7 ms·

Show HN: Delete with your Macbook Pro's power key

25 points by pkamb 14y ago

sciurus 14y ago
I'm typing this on a late 2011 Macbook Pro and I'm confused. Do I have a power key that is different than my power button? The power button seems too far away from the keyboard to be usefully remapped.
- bestham 14y ago
  The Macbooks without optical drive have the power button located where your eject key is.
- pkamb 14y ago
  On the newer Macbook Air and Retina Macbook Pro models, Eject has been replaced with Power. No optical drive. (This app does actually work with your power _button_, by the way. I suppose some people might find that useful).
- rane 14y ago
  I was a bit confused as well, the power button on mine is at the edge and not something you'd like to press very often. What power buttons on newer MacBooks look like: http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/mac/retinaMacBookPro/DSC_7479.jpg http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/mac/retinaMacBookPro/DSC...
  - sciurus 14y ago
    Thanks for the clarification; this software look more useful in that case. It would be even nicer if it would enable me to remap my eject key, since I never use my optical drive.
trapexit 14y ago
Coincidentally, I just discovered today that you can also do a forward-delete on a Mac laptop keyboard by hitting Fn+Delete. Very useful for e.g. sending a ⌘⌦ (Ctrl-Alt-Del) to a VirtualBox VM.
MBCook 14y ago
Given that holding the button still causes the Mac to shutdown... this seems awful dangerous. I could easily see myself holding the button to delete a few lines of text and then * oops *. As trapexit mentioned, fn+Delete already does this, an can easily be entered without removing your hands from the main keyboard area.
- esusatyo 14y ago
  It might've been a better idea to remap the eject button on CD drive less MacBooks. But it would still be weird, I'd just use fn + delete.
  - randall 14y ago
    That would be the power button. :)
  - john_marsham 14y ago
    What eject button? Why would Apple put an eject button on a laptop with nothing to eject? Fucking retard.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - randall 14y ago
      Looks like you're new here? http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Check out "in comments" in particular. When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. E.g. "That is an idiotic thing to say; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3." In your case: Apple wouldn't put an eject button on a laptop with nothing to eject.
    - mikestew 14y ago
      If they remapped it, it wouldn't be an eject button anymore, would it? Then you would have no reason to be uncivil. Me, I'm fine with fn+Delete.
cdrxndr 14y ago
OS X has an delightful affinity for Emacs bindings in standard implementations - try Ctrl-d to delete without leaving home row. Mind you, if you're in MS Word for Mac then you'll just have to suck on an egg: no Ctrl-d, Ctrl-a, Ctrl-e for you.
henryw 14y ago
An alternative is Double Command. I've been using Double Command to map the right ALT key to forward delete for awhile now: http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/ http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/ Here's a screenshot of the settings: http://i.imgur.com/GQi5Ncj.png http://i.imgur.com/GQi5Ncj.png
ultimoo 14y ago
My CapsLock is mapped to Control and I use 'C-d' to forward-delete in OS X.
- sudoshu 14y ago
  As is mine. It's pretty nice...especially using 'C-h' for regular delete.
bni 14y ago
Most confusing things for recent Mac converts: Not having a forward delete key. No obvious way to "alt-tab" between an apps windows, even less obvious on international keyboards. No way to use arrow keys to select the OK and cancel buttons in a dialog. Some Windows-isms was recently added, such as being able to resize the windows using any border. This must have been to appease converts. Do you think Apple will add any of the above soon?
- jvzr 14y ago
  I would love for Microsoft to introduce some Apple-isms in Windows: text navigation is particularly awful, and I'm far more efficient on OS X when it comes to text. The lack of forward delete key doesn't bother me or hinder me at all: command-right + delete takes care of it.
  - suchabag 14y ago
    I find text navigation in Apple less consistent than in Windows. It makes it harder to be efficient : By default: - Chrome / TextEdit ⌘ + → = end of line ctrl + → = end of line ⌥ + → = next word - Sublime / Xcode ⌘ + → = end of line ctrl + → = next word ⌥ + → = next word - Firefox / Eclipse ⌘ + → = end of line ctrl + → = ∅ ⌥ + → = next word OK I realize now that I should never use the ctrl key for navigation... It's disturbing and useless ! This means you should tell a new Apple user: For text navigation: mac ⌥ = windows ctrl mac ⌘ = windows alt For pretty much everything else: mac ⌘ = windows ctrl Except: ⌘ + tab = alt + tab He might kill you.
    - rbehrends 14y ago
      The thing is that Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (which define these bindings) were created in the 1980s, before Windows even existed, so it's a bit difficult to blame Apple for not being compatible with an OS that didn't even exist at the time. The early Macs didn't even have a Control key, which was later added to support terminal applications that needed it.
    - jvzr 14y ago
r0s 14y ago
Worked on a mini all last year, first real mod I did was fixing forward delete: http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/ http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/ Made the dock 2D, bought a wired keyboard and mouse, line in adapter for my analog headset and it was a usable workstation.
- pkamb 14y ago
  What did you remap it to?
  - r0s 14y ago
    Plain ol' Delete I remember you need to get a bit creative with the config files, I don't think it's one of the default settings.
    - pkamb 14y ago
      So your Mac's "delete" key now performs forward delete? How do you backspace?
      - r0s 14y ago
        I had a full size key board to replace the stock bluetooth one, so I had both. I'm a big guy and like a full keyboard, large screen etc. After the very first time the mouse died I went out and got all wired peripherals for my workstation.

