How often, forgetting to switch the keyboard layout, many users type a large amount of text, despite the monitor screen. After all, the eyes are busy with a more important thing. They search for the necessary keys on the keyboard, trying to type the necessary words as quickly as possible. The result seen on the screen will force any user to think about installing software that is able to control text input and, in case of incorrect input, produce visual and audible alerts, and ideally, independently fix the error and switch between languages. The topic of this article is the keyboard switch, as well as an overview of decent installation programs that can solve user tasks.
On top of fame
The Punto Switcher keyboard switch is considered the most popular among analogues. It is a fact. After all, as you know, the program several years ago was bought by the Russian search engine Yandex, so any Russian-speaking person came under the influence of hidden and open advertising of the world's best keyboard switcher. The most important advantage of the Punto Switcher program is that it is free. The functionality of the keyboard switch is impressive.
- Automatic layout switching with instant correction of already written letters.
- Configure layout switching rules, such as abbreviations and acronyms.
- The presence of a dictionary for making exception words that do not need to be switched is very convenient when entering passwords.
- The ability to keep a diary of printed text, which has a breakdown by date, and can also be closed with a password.
- Sound warnings about incorrect entry for those who do not want to use auto-switch.
- Frequent updates and bug fixes, which indicates full software support.
Punto Switcher Switch Disadvantages
Judging by the numerous user reviews, along with the advantages of the program, there are many disadvantages, because of which it is often deleted and replaced with an alternative. It is clear that developers constantly monitor such reviews and try to fix errors, but very often new problems appear.
- Professional photo, audio and video editors, taking away all the system resources of a computer for themselves, often stop working when trying to unauthorized access of another application to change active resources. When creating a menu using the “Text” effect, very often the keyboard layout switch, doing its job, can harm a many-hour unsaved project.
- Strange program behavior during games. By controlling the movement of the player during the game in the columns, you can clearly hear the sounds of the Punto Switcher, which signal an incorrect entry.
- "Gifts" from the developers. When installing frequent updates, the program tries to impose the installation of unnecessary Yandex-panels and any utilities. And after the program is completely uninstalled through the control panel after reboot, it is discovered that the Punto Switcher process continues to be in the task manager.
About analogues on the Internet
It is unlikely that the author of the popular Punto Switcher program and the little-known brainchild of Keyboard Ninja at the beginning of the 21st century realized that the profitably sold project, which will undergo many changes over decades, will become an analogue of entertainment software that was forgotten in 2003. And so it happened. If you test and compare these two programs, you will find that in one decade nothing new and perfect appeared in the popular and loved by many users Punto Switcher program. Only the rules became more and dictionaries replenished.
It remains to determine for yourself which is better, the keyboard switch for Windows 8, which is constantly advertised by a well-known search engine and requires a lot of system resources, or a small utility that can perform the same tasks. Even if the program sometimes requires user intervention.
A program created forever
The free Keyboard Ninja keyboard language switch, created by Russian amateur programmers, is unknown to a wide range of users. It is not advertised anywhere and it is not easy to find it in reviews. But he is and is quite popular among administrators and programmers.
He honestly fulfills his direct purpose - switches the keyboard layout when necessary, without affecting the program code that the famous Punto Switcher loves to change. No annoying ads and tips. A small amount of system resources is used and there are no problems in working together with other applications. It’s unfortunate that the project is not supported, new users often have to create their own rules and replenish the dictionary when working with Keyboard Ninja.
Utility "2 in 1"
The keyboard switch of another Russian developer deserves the attention of users. The Orfo Switcher application is positioned as a utility for checking text for errors, and in the form of a nice bonus there is the ability to automatically switch the keyboard layout. The principle of the program is slightly different from analogues.
The program has several dictionaries built-in with which the word is compared with the input. If it is in the dictionary, the input is correct, otherwise the keyboard language switch will work. Apparently, the developer was not doing very well, since he, distributing his product for free, collected donations from users on a voluntary basis.
In the end, the project was divided into two areas. Orfo Switcher exists as an application available for download with free use without technical support. And the VirtAssist project requires payment for using the utility.
Alternative with a nice addition
An automatic keyboard switch called “Anetto Layout” will suit those users who accidentally press the “Caps Lock” button. You no longer need to rewrite text typed with incorrectly set case letters. Like previous programs, the utility can independently determine the incorrect input of letters and words. By automatically correcting the error, the application will change the keyboard layout to the desired language and notify the user of its action with a sound signal.
The complete free application, ease of installation and use, the ability to fine-tune and additional functionality should attract the attention of many users to this program. There is only one drawback in this program, but for many owners of modern computers it is significant. The application does not work on 64-bit systems, and in compatibility mode displays a message about incorrect data and ends its own process.
Semiautomatic device at the service of users
An interesting keyboard switch for Windows 7 is offered by the Arum Switcher utility. You should not expect anything supernatural from her, and her appearance looks somehow childish. It will interest those users who do not want the computer to independently change the keyboard layout at its discretion.
The Arum Switcher program constantly monitors and remembers the text entered by the user. And only at the request of the owner of the computer, who discovers that he is making an incorrect input, the program can switch the language and correct the incorrectly entered text earlier. Moreover, the user needs to press the desired key combination to signal the program. That is, this is not an automatic USB keyboard switch.
Also, using this program, it will not be difficult for the user to reassign control buttons to change the layout of the language. This solution will appeal to owners of gaming keyboards, on which the control buttons are far from each other and they cannot always be clamped with the fingers of one hand.
Mac OS X Owners
Owners of Apple products were not left without attention. For them, there is a free automatic keyboard switch called RuSwitcher. The program runs in the background. Keeps track of user input from the keyboard. In the event of a mismatch, it beeps , corrects the error, and changes the keyboard layout.
If you make a comparison, you can find that the appearance and functionality are very similar to the popular program among Windows owners Punto Switcher. In addition to the automatic mode, the user is given the opportunity to independently switch by pressing the buttons on the keyboard that were set earlier. Owners of laptops will definitely like this application. After all, the developer made it possible for the “Fn” service button to participate in changing the layout, which affected the usability of the switch.
Open operating systems
There is a keyboard switch for people working with Linux and Unix. It is called X Neural Switcher. And here it was not without Russian developers who created a kind of masterpiece. The application has become so popular that it has been placed in all popular repositories and is available for download under the name Xneur.
In addition to automatic mode, the program can also work with manual switching. Accordingly, the user selects the purpose of the active buttons independently. A feature of this program is the ability to install in two ways - graphical and console.
The graphic mode requires the presence of a visual interface “X Window”, a convenient control menu has been created for it. Users working in the console only need to run “demon” and configure its configuration file.
The most popular system did not go unnoticed
It is very difficult to find the keyboard switch for Windows 7, because, in addition to the popular Punto Switcher application, there is little information on alternative programs on the network. Quite the opposite is the case with the most popular operating system in the world - Android. Indeed, as you know, many users use an external keyboard connected to a tablet or mobile phone with a wide screen. Naturally, the problem of language switching also arises in them.
The choice of free applications with a huge number of additional features is so great that testing all the programs can take more than one day. Judging by the reviews of many owners, several worthy applications deserve attention. One of them is called SmartKeyboard, which works only mechanically, after pressing a certain combination by the user that was configured earlier.
But External Keyboard Helper Pro can work in automatic mode and somewhat remotely resembles the most popular application for Windows. In addition to switching functions, the Android program can reassign buttons on an external keyboard.
Self-breach theory
It may sound like paranoia, but what about any application that monitors every keystroke from the keyboard and has constant communication with its own server on the Internet? And taking into account the fact that any keyboard layout switch has a considerable size in relation to the small functionality of the program itself, it is quite possible to have hidden features.
- Collection and transfer of data to the developer's server about the interests of the user for statistics.
- Collection of information and compilation of dossiers for each Internet user.
- Creating a database of user logins and passwords for access to all kinds of resources. After all, somehow Google found out the personal information of people by submitting to the public a rating of "Most popular user passwords."
Finally
Having figured out which automatic and mechanical keyboard switches are available for installation, we missed one important factor. Any software should be taken only on the developer's site. This applies to both paid programs and free ones. Downloading software from alternative and little-known sources, the owner of the computer puts himself at risk of becoming a victim of scammers.
It is up to the user to decide whether to facilitate work at the computer by setting the automatic keyboard layout switch or not, but most importantly, remember that laziness is not always the engine of progress. Sometimes, care alone is enough to solve a number of problems. And on the other hand, the stupidities of paranoia turned people into conservatives, preventing them from developing and keeping pace with the times. In any case, everyone chooses his own path.