Ah, is this one of the reasons Windows users are so attached to full-sized keyboards with numpads? In any discussion of TKL-or-smaller keyboards, there’s a cohort of people baffled at how any keyboard without a numpad could be fit for purpose. I take it this Windows feature is among the reasons why.
I doubt it; you can insert unicode symbols with Win-. now, so the alt keys aren't as important.
Personally I used to see coworkers with 65 or 60% mechanical keyboard and I have no clue how they could code without arrow, home, or page up/down keys. They must have been really committed to vim keys or something.
Fun fact about Win-. (the emoji keyboard): this is an Input Method Editor, something formerly used by writers of ideographic languages for example, so now we all have no excuse not to test our Win32 code for IME support.
There's a significant contingent of people who find typing numbers with the number row cumbersome (me included). If, for whatever reason, you need to type a lot of numbers, it can be quite inconvenient to not have a numpad.
It always looks stupid to me when I see those people typing their password and it has numbers in it.
Switching their hands between the alphabet and number keys, sometimes multiple times, with bonus points for not knowing the numlock status and having to do it all over again.
With the amount of time all of us spend on keyboards, it just seems lazy/inefficient to not learn to touchtype, including the numbers and at least the common symbols.
Same. When my mostly beloved Microsoft Natural got too mushy and wobbly to tolerate anymore, I replaced it with a TKL which I tolerate but don't love. If I had it to do over again I'd get a full sized.
I ran one of their full sizes for years. The Topre is easily my favorite switch, but I got tired of the cost, the very limited board selection, the non-repairability, and the total lack of customization. I've got some nice boutique switches in this that are pretty light, like 40g, so it's pretty close to that feel.. I forget the exact switch offhand, but it was some limited run/special edition Kailh Box or something like that.
