The new Micro~~soft~~slop 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
And they took the place of a useful key to put that
You could even argue that bottom row is for command keys, not macro or function keys like F keys or print, pause, etc., but then again Fn key is literally called function
I reckon the co pilot key is used more than the key it replaced. I dont even know what that key did.
If you remap alt to ctrl as God intended, then this key would take the place of alt.
On laptops it usually replaces right ctrl, sometimes right alt.
Both these are needed to make lots of shortcuts viable, or possible at all with one hand.
right alt is also an importand 3rd shift layer for many languages' keyboards, hence them replacing right ctr often instead of the less popular alt.
The open menu key. It's the one I remap to Compose (for special characters, like Comp+--- to get —).
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 between CTRL and ALT on Windows compatible keyboards are used for the Windows key, and the Application Key, so that people using one-button mice (or no mice) can use the Windows GUI.
I've used it yesterday. Haven't been at the desktop today, but will use the key when I get at it.
Normally it's mapped to alt in my setup, while alt is remapped to ctrl, but I haven't gotten around to figuring out how to do that with Cinnamon. Meanwhile, Double Commander allows adding useful actions in the context menu, and Emacs has the commands menu (M-x) mapped to the ‘application’ key.
I used it regularly before I got a keyboard that turned out to have a useless Fn in its place
Well... I use it. I find it faster to use than the right 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
Sorry, I meant right click. By the way, tapping with 3 fingers usually works as a middle click, at least on gnome
TIL I even had an application key there. I don't think I've ever used it.
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