this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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Which is exactly what people said about the Windows key.
Now it's all but impossible to buy a keyboard that doesn't have it. Worse, most of us use it without thinking.
Sure you can call it Super if you like, and even have a Tux key-cap on it, but there used to be a literal gap between the Alt keys and their Ctrl brethren in the lateral directions away from the space bar, and those days are long gone.
There'll be the niche users who stick with old keyboards without this new key, just like there are the die-hards who have stuck resolutely to the old IBM keyboards and the like from pre-1995, but if you want a new keyboard?
Gonna have to shell out a small fortune for a custom build or make do with that dumb new key.
(Shoutout to the Context Menu key which went as unmentioned in the above as it goes unused in day to day use, despite having been included with its Super cousin since day one.)
I don't see an issue with a "super" key. But what would a copilot key bring that's of any value? The super key already does everything you'd need.
more keys for custom keybinds ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ depending on where it's located I'll probably just use it as a microphone toggle
We have so many unused potential binds already, though. Knowing the way tech goes these days, they'll find a way to hard-code the key to one macro and that's it lol
Depends how they do it, if it's in the registry you can change it.
The point is to have an unused button that you can rebind freely
Pure hyperbole "late stage capitalism": they'll have it wired directly into the board. At best it will cover one key chord.
Even later stage, it'll send some proprietary data that only windows 11 can interpret. Linux users will figure it out and make use of it, then will be promptly sued out of existence for copyright infringement or something lol.
Can we get this more dystopian? I'm out of ideas.
Nah, they'll send a package to a Microsoft server that'll then respond with the keybind and open the program
But you can only press it five times before you have to buy a license to active it.
Also, if you want to deactivate it you'll need to purchase a separate license.
If neither license is purchased, it presents a nag screen each time. 😂
What, fuck licenses, we're doing subscriptions here. With multiple tiers, first one just reduces the charge per activation, and the ones after that give you X "free" uses per 12 hours.
yeah it's almost certainly gonna be bound to Super+C, the existing keybind for copilot
Wow when you out it that way it sounds even dumber
I don't think this is true. Just buy a laptop from a company that ships it with Linux. No Windows, no Windows keys. It doesn't have to be 'custom'.
The post mentioned this, and argues that a super a key is basically just a windows key
So what key are they gonna put there when all cheap generic Chinese keyboard makers start including this button on all their variants of keyboards?
The context menu or right-ctrl key, probably
The article actually says the Copilot key will mostly be replacing Menu or Right Control on existing layouts. So if you're already not using those (or are already re-binding them), it's just a new keycap.
Plus the configuration that is needed to remap the key back to the correct key code.
As you said, there used to be a gap there. Replacing a gap makes not that much harm and people find it useful even in Linux for keybindings. In more of an Alt kind of guy, but Super is also there for more combinations available.
The Copilot key appears to be going were the right Control or right Alt key are right now, so that's going to be a bother for a lot of people.
The video made it look like this was the context menu key. This may just be a key cap change for WHQL certification of keyboards.
Hey! I used the context menu key today... Just to see what it does and ask why?
The context menu key is more useful when it's remapped to the compose key.
My keyboard has a Linux key. And I happily use it.