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I'm not using macOS, but it sounds like the Dashboard key, which now does nothing, is not sending F4 instead. Unfortunately that's simultaneously perfectly con

I'm not using macOS, but it sounds like the Dashboard key, which now does nothing, is not sending F4 instead. Unfortunately that's simultaneously perfectly consistent while it also violates the principle of least surprise: - It remains technically correct - the Fn keys are in "do special thing mode", and this key has no special thing associated with it any more - It is now a dead key, which is extremely confusing because, now that it does absolutely nothing __under the default configuration__, it's arguable as to why it's even there anymore. From the "my computer is a physical thing that humans interact with" standpoint (as distinct from the "behold my mathematically perfect 4GHz calculator" standpoint), it kinda makes a lot of sense for that key to go "oh I just send F4 because I don't do anything special" to me. In fact NOT doing that would irritate me no end! Anecdotally, this reminds me of the recent 1+2+3 calculator incident in iOS: it's pretty obvious all the frontline developers at Apple have touch-bar MacBooks (something something "politically-correct forced dogfooding", oooooo) so this inconsistency fell through the cracks. Apple is starting to fragment from the bottom up in a big way...

mikestew 9y ago
Though I disagree with what you consider “least surprise”, that’s a helpful point of view, thanks.
esrauch 9y ago
Surely you can see an argument for it potentially being more confusing that F4 sends a keystroke to your active application but none of the F keys do?
- pluma 9y ago
  Non-macOS user here on a random laptop: when I type Fn+<some key> and that key doesn't have a special function that can be invoked using the Fn key, the result is the same as not holding the Fn key. If the behaviour of the Fn key were inversed (i.e. keys with special functions perform that function unless the Fn key is held down), I would still expect regular keys to work normally no matter where on the keyboard they are. The F# keys aren't special.
tinus_hn 9y ago
> extremely confusing And some other hyperbole. Reality check: just about no one uses the function keys, normal users can’t be bothered to remember what they do. Which is why Apple prints the functions they want to promote on them so these at least get some use.

mikestew 9y ago

Though I disagree with what you consider “least surprise”, that’s a helpful point of view, thanks.

esrauch 9y ago

Surely you can see an argument for it potentially being more confusing that F4 sends a keystroke to your active application but none of the F keys do?

pluma 9y ago
Non-macOS user here on a random laptop: when I type Fn+<some key> and that key doesn't have a special function that can be invoked using the Fn key, the result is the same as not holding the Fn key. If the behaviour of the Fn key were inversed (i.e. keys with special functions perform that function unless the Fn key is held down), I would still expect regular keys to work normally no matter where on the keyboard they are. The F# keys aren't special.

tinus_hn 9y ago

> extremely confusing And some other hyperbole. Reality check: just about no one uses the function keys, normal users can’t be bothered to remember what they do. Which is why Apple prints the functions they want to promote on them so these at least get some use.