As the name implies, a keyboard is basically a board of keys. Along
with the mouse, the keyboard is one of the primary input devices used
with a computer. The keyboard's design comes from the original
typewriter keyboards, which arranged letters and numbers in a way that
prevented the type-bars from getting jammed when typing quickly. This
keyboard layout is known as the
QWERTY design, which gets its name from the first six letters across in the upper-left-hand corner of the keyboard.
While the design of computer keyboards may have come from typewriters, today's keyboards have many other keys as well.
Modifier keys,
such as Control, Alt/Option, and Command (Mac) or the Windows key
(Windows) can be used in conjunction with other keys as "shortcuts" to
perform certain operations. For example, pressing Command-S (Mac), or
Control-S (Windows) typically saves a document or project you are
working on. Most of today's computer keyboards also have a row of
function keys (F1 through F16) along the top of the keyboard, arrow keys
arranged in an upside-down T, and a numeric keypad on the right-hand
side. Some keyboards have even more buttons, allowing you to change the
system volume, eject a CD, or open programs such as your e-mail or Web
browser.
×