Xah Lee, 2007-10.
IntelliType↗ is the software (driver) that is bundled with Microsoft's keyboards. The software allows you to assign functionality to various special keys and function keys on the keyboard. For example, you can set a key to launch or switch application, open a particular file, or press some keyboard combination instead. It also allows you to set up some other keyboarding related preference, for example, you can switch the functionality of Caps Lock key and Ctrl. You can also make the Windows key act as Mac's Option key and the Alt key as Mac's Cmd key, for Mac users.
Of my over a decade experience of using keyboard and keymapping software (including: QuicKeys, ResEdit keymap rsrc, xmodmap, KeyboardMaestro, DefaultKeyBinding.dict, ...) since ~1991, i think IntelliType is one of the top quality software. However, no software is perfect and in the following i list some flaws i find. This list is mostly just a personal record, and probably too esoteric for general consumption.
This report is regarding “Microsoft IntelliType Pro, Version 5.4 (v.105)”. The keyboard i'm using is “Microsoft Wireless Natural Multimedia Keyboard”.
• Once a function key is assigned to launch a application, any key-combination press involving a modifier and the function key will just launch the application as if no modifier key is pressed. For example, if i set F1 to launch web browser, then pressing any of shift+F1, Alt+F1, Ctrl+F1 all will just launch web browser. If the function key launch is setup with F-Lock up, same problem happens. In other words, IntelliType renders modifier+functionKey combination useless.
This is bad news for me because i use function keys extensively to launch applications and each modifier+function variation launches different applications of the same type. For example, i do a lot literature research so i have several dictionaries on my computer. F1 is set to launch American Heritage Dict, and i'd like Shift+F1 to launch Apple's bundled Oxford American Dict, and Ctrl+F1 to launch the web-based OmniDictionary↗, and Cmd+F1 to launch a web browser based Merriem-Webster. Other function keys are similarly occupied. (see also: A Review of 3 Dictionaries)
With the IntelliType problem of consuming a whole function key, my work-around is to not use IntelliType to define any function keys. Instead, use other keymapping software to do the launching. (currently am using Quicksilver↗ for this.)
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