Most operating systems (if not all) asks about the keyboard layout during installation. Why do they need to know the layout? I mean, when pressing key, does the keyboard send a specific signal indicating what it represents (if so, why needing to specify the layout?) or it sends a signal indicating its position (the second raw, third key) and then the OS detects what key is that from the layout specified?
Why specifying keyboard layout
keyboardkeyboard-layout
Best Answer
keyboards "send" numeric scancodes.
The operating system has to convert the scancode into an action or a displayable character.
For example, Shift+3 is the same scancodes on UK and US keyboards but needs to result in differing characters.