Selecting option to disable need for Fn key when using Functions

[David Chatterton]

This is not necessarily a bug but a request for a minor enhancement.

On a laptop (eg Dell XPS 13), there are a number of functions programmed into the funtion keys. These include keyboard brightness, screen brightness, sound volume, playout start/pause etc. These currently need the Fn key to be held down whilst selecting the function. (This often requires two hands to do this.) The Apple MacBookPro has a keyboard option to allow these functions to be selected by simply pressing the keys (F1 - F12) without holding down the Fn key. If one of the F functions is required (as a keyboard shortcut for an application) this is optained by holding down the Fn key as well as pressing the F1 - F12 key. A checkbox on the Systems Settings > Keyboard window would be a convenient way of selecting the option.

Associated with such keyboard functions is the Backlight Brightness. It would be useful to have a checkbox that allows the actual backlight brightness to be remembered between sessions. Currently, a new session starts up with maximum backlight brightness. In contrast, the sound volume settings seem to be remembered between sessions as a default. Since the Dell is equipped with a webcam, it would be useful to be able to use the webcab to measure the ambient light and adjust the backlight brightness to match. (Whether this is done as a default or is selectable via a checkbox on the Systems Settings > Brightness & Lock window would be an added enhancement. The Apple MacBookPro provides this facility.)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: unity-control-center 14.10.0+14.10.20140922-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-30.40-generic 3.16.7-ckt3
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-30-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu8.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sat Jan 24 17:02:07 2015
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/unity-control-center
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-12-11 (43 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140722.2)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: unity-control-center
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to utopic on 2014-12-11 (43 days ago)
usr_lib_unity-control-center: deja-dup 32.0-0ubuntu1