Ok I’m probably the idiot here, but why not just make one key umlauts, and one for both directions of apostrophe, and then make it a key combo with the standard vowel?
Like how shift+a = A, it would be umlaut+a = ä, and shift+umlaut+a = Ä?
I’m guessing (not sure) that AltGr, visible in the picture, switches between the two options like Shift would. Shift still switches case.
I think the main reason they didn’t make an umlaut modifier is that ä is considered a distinct letter from a. It would be like asking why have a key for w (“double u”) when it could have been typed as uu. Not a perfect analogy but the best I can think of right now.
The position of the umlaut keys are also identical to the German layout. That’s probably why there’s no switch for those.
Incidentally, the German layout uses such switches for diacritics, but only those used commonly in French, bit also not all of them. ë and ï are impossible, for example, as is ç. And diacritics on consonants are also right out, because fuck the Slavs, I guess.
I’m a German that uses an US keyboard with the US intl layout. I think it solves all of my keyboard needs: I have the benefits of the US layout for programming and access to all common umlauts.r RAlt+S = ẞ e.g. …wikipedia.org/…/Tastaturbelegung_US-Internationa…
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
Ok I’m probably the idiot here, but why not just make one key umlauts, and one for both directions of apostrophe, and then make it a key combo with the standard vowel?
Like how shift+a = A, it would be umlaut+a = ä, and shift+umlaut+a = Ä?
How do the real keys (pic) even work?
NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
I’m guessing (not sure) that AltGr, visible in the picture, switches between the two options like Shift would. Shift still switches case.
I think the main reason they didn’t make an umlaut modifier is that ä is considered a distinct letter from a. It would be like asking why have a key for w (“double u”) when it could have been typed as uu. Not a perfect analogy but the best I can think of right now.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
Swiss here, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
bob_lemon@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
The position of the umlaut keys are also identical to the German layout. That’s probably why there’s no switch for those.
Incidentally, the German layout uses such switches for diacritics, but only those used commonly in French, bit also not all of them. ë and ï are impossible, for example, as is ç. And diacritics on consonants are also right out, because fuck the Slavs, I guess.
SigmarStern@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
I’m a German that uses an US keyboard with the US intl layout. I think it solves all of my keyboard needs: I have the benefits of the US layout for programming and access to all common umlauts.r RAlt+S = ẞ e.g. …wikipedia.org/…/Tastaturbelegung_US-Internationa…
Obi@sopuli.xyz 4 weeks ago
Yep US intntl FTW!