I remember years ago an episode of Unsolved Mysteries (or something similar) was about a guy with amnesia who couldn’t remember anything about his past. He got a job and was really good at using a number pad, so they reasoned he could’ve been an accountant or banker previously.
I don’t know why that stuck with me, but occasionally I’ll be typing along on the number pad in my non-banking, non-accounting job, and wonder if they were at all right in their guess.
I joined the Cult of the Mechanical Keyboard awhile back. Read up and went with a TKL keyboard to save desk space (aka 80% keyboard, missing that entire right part). I decided I absolutely hate it, doing anything in Excel or whatever is a chore. I have a separate mechanical keypad now.
I kept being irked by software that could only use one or the other of the two places on the keyboard for typing numbers. And I still am. My keyboards at home and at work don’t have the righthand keypad, and the Alt key at work doesn’t work right without one.
Why’d they have to make this such a mess?
I’m a bookkeeper and I just wish my laptop had the number pad.
My primary PC at work has a full keyboard with a number pad. It’s handy since that’s where I’m most often using Excel, typing telephone numbers and filling out credit card information.
My laptops at home do not have a separate number pad.
Likewise. I also type with my middle fingers only. I have found that this obstructs the view of the keyboard less than using the forefingers (which I keep pointed front-upwards when typing)!
I’ve spent the last 25 years of my life using an adding machine, a telephone and the numeric keypad on a credit card machine. I can use the keypad on my keyboard as fast as I can type. The numbers along the top row require me to look at what I’m doing and slow me down considerably.
I wouldn’t even consider a keyboard or laptop without a keypad.
So, with everything you type, you’re giving us the finger?
For regular typing of numbers in running text, I definitely use the numbers at the top of the keypad. For number entry into a database or whatnot, good lord does the keypad speed things up for me. It’s been a bit over fifteen or so years since I’ve done that sort of data entry, but there’s no comparison for me in terms of speed. And it’s way more comfortable for me when doing repeated numerical entries.
I took office machines in high school. Learned 10 key adding machine and many others.
I used my 10 key adding machine regularly at my service shop.
It was easy transitioning to a PC keyboard.
Did they make you bring them back?
Ha, the equipment in that room was too antiquated to take.
Bookkeepers remember this monster? Thankfully I never used one again after finishing my class.
https://images.app.goo.gl/dmqf29XYFaPMUEcw8
We had no idea how much technology would change in less than 8 years.
My laptop doesn’t have a numeric keypad.
I wouldn’t buy a keyboard for a PC that didn’t have a numeric keypad. It’s essential for entering data into spreadsheets.
Sort of, though inverted! Make of it what you want! 
The numeric keypad is easier when doing data entry, which is why I use it when I’m at work. But my home laptop only has numbers at the top of the keyboard.
When I was in sales I absolutely had to have a numeric keypad, enough to that I bought an external one for the laptop I had at the time.
My laptop now has one, and I’ll use it when I’m entering students grades and such.
I won’t even buy a laptop that doesn’t have a numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard. As an engineer, I type nearly as many numbers as I do letters, and that is MUCH faster than using the top row.
this is me …you won’t believe the crap I get for it …
Brought back memories of this thing. I never use the keypad. Never understood the point of the NumLock button.
I’m a legal secretary, so don’t do much in the way of typing in numbers, even though I have a numbers keypad. On the occasions that I must type in numbers, I use the top row of keys, just like I was taught in typing class so many years ago.