25 points by pkamb 14y ago

I'm typing this on a late 2011 Macbook Pro and I'm confused. Do I have a power key that is different than my power button? The power button seems too far away from the keyboard to be usefully remapped.

bestham 14y ago
The Macbooks without optical drive have the power button located where your eject key is.
pkamb 14y ago
On the newer Macbook Air and Retina Macbook Pro models, Eject has been replaced with Power. No optical drive. (This app does actually work with your power _button_, by the way. I suppose some people might find that useful).
rane 14y ago
I was a bit confused as well, the power button on mine is at the edge and not something you'd like to press very often. What power buttons on newer MacBooks look like: http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/mac/retinaMacBookPro/DSC_7479.jpg http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/mac/retinaMacBookPro/DSC...
- sciurus 14y ago
  Thanks for the clarification; this software look more useful in that case. It would be even nicer if it would enable me to remap my eject key, since I never use my optical drive.

trapexit 14y ago

Coincidentally, I just discovered today that you can also do a forward-delete on a Mac laptop keyboard by hitting Fn+Delete. Very useful for e.g. sending a ⌘⌦ (Ctrl-Alt-Del) to a VirtualBox VM.

MBCook 14y ago

Given that holding the button still causes the Mac to shutdown... this seems awful dangerous. I could easily see myself holding the button to delete a few lines of text and then * oops *. As trapexit mentioned, fn+Delete already does this, an can easily be entered without removing your hands from the main keyboard area.

esusatyo 14y ago
It might've been a better idea to remap the eject button on CD drive less MacBooks. But it would still be weird, I'd just use fn + delete.
- randall 14y ago
  That would be the power button. :)
- john_marsham 14y ago
  What eject button? Why would Apple put an eject button on a laptop with nothing to eject? Fucking retard.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - randall 14y ago
    Looks like you're new here? http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Check out "in comments" in particular. When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. E.g. "That is an idiotic thing to say; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3." In your case: Apple wouldn't put an eject button on a laptop with nothing to eject.
  - mikestew 14y ago
    If they remapped it, it wouldn't be an eject button anymore, would it? Then you would have no reason to be uncivil. Me, I'm fine with fn+Delete.

cdrxndr 14y ago

OS X has an delightful affinity for Emacs bindings in standard implementations - try Ctrl-d to delete without leaving home row. Mind you, if you're in MS Word for Mac then you'll just have to suck on an egg: no Ctrl-d, Ctrl-a, Ctrl-e for you.

henryw 14y ago

An alternative is Double Command. I've been using Double Command to map the right ALT key to forward delete for awhile now: http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/ http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/ Here's a screenshot of the settings: http://i.imgur.com/GQi5Ncj.png http://i.imgur.com/GQi5Ncj.png

ultimoo 14y ago

My CapsLock is mapped to Control and I use 'C-d' to forward-delete in OS X.

sudoshu 14y ago
As is mine. It's pretty nice...especially using 'C-h' for regular delete.

bni 14y ago

Most confusing things for recent Mac converts: Not having a forward delete key. No obvious way to "alt-tab" between an apps windows, even less obvious on international keyboards. No way to use arrow keys to select the OK and cancel buttons in a dialog. Some Windows-isms was recently added, such as being able to resize the windows using any border. This must have been to appease converts. Do you think Apple will add any of the above soon?

jvzr 14y ago
I would love for Microsoft to introduce some Apple-isms in Windows: text navigation is particularly awful, and I'm far more efficient on OS X when it comes to text. The lack of forward delete key doesn't bother me or hinder me at all: command-right + delete takes care of it.
- suchabag 14y ago
  I find text navigation in Apple less consistent than in Windows. It makes it harder to be efficient : By default: - Chrome / TextEdit ⌘ + → = end of line ctrl + → = end of line ⌥ + → = next word - Sublime / Xcode ⌘ + → = end of line ctrl + → = next word ⌥ + → = next word - Firefox / Eclipse ⌘ + → = end of line ctrl + → = ∅ ⌥ + → = next word OK I realize now that I should never use the ctrl key for navigation... It's disturbing and useless ! This means you should tell a new Apple user: For text navigation: mac ⌥ = windows ctrl mac ⌘ = windows alt For pretty much everything else: mac ⌘ = windows ctrl Except: ⌘ + tab = alt + tab He might kill you.
  - rbehrends 14y ago
    The thing is that Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (which define these bindings) were created in the 1980s, before Windows even existed, so it's a bit difficult to blame Apple for not being compatible with an OS that didn't even exist at the time. The early Macs didn't even have a Control key, which was later added to support terminal applications that needed it.
  - jvzr 14y ago

r0s 14y ago

Worked on a mini all last year, first real mod I did was fixing forward delete: http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/ http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/ Made the dock 2D, bought a wired keyboard and mouse, line in adapter for my analog headset and it was a usable workstation.

pkamb 14y ago
What did you remap it to?
- r0s 14y ago
  Plain ol' Delete I remember you need to get a bit creative with the config files, I don't think it's one of the default settings.
  - pkamb 14y ago
    So your Mac's "delete" key now performs forward delete? How do you backspace?
    - r0s 14y ago
      I had a full size key board to replace the stock bluetooth one, so I had both. I'm a big guy and like a full keyboard, large screen etc. After the very first time the mouse died I went out and got all wired peripherals for my workstation.