Are you ready to start a keyboard? When starting with the first keyboard, according to the usual method (recommended), we will directly consider the price and axis. This choice is more mainstream. Although there is no major problem, it is likely that you will not choose the most suitable keyboard for you. Given that a keyboard has a service life of at least two to three years or even more than ten years, you can have a keyboard that you prefer and will accompany you for a longer time (not only including a mechanical keyboard). So, in this issue, let’s talk about keyboard configuration first. This is the most important thing you should know before entering the pit.
Computer Keyboards Dimensions & Classifications
Computer keyboards can be classified in many ways. According to the size of the overall dimensions, computer keyboards can be divided into four basic categories:
Full-size keyboard, including “main key area, function key area, edit key area, number key area” and all four key areas.
Medium size keyboard, that is, full size keyboard has canceled the “number keypad”.
Notebook keyboard, that is, full-size keyboard, has canceled the “number keypad and edit keypad”.
Small-scale keyboard means that the “number keypad, edit keypad and function keypad” are canceled for full-size keyboard.
According to percentage, the four basic categories of computer keyboard can also be corresponding percentage names:
100% full-size keyboard, including four key areas: “main key area, function key area, edit key area and number key area”.
80% of the medium-size keyboards with columns are full-size keyboards without “numeric keypad”.
70% of the notebook keyboards listed are full-size keyboards, which cancel the “number keypad and edit keypad”.
60% of the small size keyboards are listed, that is, the full size keyboards cancel the “number keypad, edit keypad, and function keypad”.
According to the number of keys, four basic types of computer keyboard can also be the corresponding number of keys:
Full-size keyboard with more than 100 keys, including “main key area, function key area, edit key area, and number key area”.
The medium-size keyboard with more than 80 keys means that the full-size keyboard cancels out the “number keypad”.
The notebook keyboard with more than 70 keys is a full-size keyboard, which cancels out the “number keypad and edit keypad”.
The small-scale keyboard with more than 60 keys is the full-size keyboard, which cancels the “number keypad, edit keypad, and function keypad”.
1. Full Size Keyboard
At present, most external keyboards used by computer users are full-size keyboards.
The full-size keyboard mainly includes four key areas, namely “main key area, function key area, edit key area, and number key area”.
The full-size keyboard includes 104 keys by default; Some keyboards become 107 keys or 108 keys by adding 3 or 4 extended function keys; Some keyboards add more irregular designs such as function keys or rotation buttons on the basis of 104 keys.
Medium-size keyboards, notebook keyboards, and small-size keyboards can be regarded as the simplified version of a full-size keyboard. Full-size keyboard is the standard and basis of the other three types of keyboard.
2. Medium Size Keyboard
The full-size keyboard cancels the “number keypad” and retains the “main key area, function key area and edit key area”, which is the medium size keyboard.
The default size of the full-size keyboard is 104 keys, and the 17 keys of the “number keypad” are removed, which is 87 keys.
At present, many users have accepted the medium size keyboard with 87 keys, mainly for two reasons:
After all, there are a few financial personnel who need to input numbers with one hand continuously. Most users will not use or rarely use the number keypad.
By default, most users enter numbers through the number key line in the main key area, which to some extent replaces the number input requirements of the number key area.
3. Notebook keyboard
Due to the limitation of the overall size of the notebook computer, especially the limitation of the width, the built-in keyboard of the notebook computer below the 15-inch screen must remove the “number keypad, edit keypad”, and only retain the “main keypad and function keypad”.
However, in order to be able to perform common editing operations in the form of dedicated independent keys and to be compatible with users’ editing habits, most notebook keyboards will add four dedicated independent direction keys in the lower right corner of the main key area.
For the four keys “Home, End, PgDn, PgUp” in the editing keypad, the notebook keyboard is generally operated by the Fn combination of the four direction keys, while the other two “Insert, Delete” are used as special independent keys and are set on the right side of the top row of the notebook keyboard.
There are also some notebook keyboards. A new row of keys is added at the far right end of the computer keyboard. Multiple editing keys such as “Home, End, PgDn, PgUp” are provided in the form of independent keys. However, the editing operation experience is obviously different from the traditional editing keypad.
The basic feature of a notebook keyboard is “composed of main key area and function key area, and at least four independent direction keys are provided in the lower right corner”.
The built-in keyboard of various brands and models of notebook computers provides a variety of wonderful layouts. The biggest difference is the compatibility design of the editing keypad.
Notebook keyboard not only refers to “built-in keyboard of notebook computer”, but also includes various “external keyboards” with the same design concept.
4. Small keyboard
The full-size keyboard cancels the “number key area, edit key area and function key area”, and only retains the “main key area”, which is the small-size keyboard.
The default size of the full-size keyboard is 104 keys. The 17+10+16 keys of “number keypad, edit keypad and function keypad” are removed, which is 104-17-10-16=61 keys.
The standard small-size keyboard is the 61-key keyboard equivalent to the main key area of the full-size keyboard.
At present, on small-size keyboards, the alternative key layout and alternative input mode of “function key area and edit key area” are generally provided through Fn key combination.
In order to optimize the editing and input experience, many small-size keyboards have added several independent editing keys to become non-standard small-size keyboards, which seem to be more in line with user needs, but are unreasonable, imperfect, and inconsistent in nature.