Re: Apple issues warning on Vista

On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 10:22:07 -0800, Steve de Mena <steven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Tim Murray wrote:
On Mar 9, 2007, Mitch wrote:
Apple actually MAKES a "standard keyboard"?
NOBODY makes a "standard keyboard" -- there has never been any such
thing.

Umm, you're both right and both wrong, to a degree. In general, US keyboards
put out the same scan codes for the various buttons, and if the keyboard is,
for instance, a US 101/102 keyboard, then operating systems know what to do
with the scan codes it receives.

It it for this reason that you can plug in a Microsoft Pro USB keyboard into
the side of a Mac and it works (unless you're Zara) and why those little
Logitech handheld laser pointers with keys to advance PowerPoint sides work
-- they send out standard left and right arrow scan codes.

But those codes are uniform for characters and most controls, and most
function keys. When you get in to the specialized stuff, then the scan code
are unique.


I referred to the full keyboard as the "standard"
one as I was comparing it to the MacBook portable
one, it should have been clear to Donald what I
was referring to.

Steve

I'm sorry, Steve. I've never owned a laptop of any kind, even a Macintosh, so I
really wouldn't know.

Anyway, when I refer to "standard keyboard" in the context of Windows, I am
referring to a keyboard designed for Windows (usually by Microsoft, or in
partnership with Microsoft), as I tried to make clear in my last post to you.

However, that Apple keyboards have "non-standard" keys (by "non-standard" I mean
"not designed for Windows") such as the CD-Eject key, the display brightness
keys, etc, which won't work under Windows without the Apple keyboard driver for
XP). Nor can these keys be remapped to Windows functions under Windows using
either the Apple driver, or Microsoft keyboard software. The scan codes simply
aren't available to Windows.

So yes, Apple uses "non-standard keyboards", since only 4% of all keyboards are
designed for Apple and used by Macintosh users, for OS X use primarily, while
the MAJORITY (over 95%) are designed either for or by Microsoft, for Microsoft
Windows use primarily.

If "95% of keyboards" is NOT a "standard", I don't KNOW the meaning of
"standard". Nor, apparently, does anyone else.

Donald L McDaniel
Please Reply to the Original thread.
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