I see FKEY folders on old shareware discs. What’s that and why use it?

Problem:

I see FKEY folders on old shareware discs. What’s that and why use it?

Unlike what you might think at first, this has nothing to do with the F1 to F12 keys on your Extended Keyboard. Instead, FKEYs are the tiny house equivalent of a program. Small in size (just a few kb) and created for a single purpose - to enhance System 7’s capabilities.

How is that different from e.g. a System Extension?

The main difference is that FKEYs will only load by the time you invoke them. Thus, they do not cause conflicts the same way control panels or extensions may. (Hi RAM Doubler!)

So what does a FKEY look like? System 7 already comes with a few - Shift + Command (Apple) + 3 takes a screenshot, right? That’s a FKEY. Or Shift + Command + 1 that will eject a floppy from an internal drive.

Over the years many FKEYs have been written and distributed on BBSes and shareware discs. Since they are very specialized in what they do, chances are that 99% will be useless to you. It’s really the 1% you’re looking for. We have a selection of FKEYs for download on System 7 Today. Why don't you head over to our goodies section.

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