Can MS make a sillier decision? It seems they can...

Windows 11's Print Screen-key may soon have a different function​

Fortunately, users will be able to reset the Print Screen key, back to it's normal 20 - 30 old year function.

Ghot said:

Windows 11's Print Screen-key may soon have a different function​

https://www.ghacks.net/2023/04/11/windows-11s-print-key-may-soon-have-a-different-function/

Fortunately, users will be able to reset the Print Screen key, back to it's normal 20 - 30 old year function.

Click to expand...

In a world where most keyboards are re-programable now its no biggie, Can make any key anything. I bought the german version of my keyboard as it was a good bit cheaper than the uk version, the y and the z were in opposite places, just popped off the keys, switched em and reprogrammed them and sorted. Also learned some german words lol!

That is definitely silly. I like my prt sc button and would like it left alone! I suppose they are making it dual purpose to avoid having to add more keys. But personally have never used a snipping tool.

They are only changing the default behavior. You can change that in the Windows settings. Also, if you install a third party print screen program it will configure the print-screen for you.

MisterEd said:

They are only changing the default behavior. You can change that in the Windows settings. Also, if you install a third party print screen program it will configure the print-screen for you.

Click to expand...

Well, they are taking what has been the default behavior for 20-30 years and making it the non-default behavior.
What they should have done is just added a toggle in Settings that allows folks to choose a different default behavior if desired.

Instead, they did it backwards. Now the behavior the entire world expects, is no longer the default behavior.

Ghot said:

Well, they are taking what has been the default behavior for 20-30 years and making it the non-default behavior.
What they should have done is just added a toggle in Settings that allows folks to choose a different default behavior if desired.

Instead, they did it backwards. Now the behavior the entire world expects, is no longer the default behavior.

Click to expand...

Yep, classic Microsoft stupidity. Always with the opt-out requirement at the inconvenience of the majority, never with the opt-in to satisfy the minority.

I think it would have been much smarter to just fix Paint. Then there would be no need for a snipping tool in the first place.

Ghot said:

I think it would have been much smarter to just fix Paint. Then there would be no need for a snipping tool in the first place.

Click to expand...

Yes they sure borked Paint!

personally prefer snipping tool to paint in all honesty

ShamrockRig said:

personally prefer snipping tool to paint in all honesty

Click to expand...

Well, the way Paint is these days... I would too.

Paintshop Pro probably just has me spoiled.
When I hit the PrtSc key and then open an image editor... I expect to to Edit > Paste
Instead there's some weird icon that looks like a clipboard with a note on it.

I mean really? Is Edit > Paste just too complex for folks.
Every image editor I've used has Edit > Paste... except Paint.

I still don't know why MS is steering away from the "Menu Bar".
It's not just MS either.

Firefox, Chrome, etc... all going to ambiguous icons.
Even car dashboards, that used to say things like Hot, Cold, Vent, etc., now have these ambiguous icons.

Road signs used to say things like Slippery Road. Now we have this idiocy...





I mean, you're in a strange area, and you see these signs.
Do they mean Slippery, or Snake Crossing, or Peel-out Zone, or Pot Holes ahead?? LOL

Ghot said:

Well, they are taking what has been the default behavior for 20-30 years and making it the non-default behavior.
What they should have done is just added a toggle in Settings that allows folks to choose a different default behavior if desired.

Instead, they did it backwards. Now the behavior the entire world expects, is no longer the default behavior.

Click to expand...

Well yes and no. If you go back far in time to days of dot matrix printers that did not have sophisticated drivers, you pressed printscreen, and it immediately printed to printer.

So default behaviour has changed before.

TBH I (and I suspect most users) have not really used the printscreen button for years anyway. I suspect most do not even know how to use it or rarely use it.

The new functionality is a much more useful use of what is a practically (imo) redundant key.

At least MS gave an option to not do it. Problem is a marketing one really.

If they told people to enable a new feature, many would not bother. Tell them to press a button and they probably will.

Those who get annoyed will seek ways to revert.

I am not saying this is best way to do it, but I can understand why.

In my case, it is a bit annoying as one of my media function keys already does exactly what new printscreen does.

However as I have not used old printscreen for years, it does not really affect me.

The most important thing about defaults is that when you select a specific default you want is that it remains that way.

Of course, MS change that all the time. For example I hate "But Its No Good (BING)" and I use a 3rd party extension to enable Google for new tabs.

Every flipping time there is an Edge microchange, the extension is turned off (allegedly for security reasons bit flipping bs of course).

Equally annoying is when I go to chrome now and then, it always asks if you want to change to default browser.

The browser default settings war is absolutely pathetic They should respect your choice and give a option to never ask again.

