Switch Mode for Fn/Ctrl Keys: Follow-up From Yamato
Check out the Yamato Thinking blog for details on what Lenovo is doing with regard to the Fn/Ctrl debate. Thanks for all the feedback that has led us to take this action.
David Hill
11 Responses to “Switch Mode for Fn/Ctrl Keys: Follow-up From Yamato”
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November 5th, 2009 at 11:39 am
So do “future” ThinkPad models means future versions of the existing T400/X200/W500/etc, or is this only new, forthcoming ThinkPads?
November 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
John, The BIOS update will be included on forthcoming ThinkPad offerings. Kind of hard to answer this more clearly without disclosing detailed product roadmaps. I just can’t do that.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
So it wouldn’t be available for say a t400s that was just purchased?
November 5th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Yay for flexibility!
I like the way it is, but it’s great to see the flexibility you’re offering. Hopefully the key tops will remain physically swappable to complete the reconfiguration.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
It was about time!! great to see that that somebody notice that litle change keyboard layout SUCKS!!!! Please revert to old keyboard layout and i will be pleased!! thanks.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
As Eric says, will current T400/T500/X200/W500/X301 ThinkPads be supported? What about the SL series?
November 6th, 2009 at 5:58 am
great!
now please also make them swappable on the keyboard itself
November 7th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Seems like some here didn’t bother to read the post on Yamato Thinking…
No, you can’t get a BIOS update. Sorry.
And about the current lineup there is no information, other than what I just wrote. If you’ve bought a ThinkPad, you’ve done that. And missed your chance.
And they’re not physically swappable either. Yet, that post gives some hope.
We still oughta be glad and thankful, they DID SOMETHING!
And me myself, I’m neither wonderfully glad or mad. I’m glad that they did something, it gives me hope.
IMHO I would prefer merging the keys. But I still wouldnt be that glad since I’m a fan of Ctrl and Alt being next to each other. I’m quite happy with my T43 keyboard, but the computer itself is getting old… and heavy. Am I getting old?
November 8th, 2009 at 8:15 am
I think this is commonly a good and right decision. So people who are long time used to and familiar with Thinkpad keyboards will still feel at home and those who are new to Thinkpads, or are migrating over from other notebooks, can then switch the Fn/Ctrl key layout to their desired needs.
It’s also Ok for me, if this feature will only be available just for new actual or forthcoming ThinkPad models, since it would be a bunch of work, testing… and thus much trouble to implement this correctly for all the past Thinkpad models in some suitable manner. As a developer I know how much effort and complexity (not to mention the time and costs) it would be to handle this for all (even past) models.
http://www.notebook-foren.de/b.....hp?p=69515
November 20th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
@David,
Why can’t you say more, to answer John’s question? It’s already been established that it will be available on upcoming models that have not yet been announced/released, and I understand that you can’t speak about those. But that still leaves all the current models in the lurch. If I bought a T400s tomorrow, would it get a BIOS upgrade eventually? What about a T500 I bought a month ago?
January 4th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
David, can you now confirm that this BIOS switch is available on the x100e and the ThinkPad Edge?
Thank you!