Apple Firmware Update For Magic Keyboards Decides To Change The Fn Key

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Apple Firmware Update For Magic Keyboards Decides To Change The Fn Key

Linux has supported the Apple Magic Keyboards since 2018 handling the Bluetooth connectivity and also needing some special handling for the numeric keypad. While that normally would be the end of the story, recent firmware updates to the Apple Magic Keyboard have caused problems...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Apple-Magic-Firmware-Fn-Change

[x4mer]

Stop supporting Apple products. Apple doesn't want to support anything outside their ecosystem, so why should anyone support Apple products?

[CommunityMember]

Stop supporting Apple products. Apple doesn't want to support anything outside their ecosystem, so why should anyone support Apple products?

This is essentially just another device specific quirk (essentially a one liner) which is not unlike all the other device specific quirks that exist in the kernel for other HID devices. And while I am personally not a fan of the Apple Magic Keyboard, I do not believe I should be able to tell someone else that they cannot like or use the keyboard, nor are they not allowed make the patches to support various firmware variants. You, of course, are free to build your own kernel with your own patches to remove all support for Apple related hardware, so I guess we are both right.

[sverris]

Stop supporting Apple products. Apple doesn't want to support anything outside their ecosystem, so why should anyone support Apple products?

To be able to use older hardware longer...

[CochainComplex]

To be able to use older hardware longer...

This is exactly what Apple doesnt want. https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup

[Sonadow]

Speaking of keyboard quirks, I have two Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboards which behave very strangely on only OpenSUSE 15.0's Grub2, where they will not register any keystrokes on the boot menu unless another key is held. Works as expected once booted into the OS proper.

Does not happen on any of my Debian boxes to date.

Anyway, the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard is the best split keyboard I have ever used in a very long time. Really loving those stiff rubber domes; a welcome change from mushy domes found in almost all other rubberdome keyboards, especially from Logitech. And I still hate the feel of mechanical keyboards.

[M@GOid]

The Fn key is a solution for a problem that didn't exist, until some idiot(s) thought removing a row from the keyboard was a good thing.

[skeevy420]

Stop supporting Apple products. Apple doesn't want to support anything outside their ecosystem, so why should anyone support Apple products?

Don't repair Ford vehicles. Ford doesn't want to repair anything outside of their ecosystem so why should any other mechanic repair Ford vehicles?

[r1348]

Don't repair Ford vehicles. Ford doesn't want to repair anything outside of their ecosystem so why should any other mechanic repair Ford vehicles?

Completely inaccurate. I own a Ford and I can bring it to any mechanic out there, who will be able to provide original or third party spare parts if needed. If I had the ability, time, and place to do the fix myself, I could order the spare parts off the internet.

[Sonadow]

The Fn key is a solution for a problem that didn't exist, until some idiot(s) thought removing a row from the keyboard was a good thing.

Try telling that to laptop manufacturers where every bit of space is critical.