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Microsoft is adding a new key to PC keyboards for the first time since 1994 (arstechnica.com)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

529 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Copilot key will eventually be required in new PC keyboards, though not yet.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

MS used to sell a keyboard with a custom button to start your web browser.

Now that web browsing is common but that key has been removed from keyboards, do you still remap a hotkey to bring up Firefox?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’m ambivalent about all this, but I think the distinction is that a web browser button would simply open a persistent window, and therefore only really needs to be used once or twice per “session”. Copilot is designed to act more like the Start menu, in that it is opened frequently and disappears after each use.

That being said, and as much as I use ChatGPT myself, it’s hard to see this as anything more than an easy way to further the perception of Microsoft as first-class AI company, thereby justifying its high stock price for a corporation with limited new growth opportunities.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Copilot is designed to act more like the Start menu, in that it is opened frequently and disappears after each use.

Copilot's session maintains state. That is it modifies responses to your questions to get more accurate. This means it needs to be left open even more than Google.

Google is almost stateless. The second query you give it doesn't immediately change based on the first query, so the old style keyboard with a web browser button is more useful than a button to launch copilot. Because you need to keep a single session open until the problem is solved or you lose all that state information.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I didn’t mean to imply that Copilot is stateless when I said that the window shouldn’t be persistent. I don’t really disagree with anything you’re saying though, I’m just guessing that Microsoft expects/hopes that Copilot will soon be as integrated into most everyday computing workflows as the Start menu, rather than a full web browser. Probably wishful thinking, but only time will tell.

Also, you’re kind of advocating for a Bing button more so than a web browser button. Don’t give Microsoft any ideas :P

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Also, you’re kind of advocating for a Bing button more so

The windows key is a Bing button. You press it and type things to search but Windows gives you Bing results along with local apps that match what you type.

To increase Bing hit results they even automatically show a list of "trending searches" that have nothing to do with your search or any possible search history.

I just hit the Windows button to see what happens and got "Kelly Clarkson weight loss" "Tyreek hill house fire" and "Caitlin Clark" in trending searches. I don't even know who they are.