How macOS Identifies Keyboard Layouts by Asking Users to Press Specific Keys
By
zdw
Crispy enough to crunch, soft enough to enjoy. A good bake.
Summary
The article explains why macOS asks users to press specific keys when connecting a new keyboard, particularly focusing on the keys next to the left and right Shift keys. It details how this process helps macOS identify the keyboard layout type (ANSI, ISO, or JIS) by detecting which physical keys are present, since different international keyboard layouts have different numbers and arrangements of keys around the Shift keys. The explanation covers the historical and practical reasons for this seemingly primitive user experience in modern operating systems.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledYou might have seen this, one of the strangest and most primitive experiences in macOS, where you're asked to press keys next to left Shift and right Shift, whatever they might be.
There are three main international keyboard layout variants in common use: American (ANSI, with a horizontal Enter), European (ISO, with a vertical Enter), and Japanese (JIS, with a square-ish Enter).
The shape of Enter and the shuffling of the surrounding keys is not the only difference. It's also that the European layout has historically always had one more key.
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