Maybe an option should be first time a user presses printscreen, it asks you if you want to keep printscreen as old or new functionality, but give MS's track record, it will ask you every time there is a y in the name of the current day (in englsh regardless of language being used lol).

Holy bollards typing this on and android phone using chrome, and in the cut and paste menu that comes up, I now see an option to search with pox ridden BING!

I believe the latest "Logo" for Ms should be Mega Stupid.

I can't conceivably think of any reason whatsoever to change the Print screen function -- who asked for it -- would be interesting to see if their market research (assuming if they even have any) said about changing print screen.

It's a lot easier if you just want a screen print to hit print screen rather than have to capture an image save it and then print it. Most OS'es accept the print screen. I don't print much but I still find it useful.

I think they are hoping to copy from some of those Supermarkets who annoy customers by changing aisles of food / goods where stuff has been for ages getting them to walk around the store and impulse buy other things while looking for the original goods.

@cereberus Firefox asks you ONCE if you want to make it your default browser and that's it. Not only that you can change to whatever search engine you wand. I find DuckDuckgo a good default search engine too.

I'm surprised Chrome can't also set itself to the default browser in Windows ONCE.

Cheers
jimbo

It makes much more sense to open the snipping tool from the print screen button, I can't remember the last time I needed a full-screen capture, but I grab selections all the time.

It also helps people not upload huge screenshots to the sites when they only need a small area.

z3r010 said:

It makes much more sense to open the snipping tool from the print screen button, I can't remember the last time I needed a full-screen capture, but I grab selections all the time.

It also helps people not upload huge screenshots to the sites when they only need a small area.

Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with the Snipping Tool.
My only beef is that MS has made the "default" action of the Print Screen key, the non-default option in Settings.

If folks want to use Print Screen with Snipping Tool... fine.
THEY can go into Settings and toggle it.

Let the entire rest of the world, that has been using the Print Screen key for "screen" capture, for 20-30 years... with the default Print Screen option... being the default.

In fact... Snipping Tool itself, really isn't necessary. That's what the dozens of image editors are for, Paint included.





That took a whole 10 seconds... :/

It should be the default action, but I know you don't like change

Ghot said:

Well, the way Paint is these days... I would too.

Paintshop Pro probably just has me spoiled.
When I hit the PrtSc key and then open an image editor... I expect to to Edit > Paste
Instead there's some weird icon that looks like a clipboard with a note on it.

I mean really? Is Edit > Paste just too complex for folks.
Every image editor I've used has Edit > Paste... except Paint.

I still don't know why MS is steering away from the "Menu Bar".
It's not just MS either.

Firefox, Chrome, etc... all going to ambiguous icons.
Even car dashboards, that used to say things like Hot, Cold, Vent, etc., now have these ambiguous icons.

Road signs used to say things like Slippery Road. Now we have this idiocy...

View attachment 57687



I mean, you're in a strange area, and you see these signs.
Do they mean Slippery, or Snake Crossing, or Peel-out Zone, or Pot Holes ahead?? LOL



View attachment 57688

View attachment 57689

View attachment 57690

View attachment 57691

Click to expand...

I get you, But those road signs are all pretty self explanatory without words in all fairness lol.
Same with dashboards.

I Hadn't used printscreen the old school way for maybe 5 or 6 years now, Didnt even know it did what it does now but now i do i actually prefer the new way of using the button. Fairly simply and easy over here.

z3r010 said:

It should be the default action, but I know you don't like change

Click to expand...

It's not "change" that bothers me.
With Windows 10 and 11's built in telemetry... I'd "rather" use 3rd party programs to accomplish things on my computer.

I don't "want" EDGE, Snipping Tool, OneDrive, Teams, built by the same company that welded telemetry to the OS, to be handling my... browsing, image editing, storage, comms... etc.

I at least want to make it a "tiny" bit hard for them to watch everything I do on my computer.

ShamrockRig said:

I get you, But those road signs are all pretty self explanatory without words in all fairness lol.
Same with dashboards.

I Hadn't used printscreen the old school way for maybe 5 or 6 years now, Didnt even know it did what it does now but now i do i actually prefer the new way of using the button. Fairly simply and easy over here.

Click to expand...

Yeah... but try doing this is 7 seconds with your Snipping Tool.

Ghot said:

It's not "change" that bothers me.
With Windows 10 and 11's built in telemetry... I'd "rather" use 3rd party programs to accomplish things on my computer.

I don't "want" EDGE, Snipping Tool, OneDrive, Teams, built by the same company that welded telemetry to the OS, to be handling my... browsing, image editing, storage, comms... etc.

I at least want to make it a "tiny" bit hard for them to watch everything I do on my computer.

Click to expand...

You are not paranoid, they are out to get your personally out of the one billion users. Why you - only you can know what you did wrong in a former life.