Why UK keyboard layout different from US?

[sbasak]

I have to presently work in UK and found UK keyboard layout is quite awkward.

@ is placed with ' instead of on 2
left Shift key is very small (just normal key width)
There's only one Alt key. Another is 'Alt Gr' key which doesn't perform any 'Alt' key function!
# sign is not on key 3 instead it is placed just besides Enter key!
\ is besided left Shift key.


Can anyone tell me Why UK keyboard layout is so different from US layout though both countries speak English?

[si_the_geek]

I've got no idea why it came out that way - obviously the basics are the same (letters and numbers), and have been taken from the same basic idea from typewriters.

One easy way around it is to tell the computer you are using an american keyboard (do it in control panel). That way you can type the way you usually do (but not have the actual keys to look at!) ;)

[sbasak]

Already tried but of no use...

[Kzin]

Originally posted by sbasak
I have to presently work in UK and found UK keyboard layout is quite awkward.

@ is placed with ' instead of on 2
left Shift key is very small (just normal key width)
There's only one Alt key. Another is 'Alt Gr' key which doesn't perform any 'Alt' key function!
# sign is not on key 3 instead it is placed just besides Enter key!
\ is besided left Shift key.


Can anyone tell me Why UK keyboard layout is so different from US layout though both countries speak English?

The most obvious thing is that Britain developed commercial computers separately and in parallel with the US so our punchcard and teletype terminals were not copies of US ones but completely separate developments (see http://www.computinghistorymuseum.org/teaching/hardware.htm ).