Why are the Ctrl and Fn keys swapped on my Thinkpad?

Simply a foolish design. I'm using Thinkpad X200, and I've hated it for long.

"Are you opposed to learning a new replacement for CTRL?

Someone screwed up keyboards a long time ago. Apple and Sun had it right. As everyone knows CTRL should be where Caps Lock is. I've kept this configuration the same as long as I can remember.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
""Scancode Map""=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,3a,00,1d,00,1d,00,3a,00,\
00,00,00,00

This may help with the Fn key confusion."

Probably because some engineer thought it was a good idea. Honestly, the only way you're going to get a better answer is to ask IBM... or find it on an IBM employee's blog.

"Evidently IBM's ThinkPad was the first to have an Fn key, so, pedantic as it may be, it's everyone else that swaps it.

As for why, one rationale is for turning on the ThinkLight keyboard illumination in the dark, which is Fn+PgUp: the lower-left corner and the upper-right corner.

Note that Apple also has Fn before Ctrl.

Reference: Why is the FN key on the outside left instead of CTRL?"

"My Gateway MX6448 is the same way. Drives me crazy when I'm using the HP from work (Cntl is the farthest left on the bottom) then go and use my Gateway. Didn't really think twice about it when I first got the Gateway about 3.5 years ago, but I am going to be much more critical of keyboard layout from now on.

*sigh* Live and learn...

EDIT: Just an aside, I haven't found any magical tricks (like was mentioned with the Lenovo light above) that would make sense for Gateway switching key order. I think they did it just to annoy me. IT'S A CONSPIRACY!!!"