I see no use for the numlock key, I'd rather just have the numpad on the whole time. Are there actually cases where it is useful or people who for some reason prefer their numpad turned off?
I think the numlock key is a hangover from the IBM XT computers (maybe even before that). Those keyboards didn't have the cursor keys and other key block. So, the numlock key was quite important.
I know, because I got my first PC during the PC AT days right before they moved toward ATX. That was a full size keyboard.
I am surprised it has stuck around so long. I understand in the transition from XT to AT that perhaps computer operators got used to using the numpad for navigation and muscle memory would be ruined. But, you know it's like 40 years on now. There isn't really a modern day reason to keep it.
It's a relic of the past. Old keyboards didn't have dedicated arrow keys and since many programs were only controlled by arrow keys rather than a mouse, having a num lock key was a good solution to the problem. But if you are still stuck in an environment where you have to navigate a lot with arrow keys, the num lock still comes in handy. Having Pg Up and Down and the Home/End keys nearby is super handy in this situation.
It's still useful for some old video games, especially for multiplayer where both play at the same time.
I only find it useful on laptop keyboards. I like the numpad for entering numbers, and I also like having dedicated keys for stuff like Home, End, and Insert when browsing or editing. It saves space when you can double the numpad for both.
If you need to type numbers really fast, of course there’s no beating numlock. 10 key for the win. Of course that doesn’t get at why not just leave it as 10 key forever and skip the arrows. I know a lot of older programs… like msdos older…required the use of the arrow keys. And some people do prefer it for their cursor, and it doesn’t hurt to provide the option.
Yes. On my keyboard there's no separate "end" key, it's part of 3 on the numpad, that key is very useful when using the terminal, because you don't need to wait for 5 years for the cursor to make it to the end of your command.
If you have keyboard software, you might be able to use that. I use autohotkey for reassigning keys. The script would be:
SetNumLockState, AlwaysOn
NumLock::End
For windows,
Just put it in a txt file after installing AHK and use .ahk at the end of the file name. There's a way to make it the default script, but I think but I use just task scheduler to make it start on boot/login.
There's an old game I grew up with called Castle of the Winds. You could also move using some other keys or the mouse, but for me my favorite way by far was using the numpad with numlock turned off.
I also used to use the numpad while playing Half-Life, as the person who introduced me to that game swore by remapping all the keys to the numpad.
Old games are pretty much the only use Ive ever seen. The keypad can be used as arrow keys, but with diagonal options and the ability to easily switch over to numbers. Nethack, for instance, is extra challenging without a proper numberpad.
Scroll Lock is the one that comes to mind as a safe removal.
However, for me, the real useless AND inconvenient piece of shit I wish I could rebind as I want that space for something better is Caps Lock. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to do.
Use autohotkey! I have a very simple solution for this, where the caps lock key is mapped either as a backspace key, or it minimizes the current window.
You should look into Kanata. It lets you remap the whole keyboard, same idea as QMK, except it’s running on your computer instead of the keyboard itself.
It can be a bit tricky to set up if you’re not used to that sort of thing, but I managed to figure it out so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
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