Thread: How do Russians and others normally switch between Latin and non-Latin keyboards?

Originally Posted by Anixx

Formerly computers had a special key "РУС" so that the layout could be switched. They also had more alphabet keys so that it was possible to put the punctuation in Russian layout at the same places as in Latin layout. For example, this is a keyboard of Yamaha computer from the mid-80s (it was the first computer model I ever used):


Unfortunately, in mid-1990s we saw dramatic spread of the American standard of computers, whose keyboard has no features to support languages other than English. So now we have to press two keys (usually Alt+Shift simultaniously) to switch the layout (or those who uses Linux can employ Caps Lock for that). These keys were never intended for layout switching. American keyboard standard also has smaller number of keys so that dot, comma, question sign and other punctuation are located in different places in Russian in English layouts. When entering Russian text we have to use Shift key to enter such usual character as comma. And we have no possibility to enter some characters such as {, [, ], }, #, @, & in Russian layout at all. This is very annoying if you have to enter a text with these characters: you have to switch the layout after each word.

Possibly the fact that computers from 1980s (even imported) had better support for Russian language can be explained with stronger position of Soviet government that required all computers to be adapter for Russian well.

У меня есть Иврит, Английский и Русский. Так моя клавиатура выглядит как.



It's a hassle switching 3 languages! I wish I had a button for each...

Originally Posted by Valda

У меня есть Иврит, Английский и Русский. Так моя клавиатура выглядит как.

It's a hassle switching 3 languages! I wish I had a button for each...

Wow, you are running 3 alphabets simultaneously!!! I can't imagine anyone here beats that!

Originally Posted by Anixx

You can also see the two buttons for switching layouts here

Listen and learn, keyboard vendors...

Very interesting to hear about your experiences of computers in the 1980s! I love to hear stories about people using IT equipment back in those days. My current manager was one of the first female programmers in Sweden, and her stories are very fascinating.

I have never seen a Russian made computer in real life, but I remember the name Robotron. They definitely made TVs and casette players too! (One has to wonder how a company like that stood up to competition after the German reunification... Their products were not cool, but they were functional and cheap. But I certainly have not heard of them in modern times, so I guess the company went bust, or was bought for about 1 penny.....)

The first computer I saw was one my dad got from his work, to use at home. I think it was around 1982 and it was an Apple. Later in the 80s I saw a hobby computer that my cousin built from parts off a catalogue. It could be connected to the TV to play computer games off a casette tape!

In the UK all computer geeks over 40 get nostalgic at the thought of BBC Micro and Altair computers. They had to be assembled by the user.