| 2 | | > Some laptop manufacturers (AFAIR the list includes at least Toshiba, HP, Acer, and MSI) have really sloppy NumLock implementation which basically prevents it from being useful. |
| 3 | | > |
| 4 | | > The problem is: when NumLock is enabled, the keys that have numeric pseudo-keypad in Fn layer turn into permanent keypad, which in turn means that one cannot enter ordinary letters with them until NumLock is off again. |
| 5 | | > |
| 6 | | > At the same time, while NumLock is off, pressing Fn+those keys produces what the numeric keypad keys would produce with NumLock off – they act as cursor control keys. |
| 7 | | > |
| 8 | | > Luckily, that doesn't include Dell, which I'm a happy user of. :) Dell has a slightly different design: even with NumLock enabled, the keys in question keep entering letters until I press Fn+those keys. And if I turn NumLock off, these keys keep entering letters, but when pressed with Fn, they act as cursor control keys, just like on all other laptops. |
| 9 | | > |
| 10 | | > My idea is that we could introduce software-emulated implementation of what Dell laptops do in BIOS: a checkbox in the keymap preferences which would make the OS invert treatment of numeric keypad keys. In that case, with NumLock off, they would enter numbers, and with NumLock on, they would produce arrows (or alternatively, they could simply ignore NumLock and always produce numbers, like in OS X). If this would work, it would be simply great! |
| 11 | | > |
| 12 | | > One thing I'm not sure about is whether laptops would try to do anything "smart" upon triggering NumLock status programmatically. If not (this would need testing), then Haiku could even turn that led on and off to reflect status of NumLock as seen by applications. |
| | 2 | > Luckily, that doesn't include Dell, which I'm a happy user of. :) Dell has a slightly different design: even with NumLock enabled, the keys in question keep entering letters until I press Fn+those keys. And if I turn NumLock off, these keys start acting as cursor control keys, just like on all other laptops. . |
| | 3 | |
| | 4 | A small clarification: when I turn NumLock off, these keys keep entering letters, but when pressed with Fn, they act as cursor control keys, just like on all other laptops. In other words, regardless of NumLock state, the keys always enter letters until I use Fn, and only then do they do what numeric keypad keys do with respect to current NumLock state. |
