Re: standard key mappings

I agree Charles - there are no standards. 

However, given the level of complexity around the delivery of internet 
systems (both web sites and email.  ie RFC's - 50 years old) , the 
internet has been implemented across multiple operating systems (that have 
been developed to respond to a user need).

The question is -
Why is there still an excuse for non standard control keys in different 
operating systems and different software applications?  (punch cards in 
manufacturing were developed to translate patterns to weaving looms)

The "user"  base requires and needs conformity - people use specific 
technology for their daily activities.   IT developers/programmers need 
standards to deliver systems (operating and application systems).

The user base (our clients), operate phone systems (digital /analogue), 
operating systems and/or specific software applications (with different 
numeric keypads, reverse numeric keypads on calculators, digital phone 
numeric keypads, mode shift keys on laptops to change the functions( 
keyboards display a third level to allow you to access phonetic / 
pronunciation tags - for language based requirements). 

Character maps in software systems are available to represent centuries of 
knowledge, language and numeric infomation.

Why is it that IT professionals still argue that they are special and 
should not conform to a user based methodology and understanding?? 

At the end of the day - as we are all aware - the user pays for a service. 
  This demand is for all people using an interface to information systems to have an intuitive access 
their work/home environment .





Charles McCathieNevile <charles@w3.org>
Sent by: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org
27-07-02 01:38 AM

 
        To:     Danny Ayers <danny666@virgilio.it>
        cc:     W3c-Wai-Ig <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
        Subject:        Re: standard key mappings



In my experience these things are application-specific. Some of the more
widespread applications have widespread standards - MacOS introduced
command-C, command-X and command-V many years ago, and some variation of 
this
is now pretty common on non-unix systems (which tend to use shift-delete,
shift-insert or control-c, control-w, control-y). Beyond that, it seems
pretty hard to get unification.

It now seems to make more sense to me having configurations based on 
existing
conventions (making up yet another one is a terrible sin that I too have
committed) - provide a layer of indirection so you can call stuff via na
abstract interface layer, then describe a mappping to it. (This way you 
can
easily define an emacs-like mapping, an Opera-like mapping, and a
voice-control mapping...)

Cheers

Chaals

On Fri, 26 Jul 2002, Danny Ayers wrote:

>
>Hi,
>
>Does anyone know of a list of reasonably standard mappings between 
keyboard
>actions & program behaviour? I can get the stuff like Ctrl-c for 'copy' 
etc
>from nosing around existing applications, but there are one or two things 
I
>can't find (e.g. switching between a framed window view & full-screen). 
I've
>spent a while searching, but all I've found so far have been
>application-specific.
>
>Cheers,
>Danny.
>
>---
>Danny Ayers
><stuff> http://www.isacat.net </stuff>
>
>Idea maps for the Semantic Web
>http://www.isacat.net/ideagraph
>

-- 
Charles McCathieNevile    http://www.w3.org/People/Charles  phone: +61 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative     http://www.w3.org/WAI  fax: +33 4 92 38 78 22
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