Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!sjsca4!poffen From: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russell Poffenberger) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: Swapping Caps Lock and Ctrl Message-ID: <1990Sep21.195630.17715@sj.ate.slb.com> Date: 21 Sep 90 19:56:30 GMT References: <1990Sep20.000534.12354@chinet.chi.il.us> <14182@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> Reply-To: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russell Poffenberger) Distribution: comp Organization: Schlumberger Technologies, San Jose, CA. Lines: 26 In article <14182@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> dls@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (David L Stevens) writes: > > On the keyboard I have, I'm pretty sure you can't do it from software >because the logic was in the keyboard. I opened it up, made 6 cuts on the >keyboard PC board and added 6 jumpers-- works wonderfully, although it >probably voids the warranty. :-) > The keys are different sizes, though, so they're still labelled >wrong, but I never read them anyway. This is entirely incorrect. The keyboard for an IBM PC/AT compatible only sends scan codes to the CPU. What that means is that when you press a key it sends a code saying key xx went down (where xx is some number). When you release it, it sends a code saying key xx went up. Software then maps the scan code with the actual key meaning (ie ctrl, caps lock, etc). Even on an AT with LED's for the lock keys, the computer instructs the keyboard about which LED's to turn on and off. In short, there ARE software solutions available to swap keys. Sounds like someone hacked up their keyboard for nothing. Russ Poffenberger DOMAIN: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com Schlumberger Technologies UUCP: {uunet,decwrl,amdahl}!sjsca4!poffen 1601 Technology Drive CIS: 72401,276 San Jose, Ca. 95110 (408)437-5254