Why is there no "qu" key on an English-language keyboard?

[CanuckAmok]

99.9999999% of the time, you immediately type "u" after typing "q", so why not have a key that handles both? If you write alot, as I do, especially about waterfowl and altenate sexuality issues, having a "qu" key could save you literally hours, or even days over a lifetime.

There could still be a separate 'q' key for people who make lots of lists or live in Qatar... but it could be tucked out of the way for everyone else, the way the "\" or the (tilde...I can't even find a tilde on my keyboard) is.

on edit: found the tilde: "~" Next to the spacebar, nice and out-of-the-way.

[JAbuchan08]

1. probably because adding an extra key to the keyboard to save

people from pressing an extra key every time they write quiet is too much of a bother for too little gain.

[CanuckAmok]

2. yeah, now.

but why not during the developmental stages of the keyboard?

[JAbuchan08]

4. Same reason basically, you're adding an extra key to the keyboard

for a sound that doesn't even appear as a letter in the alphabet. Even if it had appeared at the invention of the keyboard it would still constitute (in my mind) an unnecessary addition.

[hfojvt]

5. as far as I am concerned

they could take the caps lock key away and use that space. I have taken that key off all of my keyboards. Why? Because I use "tab" alot and accidentally hit caps lock instead of tab, WHICH MEANS I EITHER write in all caps or go back and change it again. Everything just becomes easy when the caps lock key is gone.

Also I seem to have two ctrl keys, two alt keys and two keys with windows symbols on them which I never use. And I really do not know what these 12 F keys do either. Is that to make grading easier?

[BikeWriter]

3. Quaint question!

[Left Is Write]

6. Interesting question.

For me, my fingers are used to spelling out each word one letter at a time. I can do it very, very fast. I'd actually have to retrain my brain to think of "Qu" as one letter. My brain knows so well what comes after the q that my finger automatically pops the u key after I've typed q.

[miss_kitty]

7. I hope you never have to write extensively about

Qatar.

:P

[Left Is Write]

8. I hope not too! It would likely come out Quatar, and then

I'd be terribly embarrased.

Qatar
Qatar
Qatar

That's not so easy to type. It slowed me down!

[miss_kitty]

10. OOOOH OOOH-brainstorm!1!!!!

Type it 'Quatar' then execute the 'Find/Replace with' function at the end of the document.

ok maybe not an entire STORM...

[Left Is Write]

11. I will try that if I ever have to write a paper about Qatar.

:D

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

12. Or even worse, queers in Qatar who are Hebrew

schollars specializing in Qoth research.

[SOteric]

9. Why is there no 'FU' key on a GD keyboard?

:hi: