http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=509136


in reply to The most useless key on my keyboard is:

I had to vote for the "Windows" key (keys on my keyboard), but not for the reason specified.

I just have never worked out what it (they) are meant to do? They don't appear to do anything in any of the apps I use.

The contextmenu key is useful though.


Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
Lingua non convalesco, consenesco et abolesco. -- Rule 1 has a caveat! -- Who broke the cabal?
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^2: The most useless key on my keyboard is:
by radiantmatrix (Parson) on Nov 16, 2005 at 19:07 UTC

    They don't appear to do anything in any of the apps I use.

    Exactly. This leaves it free as a modifier for custom mapping. Under Windows, there are some defaults (Win-L locks the display, Win-D shows the desktop, etc.), and there are third-party apps that let you map it to do more. I use one called WinKey (which isn't made anymore, sadly). When I want my browser up, Win-W. Win-P begins an Eclipse/EPIC session with a blank .pl file. And so on.

    In Linux and BSD, they key is assignable to window-manager tasks (as the modifier 'Hyper' in most cases). On my linux devel box, Win-D starts my development environment (Eclipse/EPIC, Devel::ptkdb, and a couple other tools).

    On the Mac, it's basically the PC world's "control" key, so almost all apps use it.

    But, on any PC-based platform (damn it, I can't say 'x86-based' anymore!), it's one of the most useful keys because you can make it do whatever you want.

    ScrollLock, though... what a pointless key. (Keyboard holy war! Yay!)

    <-radiant.matrix->
    A collection of thoughts and links from the minds of geeks
    The Code that can be seen is not the true Code
    "In any sufficiently large group of people, most are idiots" - Kaa's Law
      ScrollLock, though... what a pointless key.
      I do use scrolllock. Not because it does something in an application - but because I've some hardware that uses it: my switchbox. <<ScrollLock>><<ScrollLock>><<Page-Up>> goes to the next active computer, <<ScrollLock>><<ScrollLock>><<Page-Down>> goes to the previous active computer. There are a few more commands using scrolllock, but I can never remember them.
      Perl --((8:>*
      ScrollLock, though... what a pointless key.

      If I have just text terminal (e.g. when admining some server) and (forgot|didn't mean) to pipe command to 'less' and the output took more than one screen it's the only way I know to scroll the screen up.

        On linux, Shift-PgUp/PgDown works for me in most terminals, including the console

Re^2: The most useless key on my keyboard is:
by Anonymous Monk on Nov 26, 2005 at 00:10 UTC
    Well, I've binded "Windows" key both in flux and blackbox to run different applications. It's quite useful, because most of apps I use already make use from Ctrl wich I've replaced with CapsLock and Alt.
Re^2: The most useless key on my keyboard is:
by Anonymous Monk on Oct 02, 2010 at 13:14 UTC
    Scroll lock was useful in the old days; No mouse.