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.
- Linux workaround: https://github.com/m-bartlett/remap-copilot?tab=readme-ov-file
- Windows workaround https://github.com/randyrants/sharpkeys/issues/560
- https://xcancel.com/dcolascione/status/2019936377408811319
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
Didn’t KDE say they were working on a way to remap it in a future update?
It’s the Bixby Button all over again.
Congrats Microsoft, you managed to enshittify a goddamn keyboard key.
“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…
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.
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.
so fucking stupid
You can remap that key on a hardware level with a little flathead screwdriver. 🪛 🗑️
Is it? I mean, if I have Linux installed, you know.
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.
Another great product of Free Market Capitalism ©
I’m gonna hug my old ThinkPad when I get home today
I do that all the time.
There’s nothing weird about it, stop looking at me like that
Its totally normal. And its cool if you like to hug multiple Thinkpads at the same time 😆
Smells like antitrust violations.
And they took the place of a useful key to put that
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 CTRL and ALT on Windows compatible keyboards are used for the Windows key, and the Application Key.
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
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
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
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.”
It is/was required for vendors to use the AI PC / Copilot+ label and Microsoft “invented” the key-sequence.
src: https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/26/24112500/microsoft-ai-pc-intel-windows-copilot-key-requirementsSo 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.
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.
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.
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?
I’ve made an update edit: Some hardware vendors fucked up with when to send the key-up-sequence apparently so now every keyboard can behave differently.
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.
Just don’t buy an AI slop PC and get a Thinkpad, or a Framework laptop instead. Vote with your wallet.
Frameworks aren’t available where I live and I’m not getting anywhere near Lenovo after they shipped laptops with malware installed.
Lmao. All non shit PCs are “ai PCs” now. It’s already built into the CPU. All you need is not 8 gigs of ram and to put that button and Microsoft hands you that sweet sweet dosh.
Pretty sure MS made this a “standard keyboard” button, which could mean it needs to be included for the OEM to be able to put windows on the machine.
all new thinkpads have copilot buttons
Well damn.
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 put a shortcut to open LM Studio on it lol
It’s worth taking a look in the BIOS/ UEFI setup - maybe the key can be remapped there? Once in there was a setting which defined the default F-key behaviour.
That sounds way beyond the average users technical expertise. But it sounds like it might work. If you manage to figure out how to do that please let me know
