Executive TL;DR:

• IBM opposed Microsoft’s use of the Tab key to move between dialog fields
• IBM’s 3270 series mainframe terminals used the Tab key for this purpose
• Microsoft’s decision to use the Tab key in this way was a turning point in the company’s history

The Buzz Score

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Forum Voices

Some users find this story odd, given IBM’s consistent use of the Tab key in their keyboard nomenclature. As one user notes:

I find this story odd because IBM was consistent with their keyboard nomenclature across multiple products, and the 3270 series mainframe terminals used the Tab key, located in the same place where you would find a tab key on a modern keyboard, to move the cursor to the next field.

Others have pointed out the potential complications of using the Tab key in this way. For example:

The tab key itself is hijacked by modern OS/UI behavior. It makes it complicated to actually type literal tab characters in certain contexts, particularly in the browser.

IBM’s Reasoning

Despite the widespread use of the Tab key to move between dialog fields, some users still sympathize with IBM’s opposition to this use. As one user notes:

I would still be sympathetic to this view. There are some cases where you can type a Tab into an input field, and there are other cases where you can’t, and it’s not immediately obvious which ones are which.

Focus Keyword: Tab Key