"A computer keyboard is a typewriter-style device which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. Replacing early punched ...
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cards and paper tape technology, interaction via teleprinter-style keyboards have been the main input method for computers since the 1970s, supplemented by the computer mouse since the 1980s.
Keyboard keys (buttons) typically have a set of characters engraved or printed on them, and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol. However, producing some symbols may require pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence. While most keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or symbols (characters), other keys or simultaneous key presses can prompt the computer to execute system commands, such as such as the Control-Alt-Delete combination used with Microsoft Windows. In a modern computer, the interpretation of key presses is generally left to the software: the information sent to the computer, the scan code, tells it only which key (or keys) on which row and column, was pressed or released." - (en.wikipedia.org 05.01.2021)
