Why is there a Scroll Lock button on the keyboard?

Do you know what the "Scroll Lock" key is used for? So that after this question your eyes stop randomly examining the keyboard in search of this button, please note that it is located in the upper right corner.

The average user, most often, does not use all the keys on the keyboard. As a result, often those who spend almost the whole day at the computer, most likely, do not even know all its capabilities.

If you press the Scroll Lock button to experimentally test its purpose, then no significant difference will be revealed. The only noticeable change is that an LED on the keyboard lights up, indicating that the key is active.

Scroll Lock is translated from English as "scroll lock". The original purpose of Scroll Lock is to change the functions of the cursor keys (arrows). If the light is off and, therefore, the "Scroll Lock" mode is inactive, then the cursor keys work in the usual way, and if the mode is active, they serve to scroll the screen in different directions.

However, despite its "unpopularity" this button is still not as useless as it seems at first glance. In different software, its use can greatly facilitate the work.

For example, when working with Excel, it can be used to scroll the page in different directions using the arrows. In the Linux console, the key stops scrolling text. In the Opera browser, a combination of Scroll Lock and numbers can control voice signals. On Dell laptops, the Scroll Lock key functions as the Fn key. In MapleStory, you can take a screenshot by pressing Scroll Lock. The Alt+Scroll Lock combination in Punto Switcher’s automatic layout switcher is used to transliterate text.