Linux 6.14 Adds Support For The Microsoft Copilot Key Found On New Laptops (phoronix.com) 35
The Linux 6.14 kernel now maps out support for Microsoft's "Copilot" key "so that user-space software can determine the behavior for handling that key's action on the Linux desktop," writes Phoronix's Michael Larabel. From the report: A change made to the atkbd keyboard driver on Linux now maps the F23 key to support the default copilot shortcut action. The patch authored by Lenovo engineer Mark Pearson explains [...]. Now it's up to the Linux desktop environments for determining what to do if the new Copilot key is pressed. The patch was part of the input updates now merged for the Linux 6.14 kernel.
Re: (Score:3)
From TFS:
Now it's up to the Linux desktop environments for determining what to do if the new Copilot key is pressed.
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The brand new Copilot crashes (the plane into the ground / the desktop environment)?
Re:Systemd and snaps were bad enough (Score:5, Funny)
The key will load the new systemd configurator. It only runs as a snap.
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From TFS:
Now it's up to the Linux desktop environments for determining what to do if the new Copilot key is pressed.
But if the Copilot key actually does something else, won't that make it a Meta key?
<Insert Meta key joke here.>
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Windows key...? (Score:2)
Might as well make some tiny penguin logos and slap them on the keyboards. This sort of reminds me of the Windows key thing, all over again... except the Windows key did have a decent use for another set of launching macros and such.
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Compose! A true Meta! Super! There are (too?) many keyboard modifiers in a good Unix keyboard, and it pleases me that PCs are finally giving us enough keys to represent them all.
Re:Windows key...? (Score:5, Informative)
iit pleases me that PCs are finally giving us enough keys to represent them all.
The new key replaces either the right-ctl or menu key, so you're not getting any new keys. Basically, the key that was already there just sends a different keycode. Stupid.
On keyboards where they replaced the control key, I would map it back to control. There's no way I'm going to go through finger contortions to hit the control combos for keys on the left side of the keyboard.
On my current keyboard, I already have the useless menu key mapped to the (missing) right-windows key (which on Linux is in turn mapped to "super"), so I can do all the combinations with either hand. If they replace the menu key with the copilot key, I'd map it to the windows key.
This whole thing feels kinda silly. (Score:3)
Now onto my nonsensical rant:
I haven't looked at new computers in a while, at work I usually use whatever OEM or Microsoft keyboard I'm given, I was today years old when I looked at my keyboard and realised it had a Windows 10 logo on the start button, before that it was Windows XP, before that it was Windows 9x, it was usually a quick way to tell how old a keyboard was (if you ignore the beige and the PS2 connector).
I think keyboards should be abstract and not have any kind of distinct branding related to any operating system on them, at home I use a custom keyboard, or the text on the keycaps has faded, so it's not really something I ever thought about, I guess the copilot key replaces the menu key that I would only ever use if my mouse stopped working,
having worked in tech support in the past, I know how hard it is to even explain to a user over the phone how to press the Windows key, so I guess, good luck to the next generation of frontline tech workers who have to try to explain the Copilot symbol to someone who hasn't seen it before. - I wouldn't have even known it was there!
p.s the new keyboard symbol reminds me of being in a computer store circa 2006 and being told by friends that the computers with the Windows Vista key symbol on them are the ones to avoid lol.
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If hype is believed, the remaining job will be explaining how to use the copilot button so you can access AI search engines.
One suggestion (Score:1)
Just map the F23 key to play a series of random gut-wrenching splattering fart sounds with someone in the background screaming "Copilot! Not you AGAIN! Macro$hit, what are you feeding this thing?" There could be hundreds of variations voiced by, you know, Azure AI.
What happened to the Cortana key? (Score:2)
Somewhere maybe 10 years ago, Microsoft was pushing for keyboards to include a Cortana key. It was a lone, blue circle. I was sure I'd remap it to something more useful, but... well, it never materialized! Has somebody ever seen a Cortana keyboard in the wild? How is that key mapped? Is that key the same as the Copilot one? Where was Cortana sent to retire in its old age?
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Where was Cortana sent to retire in its old age?
Hopefully the ninth circle of Hell.
Re: What happened to the Cortana key? (Score:3)
What a pity. She was useful in Halo.
Jesus, just stop with new keys already. FFS. (Score:2)
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And I get it, as there now appears to be an abundance of tenkeyless keyboards too, I guess that's for the laptop natives - but for desktop no number pad, no sale.
What else? (Score:5, Funny)
"what to do if the new Copilot key is pressed." ? Easy. Play a laugh track.
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It's no joke for people who use a Japanese layout. The space bar is already quite small because we have three extra keys on that row. Either the space bar gets stupidly small, or something else has to go. To be fair the menu key, introduced with Windows 95, is fairly pointless and could be swapped for this new and even less useful key, but I have a feeling they aren't going to do that.
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It's no joke for people who use a Japanese layout. The space bar is already quite small because we have three extra keys on that row. Either the space bar gets stupidly small, or something else has to go. To be fair the menu key, introduced with Windows 95, is fairly pointless and could be swapped for this new and even less useful key, but I have a feeling they aren't going to do that.
I don't know - my (pretty recent) laptop has no menu key, so it's entirely possible it will just go. (I hadn't actually noticed until today that it wasn't there, that's how useful it is...)
HAL 9000 (Score:5, Funny)
Obviously it should play back a sound clip of HAL 9000 saying "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that".
I'll just leave this here: (Score:4, Funny)
You make my keyboard lots of fun.
Double bucky, an additional bit or two:
(Vo-vo-de-o!)
Control and meta, side by side,
Augmented ASCII, nine bits wide!
Double bucky! Half a thousand glyphs, plus a few!
Oh,
I sure wish that I
Had a couple of
Bits more!
Perhaps a
Set of pedals to
Make the number of
Bits four:
Double double bucky!
Double bucky, left and right
OR'd together, outta sight!
Double bucky, I'd like a whole word of
Double bucky, I'm happy I heard of
Double bucky, I'd like a whole word of you!
--- The Great Quux (with apologies to Jeffrey Moss)
Ok Copilot... (Score:1)
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If microsoft keeps going down the path it is, we may finally see that fabled year of promise. Because a *LOT* of people are getting sick to the teeth with all the distracting crap, AI, ads in start menus, browser hijacks, omiscient surveilance, etc etc that microsoft keeps packing into its cursed OS.
I hope it gets rejected (Score:2)
No space after the ','.
I Nominate... (Score:2)
Hmmm... How about it generate the code for... F23!?
I have this key on my new Thinkpad. I had no idea what it was for, as I'd never seen the symbol before -- I had to look it up. The BIOS lets you swap Ctrl and Fn keys, but it doesn't let you map this key to anything useful. What a waste.
Microsoft doesn’t know what to do with this (Score:1)
On the surface, this seems dumb. (Score:2)
In actuality, it's just giving access to the key, but still. I expect some reactionary "Hell to the no" comments from the usual suspects about this. Not even sure I entirely disagree with them. It is kinda crazy that we keep damaging existing interfaces to support something that the majority either don't care about at all, or are only minorly curious about. How about we hold off until it's a proven asset that people find indispensable before we fuck more with the keyboard over it?
key key key (Score:2)
How about a special key that deletes all microsoft bloat and spyware and advertising and forced anything?
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Linux kbd driver adds F23 support? (Score:3)
So this is just adding F23 support to the keyboard driver?
Am I misreading or is this extremely trivial?
I should go look at the patch but maybe a news article shouldn't require reading a patch to comprehend.
Or maybe I'm extra retarded today.