tlug: Keyboard standards (was: Recommend Japanese KB??)

[Hernando TANAKA <ktanaka@example.com>]

Jonathan Byrne wrote:
> Was this your first post on TLUG?

You're right.  I've been a rom (read-only-member) for about a week,
but I couldn't help raising an objection about this toppic 8-)

The jp-keyboard is usually called jis-keyboard.
JIS stands for Japanese Industrial Standard.
Almost every jis-keyboard is an implementation of JIS X 6002-1980.
This standard is based on ISO 2530-1975.
Here's the marks of the top row of this ISO standard;

	!  "  #  $  %  &  '  (  )     =  ~
	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0  -  ^

# Actually, the doller sign is a currency sign.

Do you realize any thing?  Right!  Same as the jis-keyboard!!!
So, this is where the "strange" layout comes from.

Now, then why on the earth did ISO make such layout??
The reason is cristal clear.  Let me write down some
ascii characters;

      | 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
  ----+--------------------------------
  0x20|SP ! : # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . /
  0x30| 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ?
   ...|
  0x40| @ A B C ...
  0x60| ` a b c ...
   ...|
  0x50|             ... X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _
  0x70|             ... x y z { | } ~ DEL

Got it?  The shift marks on the ISO2530 layout are based
merely on the ascii sequence.

But there is a catch!
Look carefully which one is the "normal" mark and
which one is the "shift"ed mark.

E.g., for the 0x20 row and 0x30 row, the 0x30 row is the normal one,
except for the last four chars.
Small letters are normal, while backquote (`) is shifted mark.

The ISO layout is also called "logical pairing",
but as you saw above, it's not completely logically consistent.
It's just easier for keyboard maker to implement the circuit,
and I think that's all the reason.

BTW, there is a newer standard, JIS X 6004-1986, but
I've never seen a real one.  The kana is arranged so as to be
easy for typing.  I believe that it's the same reason
why no computer maker supplies dvorak keyboard.
# I do use dvorak layout when typing english reports.


--- Kenny TANAKA
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