[ale] What's the alternate function mode on the keyboard for?

[James Sumners]

They're usually used for quick launching common applications (e.g.
calculator, calendar, etc.). But as you have seen, the keyboard is
going to require a driver that can interpret the signals

On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 12:46 PM, Jim Lynch
<ale_nospam at fayettedigital.com> wrote:
> Some if not most of my keyboards have a "F" or mode key that changes the
> normal function keys f1-12 into something else.  If I run xev to see
> what the keys send in the "not" function mode, some of them don't work
> at all.  How can a key not produce any events?
>
> Anyway I discovered this alternate mode the hard way, it got turned on
> by accident an I though I had trashed my keyboard somehow so I bought a
> new one.  Eventually the new one did the same thing and I got to looking
> at the funny lights and discovered this "feature" (?).
>
> So what's it for?  What good is it if it doesn't send any events?
>
> Thanks,
> Jim.
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>



-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
CH:D 59