|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
The Infamous JIS Keyboard
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
The Infamous JIS Keyboard
Well, here it is.
Sorry that I haven't bothered to include a photo of the English keyboard for comparison. Why? Well, you lucky PowerBook users with English keyboards can simply look down at your own 'board to compare. And others will make do somehow.
Red = Keys not found on the English keyboard
Yellow = "Shrunken" keys
Blue = Keys (and characters) that are oddly shaped or oddly positioned
After creating this image, it becomes clear that one frustrating part of using this keyboard is that all the important "modifier" keys have been shrunk or placed in inconvenient locations. This includes the TAB, SHIFT, COMMAND, SPACE, ENTER and DELETE keys. In addition, key combinations to type parentheses, quotation marks, &, +, =, *, etc. differ. This can really throw off one's typing. And, what I personally cannot forgive is that tiny little COMMAND key not being placed up-side the SPACE BAR and the "EISUU" key Apple Japan shoved between them. There's nothing more frustrating than banging out a long thought only to look at the screen and find long lines of irrecoverable gibberish on the page.
The keyboard is also cluttered, mostly because of the redundant keys and also due to the extra lettering.
All in all, this is even clunkier and more difficult to adjust to than having to zip up a jacket with one's left hand!
(Praise the powers to be that I am ambidextrous!)
Click here for a closer view of the clumsy front-left section.