I got my first computer at home when I was 6 years old. It was a Sura PK8000 with a black and white TV. Then I tried games on the MSX-2 with a color monitor, various BC models, PC and ZX Spectrum.
The latter has been my favorite for several years. I got it in a case from a “Sura”, which was assembled at a plant in Penza, with a black and white “Corvette” monitor and two disk drives. Naturally, in the early 90s I had no idea what a real Spectrum looked like. What was more important was that software for it, unlike “Sura” and BC, was in bulk, and many families had clones and there were no problems with exchanging collections.
Keyboard Sura PC8000
What infuriated me were the crooked control key combinations in many games. What Sinclair Joystick? Why OPQAM? Are there normal cursor arrows on the keyboard?
Screenshot of the control selection in the game Rolling Thunder (Keyboard - those same OPQAM)
What’s even worse, when writing programs you had to either stick a long time into small stickers on the keys, or memorize combinations. There were no separate buttons for cursor control or backspace.
After reading Sinclair's story, I decided that this was done for the sake of cheapness, miniaturization, and also because many people used a joystick in games.
But after I looked at the keyboards of popular computers in the late 70s and early 80s, I decided that the creators of the PC didn't really bother, and used typewriters as a base. Indeed, who might need cursor keys, the location of which will be the same on all keyboards that can be pressed with one hand, and even blindly?
Although no, Apple was so confused that on the Apple Lisa and Macintosh there were no cursor keys at all. This is how customers were taught to use a mouse.
Keyboard Apple M0110
Perhaps, all the inconveniences and “pain” of users when switching from model to model can only be understood by showing how it was.
On typewriters, cursor keys were not needed, but on computers they seemed to be necessary to move through listings, menus, and game controls?
However, there is a feeling that the creators of computers simply did not use their creations, because on some models such as the Atari 400, 800 and 800XL, the keyboard existed unchanged for several years.
I wrote about Apple Lisa and Macintosh at the very beginning. On the Apple II, cursor keys appeared. But... only left and right. It would be interesting to understand the logic.
Apple II Keyboard
Another inconvenience was that the games had completely different controls. For example, in Ms.Pac-Man the A and Z keys were responsible for up and down, and in Lode Runner the controls were without cursor keys at all - IJKL.
Screenshot of the game Ms.Pac-Man
A full-fledged block was added to the Apple IIc and IIe models.
In the Apple III, the developers again got creative and arranged the keys as it happened (three keys in a row, and one on top).
Using any of the solutions with one hand is inconvenient. But the worst thing is that switching from a PC from one manufacturer to another was a real nightmare.
To control the cursor, you had to hold down Control, and in the younger model you also had to put up with a membrane keyboard.
The layout is already in a row, and without CTRL.
That is, if you worked for Atari and then suddenly decided to switch to the BBC, you need to relearn how to use the keyboard again.
The small keys on the top of the case are placed in such a way that it is impossible to rest your hands without touching anything.
By the way, the key order is different from both Atari and BBC Micro.
There are up, down, left, right, but on different parts of the keyboard.
It should be noted that in Japan things were no better.
Casio FX 9000p Laptop PC
The decision in the Commodore 64, which gained enormous popularity and reputation as a gaming PC, seemed very strange to me. Please note that up-down and left-right are answered with one key each. It’s good that at least the shift button is placed so that you can operate it with one hand.
The Commodore 128 already received an in-line layout:
But in the Commodore Plus/4, in my opinion, it turned out to be a completely unsuccessful solution. The block with cursor buttons is too small and is only suitable for text editing.
Closer to our usual location, but the middle finger must make a less convenient movement to move up and down.
Keyboard Amiga 1000
But the Amiga 500 and 2000 already received a T-shaped arrangement.
I was convinced that IBM had invented the standard, but it turns out that even before the IBM Modem M keyboard (1985), at least two companies used a T-shaped cursor key arrangement. But to its credit, IBM influenced the widespread adoption of this option.
I specifically spent time looking for pictures of old computers and terminals. The first keyboards with our usual layout appeared back in 1970 or earlier.
ADDS Consul 880 terminal
A more modern version appeared in 1982 thanks to Digital Equipment.
Keyboard LK201
There are a lot of bad examples of implementing cursor keys. While preparing this article, I repeatedly mentally said “thank you” to the designers and developers, thanks to whom you can easily switch to another computer and continue editing your post without stumbling on someone else’s keyboard.
If you have any ideas why there hasn't been a single standard for so long, or you have an explanation of the manufacturers' logic, share in the comments!
