can someone explain to me why PS/2 has three very similar scan code sets and all of them are cursed beyond belief
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Replying to @whitequark
One of them is compatible with the XT scan codes for XT keyboards. This dates back to the PC AT but Idk how to enable it offhand.
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Replying to @cr1901 @whitequark
If you put set 1 in numerical order it looks exactly like an XT keyboard layout. Not sure what to make of the others, but I wonder if it has to do with the physical scan matrix of a Model F and/or Model M keyboard
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Here's set 3 (I think, it's hard to find good sources) as a gridpic.twitter.com/7CJyDefyvH
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Replying to @whitequark @Random832
Speculating: F11 and F12 weren't part of the original 83-key Model F keyboard or the original 84-key AT keyboard, for that matter. Since AT keyboard protocol is compat w/ PS/2, IBM adding F11/F12 later might have something to do with it?
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Replying to @cr1901 @Random832
but isn't set 3 supposed to be the "reasonable" one
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Replying to @whitequark @Random832
No idea, I'm afraid :(. I'm just speculating that since F11/F12 were added later, IBM had to work within already-existing constraints for scan codes. According to wiki, set 3 predates set 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scancode
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I think the reason for the folding is to keep the number of columns a power of two, so the scancode can just literally be row/col merged bitwise. The physical layout is 6x19 or something, which is annoying, so they fold it to 8x16.
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