3 ms·

I agree, but you forgot to mention the killer issue (for me): there's no '#' key. Having to press Alt+3 for a '#' gets annoying pretty quickly when you're codin

by vilya 16y ago

I agree, but you forgot to mention the killer issue (for me): there's no '#' key. Having to press Alt+3 for a '#' gets annoying pretty quickly when you're coding. It's even worse if you're running Linux on the MacBook. You have to fiddle with a mysteriously named keyboard preference ("Key to choose 3rd level") to get even the Alt+3 combination to work - and once it does, you can no longer Alt+Tab to switch between windows. Fortunately you can choose a different key; the best compromise I've found so far is to the right Alt key. That way you can enter '#' symbols and Alt+Tab back and forth, but it turns what should be a single keystroke into a two handed combination. That and the lagging OpenGL support are why my next computer won't be a Mac.

artlogic 16y ago
I'm confused by what you're saying here - do you have a keyboard with '#' as a primary key? Every keyboard I've ever used requires shift-3 to generate a '#'. Your reference to 3rd level keys seems to refer to an international keyboard. Is your keyboard not a U.S. layout?
- eru 16y ago
  Can't you just use your own layouts on the Mac, if something about the keyboard bugs you? (I only tried using dvorak an the Macbook, and it works fine.)
  - vilya 16y ago
    To be honest I've never tried. I use a standard UK keyboard at work and I've got a vague feeling that there'd be too much cognitive dissonance for me to learn a new layout without the right labels on the keys.
    - eru 16y ago
      How about not learning a new layout, but just using a `normal' layout you are used to? Instead of having to get used to the Mac layout.
- vilya 16y ago
  Sorry, I should have said: I'm talking about the UK models. The standard layout for UK keyboards has a dedicated # key right next to the return key: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#United_Kingdom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#United_Kingdom Mac keyboards for the UK - all of them, not just the laptop keyboards - omit this. I have yet to figure out why, but it's an unfortunate choice.
  - koenigdavidmj 16y ago
    Is this done in hardware, or would it be possible simply to change the keyboard layout to US?

by vilya 16y ago

artlogic 16y ago

I'm confused by what you're saying here - do you have a keyboard with '#' as a primary key? Every keyboard I've ever used requires shift-3 to generate a '#'. Your reference to 3rd level keys seems to refer to an international keyboard. Is your keyboard not a U.S. layout?

eru 16y ago
Can't you just use your own layouts on the Mac, if something about the keyboard bugs you? (I only tried using dvorak an the Macbook, and it works fine.)
- vilya 16y ago
  To be honest I've never tried. I use a standard UK keyboard at work and I've got a vague feeling that there'd be too much cognitive dissonance for me to learn a new layout without the right labels on the keys.
  - eru 16y ago
    How about not learning a new layout, but just using a `normal' layout you are used to? Instead of having to get used to the Mac layout.
vilya 16y ago
Sorry, I should have said: I'm talking about the UK models. The standard layout for UK keyboards has a dedicated # key right next to the return key: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#United_Kingdom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#United_Kingdom Mac keyboards for the UK - all of them, not just the laptop keyboards - omit this. I have yet to figure out why, but it's an unfortunate choice.
- koenigdavidmj 16y ago
  Is this done in hardware, or would it be possible simply to change the keyboard layout to US?