The latter has been my favorite for several years. I got it in a case from a “Sura”, which was assembled at a plant in Penza, with a black and white “Corvette” monitor and two disk drives. Naturally, in the early 90s I had no idea what a real Spectrum looked like. What was more important was that software for it, unlike “Sura” and BC, was in bulk, and many families had clones and there were no problems with exchanging collections.
Keyboard Sura PC8000
What infuriated me were the crooked control key combinations in many games. What Sinclair Joystick? Why OPQAM? Are there normal cursor arrows on the keyboard?
Screenshot of the control selection in the game Rolling Thunder (Keyboard - those same OPQAM)
What’s even worse, when writing programs you had to either stick a long time into small stickers on the keys, or memorize combinations. There were no separate buttons for cursor control or backspace.
After reading Sinclair's story, I decided that this was done for the sake of cheapness, miniaturization, and also because many people used a joystick in games.
But after I looked at the keyboards of popular computers in the late 70s and early 80s, I decided that the creators of the PC didn't really bother, and used typewriters as a base. Indeed, who might need cursor keys, the location of which will be the same on all keyboards that can be pressed with one hand, and even blindly?
Although no, Apple was so confused that on the Apple Lisa and Macintosh there were no cursor keys at all. This is how customers were taught to use a mouse.
Keyboard Apple M0110
Perhaps, all the inconveniences and “pain” of users when switching from model to model can only be understood by showing how it was.
❯ The worst of the worst
On typewriters, cursor keys were not needed, but on computers they seemed to be necessary to move through listings, menus, and game controls?
However, there is a feeling that the creators of computers simply did not use their creations, because on some models such as the Atari 400, 800 and 800XL, the keyboard existed unchanged for several years.
Apple
I wrote about Apple Lisa and Macintosh at the very beginning. On the Apple II, cursor keys appeared. But... only left and right. It would be interesting to understand the logic.
Apple II Keyboard
Another inconvenience was that the games had completely different controls. For example, in Ms.Pac-Man the A and Z keys were responsible for up and down, and in Lode Runner the controls were without cursor keys at all - IJKL.
Screenshot of the game Ms.Pac-Man
A full-fledged block was added to the Apple IIc and IIe models.
In the Apple III, the developers again got creative and arranged the keys as it happened (three keys in a row, and one on top).
Using any of the solutions with one hand is inconvenient. But the worst thing is that switching from a PC from one manufacturer to another was a real nightmare.
Atari 400, 800, 800XL (1979)
To control the cursor, you had to hold down Control, and in the younger model you also had to put up with a membrane keyboard.
BBC Micro (1981)
The layout is already in a row, and without CTRL.
That is, if you worked for Atari and then suddenly decided to switch to the BBC, you need to relearn how to use the keyboard again.
HP 9835 (1979)
The small keys on the top of the case are placed in such a way that it is impossible to rest your hands without touching anything.
By the way, the key order is different from both Atari and BBC Micro.
TRS-80 (1977) and Tandy Color Computer (1980)
There are up, down, left, right, but on different parts of the keyboard.
Casio
It should be noted that in Japan things were no better.
Casio FX 9000p Laptop PC
Commodore
The decision in the Commodore 64, which gained enormous popularity and reputation as a gaming PC, seemed very strange to me. Please note that up-down and left-right are answered with one key each. It’s good that at least the shift button is placed so that you can operate it with one hand.
The Commodore 128 already received an in-line layout:
But in the Commodore Plus/4, in my opinion, it turned out to be a completely unsuccessful solution. The block with cursor buttons is too small and is only suitable for text editing.
Amiga
Closer to our usual location, but the middle finger must make a less convenient movement to move up and down.
Keyboard Amiga 1000
But the Amiga 500 and 2000 already received a T-shaped arrangement.
❯ Towards the end. IBM was not the first!
I was convinced that IBM had invented the standard, but it turns out that even before the IBM Modem M keyboard (1985), at least two companies used a T-shaped cursor key arrangement. But to its credit, IBM influenced the widespread adoption of this option.
I specifically spent time looking for pictures of old computers and terminals. The first keyboards with our usual layout appeared back in 1970 or earlier.
ADDS Consul 880 terminal
A more modern version appeared in 1982 thanks to Digital Equipment.
Keyboard LK201
There are a lot of bad examples of implementing cursor keys. While preparing this article, I repeatedly mentally said “thank you” to the designers and developers, thanks to whom you can easily switch to another computer and continue editing your post without stumbling on someone else’s keyboard.
If you have any ideas why there hasn't been a single standard for so long, or you have an explanation of the manufacturers' logic, share in the comments!