key/

Comments

[disneydream06]

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want nothing to do with AI stuff. :o
Hugs, Jon

[rain_gryphon]

I hadn't heard that it was non-assignable. That's just evil.

[thewayne]

We'll see what happens when external and third-party keyboards come out.  At least on the 2024 Dell XPS laptops, it could not be reassigned.  But I agree, it's plain and simple evil.

[silveradept]

Forcing a dedicated, non-reassignable key to the project pretty well tells me that the project is doomed, but someone has invested too much of their money and their job in trying to bring it to market, and they will make that happen, hell or high water or whatever reputation penalty the company suffers from this.

[thewayne]

It'll be interesting to see if the MS-made keyboards are reassignable, and if the Dell keyboards later receive a BIOS update that makes them so.  I really don't like the concept of having an AI chatbot an accidental fingerclick away.  I'll be very tempted to pop that key off the keyboard when one of those comes my way.  But who knows, my opinion could change!  But the Magic 8-ball is saying 'Not very bloody likely'. I remember once upon a time a friend of mine wanted to see my iPhone - before he got one. :)  He activated it - it was still locked - and said 'Hey Siri!  Order five dozen bananas and have them shipped to me!' and nothing happened.  I've never had Siri set for wake up on a voice cue, and I've never had Alexa-like 'assistants' here in my house.

[silveradept]

The relevant xkcd about two tons of creamed corn seems appropriate there.

I assume it will be reassignable, since there's got to be an underlying keyboard map that can be tweaked at a firmware level.