The new Microsoftslop copilot key always sends the following key-sequence when pressed:

copilot key down: left-shift-down left-meta-down f23-down f23-up left-meta-up left-shift-up
copilot key up: <null>

This means there’s no real key-up event when you release the key --> it can’t be used (properly) as a modifier like ctrl or alt.

The workaround is to send a pretend key-up event after a time delay, but then you mustn’t be too slow / fast when pressing a shortcut.

tldr: AI took a perfectly working modifier key from you.

— edit —
Some keyboards apparently do the “right” thing and don’t send the whole sequence at once, you can remap those properly with keyd, see: https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/issues/1025#issuecomment-2971556563 / https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/issues/825

copilot key down: left-shift-down left-meta-down f23-down
copilot key up: f23-up left-meta-up left-shift-up

this will still break left-shift + remapped copilot and left-meta + remapped copilot, but RCtrl remaps should work as expected

  • SUDO@reddthat.comEnglish
    1·
    17 minutes ago

    Didn’t KDE say they were working on a way to remap it in a future update?

  • Fokeu@lemmy.zipEnglish
    48·
    3 hours ago

    Congrats Microsoft, you managed to enshittify a goddamn keyboard key.

  • Sims@lemmy.mlEnglish
    161·
    3 hours ago

    “tldr: AI took a perfectly working modifier key from you.” - ‘AI’ ?? I can’t see how this is anything but Microshit and Capitalism that 'takes away" anything…

    • HertzDentalBar@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      6·
      2 hours ago

      That’s the former right click button location. They took it away to implement a AI button. So it’s AI that’s done it, not literally but figuratively.

      • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        2·
        1 hour ago

        They (Microsoft) did actually also originally implement it, the application key was added to Microsoft keyboards in 1994 along with the Windows key. It’s meant to give compatibility to the Windows user interface when your PC had a mouse with only one button. Don’t remember those being very relevant in the recent years.

        So it’s Microsoft deciding that their right-click button isn’t necessary any more after 32 years, and swapping it for a Co-Pilot/Windows Search button.

    • neclimdul@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      2 hours ago

      Yeah… All the tools in Linux are going to do this weird thing where they expect it to behave like a normal key. So you’d have to do all the hacks mentioned to make it work. For example, GNOME keybind stops detecting the key bind when you release. Etc. Maybe the kernel will accept a “broken copilot key hack“ that implements it but it’s not good.

      Even with hacks, it still won’t work like a modifier like most people use alt/ctrl/win because those rely on knowing the key up to see multiple keys pressed together before release. So… Broken.

    • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      12·
      49 minutes ago

      When was the last time you on purpose used the application key on your keyboard to open the right-click context menu so you could navigate it using the arrow keys? Because that is the key it replaced - Microsoft has demanded for the last 32 years that the two spaces between CTRL and ALT on Windows compatible keyboards are used for the Windows key, and the Application Key, so that people using one-button mice (or no mice) can use the Windows GUI.

      • morto@piefed.socialEnglish
        3·
        18 minutes ago

        Well… I use it. I find it faster to use than the middle click gesture in the touchpad and the touchpad’s buttons are awful to press, so I use the keyboard button and navigate with the touchpad

        • RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          1·
          8 minutes ago

          Is a middle click even an option on a touchpad? I get annoyed that I can’t even right click hold and then left click. Rip fishing minigames on trackpad

      • SqueakyBeaver@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        2·
        41 minutes ago

        My laptop has a control key there. I know on some larger desktop keyboards there’s the application key, but I’ve not seen one on many keyboards from the last 10 years

  • MagicShel@lemmy.zipEnglish
    261·
    10 hours ago

    Did Microsoft demand vendors include such a button with those specs? If not, that sounds like a vendor issue, and I’d be looking at other vendors. Either way I’m happy to use keyboards/OSs without that “feature.”

      • brsrklf@jlai.luEnglish
        23·
        10 hours ago

        So to be clear, this key sequence is just how windows interpret the key, the hardware is exactly the same and any other OS can still use it as the context menu key?

        Edit : oh, just saw the thing about the linux workaround. So no, they actually fucked it up on hardware level. Wow.

        • attero@discuss.tchncs.deOPEnglish
          26·
          10 hours ago

          nope, the hardware / keyboard controller sends a complete key sequence instead of a distinguishable key-up and key-down event. The OS can interpret that sequence as it sees fit, but you loose the physical key-up signal when you release the key with your finger.

          • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyzEnglish
            1·
            47 minutes ago

            Though any competent manufacturer, especially when talking about laptops, would still have the application key under FN (as is shown in that example image), and give the ability for users to select which one is the default function in the BIOS.

          • Corngood@lemmy.mlEnglish
            10·
            7 hours ago

            That’s insane. Even if they did this intentionally to be as difficult as possible, they locked themselves out of being able to detect long presses?

            • attero@discuss.tchncs.deOPEnglish
              7·
              6 hours ago

              I’ve made an update edit: Some hardware vendors fucked up when to send the key-up-sequence apparently so now every keyboard can behave differently. I don’t know if this makes the situation better or worse.

      • MagicShel@lemmy.zipEnglish
        41·
        10 hours ago

        AI PC / Copilot+ label

        Okay that sounds solvable, at least. I mean, I hate it, but it seems that a person is getting what they pay for here. Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully there will be plenty of non-AI PC / Copilot+ computers and keyboards.

  • QuandaleDingle@lemmy.worldEnglish
    194·
    10 hours ago

    Just don’t buy an AI slop PC and get a Thinkpad, or a Framework laptop instead. Vote with your wallet. If you already own an AI PC, well, OP’s post might help.

  • FireWire400@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    9 hours ago

    My ThinkPad has one and it is just kinda there… despite it supposedly being remapable since Kernel 6.16 or so I can’t get it to properly remap.

    I’d love to map it to open LM Studio lol

    • ageedizzle@piefed.caEnglish
      1·
      23 minutes ago

      What’s the linux experience like on a mac? Last time I tried to do that the sound didn’t work because Apple hadn’t released the firmware for the speakers

    • TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.caEnglish
      172·
      10 hours ago

      Base model Macbook Airs are very hard to beat for price:performance, especially now the new base model has 16gb of RAM. I’ve been to numerous local computer shops and felt and tried numerous Windows laptops that were around the same price and they all felt like flimsy plastic trash.

      The Mac Mini is also very good for its price and size. My dad is considering a base model Mini to replace his Windows office computer which is on 10 and reached EOL and he doesn’t want 11.

      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        31·
        3 hours ago

        Can confirm. Decided to pop for a base MBA, but with 32g ram, about a year ago, and it’s fantastic. Unbelievable battery efficiency, completely silent (passively cooled), and still decently performant for when I want to compile something/do a cpu intensive thing. I’ve used MBPs as corp-issue dev machines for nearly a decade and a half now, so I’m quite comfortable in the ecosystem.

        I still have my old T14g2 running fedora, though (in addition to a plethora of non-mobile systems). Also snagged one of those silly-cheap Acer laptops with a fairly late model i3 in it, because it was $200 and had a SODIMM and m.2 slot, just as a spare/extra (it’s running kinoite)

      • bagsy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        61·
        6 hours ago

        Just the battery life alone will be enough to hook you on macs. The air is such a nice piece of hardware for the price.

      • kernelle@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        31·
        6 hours ago

        When you realise the main difference between an Air and a Pro is active cooling on the CPU on the Pro, it makes sense why the Air is a powerhouse. Knowing the M-series is very efficient, you’ll only notice the difference on heavy loads. (I know the Pro has more options, but it only makes a difference in specific workloads)

        Paying the exuberant Apple tax for more soldered RAM and storage is something you’ll never see me do as long as there are ultrabooks without permanently attached storage.

      • wjrii@lemmy.worldEnglish
        12·
        5 hours ago

        I was using a 2012 “vintage” minitower PC that originally came with Win7 as a crappy little plex/local FTP/Minecraft server, and I had been wanting to try MacOS after not seeing it for a while, so I got a Mac Mini with an M2 in it, and while I’ve hardly stressed it, it seems really nice. It’s small and completely silent, and if I did want to use it more, Apple has certainly tried to keep their walled garden pretty and well-organized.

      • otacon239@lemmy.worldEnglish
        41·
        9 hours ago

        I have an M1 Pro that’s still going strong without issues, even with 8GB RAM. They’re insanely durable (repair issues aside) and MacOS is wildly good at resource management.

      • thejml@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        41·
        9 hours ago

        I prefer it, however there are apps for Mac to remap it if you like. I use Karabiner to remap my Capslock to Escape. I have Capslock and moving the escape key there is much more ergonomic and where i have it on my custom mechanical keyboards.