So now Windows bloat is extending to the physical keyboard itself.
Looking at the Microsoft blog post they haven't said exactly how they want keyboard layouts to change. So on a full size keyboard this could be either new key entirely, or replace an existing (and arguably more useful) key.
They should put it adjacent to the up arrow key so that when I hit it accidentally, copilot can ask "did you mean to press the up arrow key?", which will cause me to smash the keyboard with my fists and then I'll need to buy another one. Sales will skyrocket.
Not particularly relevant, but my friend randomly told me to press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Windows key+L one day. I’m still horrified.
I just tried this. Why does this exist? Why does this need to be a shortcut? Who uses LinkedIn so much that they need to use a 5 key shortcut to get there faster?
For anybody who doesn't want to try it, this key combo opens LinkedIn in your default browser.
It's not a setting you can change, the only way to disable it is to edit the registry.
WTF.
I mean, they did it before with the windows/super button. Before that you just had ctrl and alt there.
Before I even read it I knew it was more ads or AI of some sort and yep it's both. Sure yeah we need more ads. Can I get a Microsoft store button on mouses now? Ohoh a dedicated 2nd screen for ads on every monitor. We must please the share holders and the rich!
I'm plenty fine with all ads consolidated to a dedicated monitor, that would certainly never face the wall on minimal brightness
Attention citizen, your Economic Consumer Activity Monitor has identified error with your system and/or the Citizen Observation Rate to the unit. Your worldwide credits have been locked pending resolution.
I'm getting Bixby button flashbacks.
Ho well, my wallet's gonna cry but I'm sure the mechkeyboard community will welcome my ass
Remember when PC keyboards had two Windows logo keys? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Microsoft learns nothing from their continued pattern of going all-in on a trendy and unproven concept. Windows 8 "live tiles" that were supposed to create one look and feel across devices, Cortana was supposed to be the digital assistant of the future, they even did their own poorly executed folding phone.
They never really go all in. They go full force at something but they never really fully commit
Like live tiles was fine except the large sections of the Windows still used the old system, so you'd click a button in settings and suddenly you'd be reverted back to the old window system. Because they never bothered to upgrade that part of the OS.
Microsoft's problem is that they can never be arsed to be consistent.
OR, hear me out, we just have it mapped to alt+win(meta) key and this will be a nothing burger.
Stop being such a socialist. They need to sell more keyboards, and to make the keyboards you own unique to their brand.
M$ can get absolutely fucked
Gee, I imagine this will go the same way as Cortana, but now there will be a key forever visible to be it's gravestone.
They're so desperate for AI to be a thing.
AI is absolutely "a thing", not sure there's really a debate about that. The desperation here is they want to be the first company to completely immerse itself in Generative AI, but they're moving so fast they're just shoving every experiment they can come up with down their customers' throats.
AI is going to be a huge part of the future, but Microsoft might not be a part of that future if they fuck up with over implementation of nascent tech.
My bad, I should be more specific. They're so desperate for a fancy chatbot to be a part of everybody's workflow that they're going to add a special key that is not needed, or wanted by the vast majority.
I hope this can be remapped to something useful.
I swear I blinked and suddenly AI was so ubiquitous that I feel like I'm living, studying and writing incorrectly...
We’re in the early hype phase of a new innovation fad. It’ll die down and then we’ll find out what it’s ACTUALLY useful for.
Ugh. Why do keyboards have to have Microsoft logos. I hate it. I want nothing to do with them.
I would imagine this isn't going to go over very well with a lot of companies. I would bet many already ban employees using copilot or other AI assistants because they don't want their company's proprietary data being sent to Microsoft or Google or whoever. Stick a key on the keyboard that, if accidentally hit, brings up copilot (and maybe sends data to Microsoft), and those keyboards might be banned.
Some companies will probably just deal with it by setting up their PCs so that copilot is disabled and that key does something else. But, other companies will either not be technically savvy enough to do that, or will not want to take a risk of someone accidentally reverting to the default behaviour.
I can't even begin to articulate my hatred for the current Microsoft business model. People used to joke how evil they were but it's only continued to get worse
The Clippy Key.
im not going to lie this is one of the stupidest things ive ever seen a major tech company do
They should just rename the Menu key to the “Flavor of the Week” key. Then they can just rotate which pie in the sky, fetch feature is mapped to it during its period of non-use.
Some Microsoft exec: "Hey, remember when TV remotes started getting a dedicated Netflix button?"
I’ll shut that stuff off just like I made every effort to disable Cortana.
It’s unwanted, invasive, and unnecessary.
This is way more about advertising Copilot than actually needing a new key. M$ gonna $.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
You thought Clippy was dead? Think again, that monster never dies. and is not back bigger than ever in its physical form.
>see headline
"Oh cool. What fun and inventive thing is Microsoft doing?"
>reads first line of article
"Oh it's for AI. Gross."
I really hope it's the "Any" key. I have upwards of 40 ys of modal forms from which there is no escape because they demand I press any key to continue...
Are we finally going to get the Any key?
Another useless key? Use Scroll lock or SysRq for that. Or even better, reuse that stupid "menu" key. They'll cram one more key to the left of the spacebar and make ctrl, alt, and windows keys smaller. Or change their order.
I bought my first gaming keyboard like five years ago and thought the Windows Key Lock button was a Windows Store button for the longest time thinking it was the windows logo in a shopping bag
I'm an idiot
I use Linux, and I actually like the idea. Not because of the Copilot bullshit, but because I've always wanted a real hyper key.
please don't. if you knew how many times the windows key is pressed by accident...
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
