Keyboard (computer) (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what the keyboard is in computing, its history, characteristics and types. Also, how the keys are laid out.

What is the keyboard?

In computing and computing, the keyboard It is a peripheral or input or input device (input) information. It consists of a set of keys or buttons arranged horizontally on a sheet, where they act as mechanical levers or electronic switches, thus allowing the user to enter coded information into the computer system.

It operates in a way similar to that of typewriters: associates a character, a function or a set of characters with each key which when pressed by the user's fingers, input a specific signal to the computer, tablet or smartphone.

The keyboard is probably the main way the user communicates with the computer system. It was also the first to be designed, at least as far as modern computers are concerned.

Today there are different computer keyboard configurations and different models, depending on their ergonomic construction and internal logic. Some of them have even incorporated the functions of other peripherals, such as the mouse or mouse: They not only come in different languages, but also adapted to the Operating Systems and computational models that exist on the market.

Brief history of the keyboard

The history of the keyboard begins with its direct adaptation of the typewriter, invented around 1868. The first modern examples actually belonged to teletypewriters and electric typewriters, or were a mechanism for communicating with computer terminals through a serial port.

In response, these first computers, which did not have a monitor, used to turn on lights or directly print messages to communicate with the operator.

The first keyboards as we know them today appeared with home computers some years later. They came in an immense variety of versions and alignments, until the IBM AT Multifunction keyboard was established as a standard, given the success of the brand's first personal computers, around the 80s.

Keyboard Features

The keyboards operate through the operation of a microcontroller equipped with its own software, capable of performing matrix scans every time we press a key and thus knowing which one it was, and which character or function it corresponds to.

This occurs by assigning each key a numerical value, through a code that is linked to your physical position, called Scan Code. This code, for example, is different when we press several keys at the same time, which allows the composition of many more signs than are drawn on the keyboard.

On the other hand, keyboards communicate with the system in different ways, depending on whether they are physically separated from the CPU or if, as in laptops, they are part of it.

There are wireless keyboards, for example, that use WiFi technology, while others remain faithful to the connecting cable. There are even removable models, which allow the user to physically handle the different blocks that make it up separately.

Keyboard types

The simplest way to classify keyboards is by looking at their physical form, that is, their structure and industrial design. Thus, we have the following cases:

Classic keyboards Those that are rectangular and follow the aesthetics of the standard IBM keyboard.
Ergonomic keyboards Those that have been designed to adapt to the shape of human hands and not cause as much damage to your joints.
Multimedia keyboards Those that have shortcut keys to various functionalities of the computer system, especially those that have to do with audio, video, connectivity or even certain applications.
Flexible keyboards Those produced from lightweight elastic materials, such as silicone or soft plastic, and which can therefore bend on themselves, adapt to irregular surfaces or some can even be submerged in water, without affecting their functionality.
On-screen keyboards Those that do not exist physically, but are projected onto a touch screen or touch screen, and that are pressed directly on it.
Membrane keyboards Discontinued due to their low resistance to use, they consisted of two thin plastic sheets or membranes, equipped with conductive tracks on the inside, so that when pressed with the finger the electronic signal was allowed to pass through.

Key types

Generally, standard keyboard keys can be classified according to their function into four separate blocks, which are:

Function block It is located as high as possible on the keyboard and has a series of numbered buttons, accompanied by the letter F (function“Function”). Its specific functions will depend on the program being run, although the Esc key (Exhaust) which is at the end of the row, is usually associated with the quick exit of programs and situations on the computer.
Alphanumeric block Located below the previous one, it presents the total of the Arabic numbers from 1 to 9 (and then 0), and below them the entire alphabet, in the same way as typewriters. They are usually accompanied by special keys for writing, such as the space bar, the shift key, other grammatical signs, etc.
Special block Located to the right of the alphanumeric, it contains the four position or movement keys, in four directions: up, down, right and left. Along with them, there are special keys such as page forward or back, print screen, delete, start, end, pause, etc.
Number block Located as far to the right as possible on the keyboard, it operates like a numeric keypad when you press the key block numberand as a scroll keyboard without pressing it. It also presents the basic arithmetic signs and a key enter additional, along with the two decimal operators: the point and the comma.

Keyboard layout

Similarly, there are different key layouts on the keyboard, depending on the language, the manufacturing company, and the computer model. The standard in the West is the IBM keyboard, in its QWERTY layout so called because they are the first three letters of the alphanumeric block.