Someone wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} malenfant, |
You will be assimilated
I do agree that the Mac keyboard is a bit crappy.
On some of the keyboards, the arrow keys are in a row, rather than a T: that's just wrong. Obscure but illuminating historical fact: the first Mac keyboard didn't have arrow keys at all, to force the user to use the mouse, which at the time was a bit of a shocking new invention. I think this reasoning (or at least the focus on the mouse) has continued to some extent, so that good keyboard design and use hasn't been a high priority.
Lack of home and end is also a pain, but in many contexts command-left/right arrow does the same trick. The weird thing about this is that almost all other aspects of the Mac UI are very consistent between different contexts, thanks to Apple's comprehensive design guidelines; it seems they just didn't bother about this.
Macs may not have general-purpose keyboard shortcuts for menu navigation thing, but they do have shortcuts for menu items, and in practice, this is enough.
Also, modern Macs use USB for keyboards, so there's nothing to stop you plugging in a nicer keyboard. I can't say for certain that you wouldn't also need to fiddle about with the settings, but there you go.
Oh, and as a consolation, explore the alternate character set enabled by the 'option' key: wacky symbols galore! Also, at least the mac doesn't have the antediluvian PrtSc/SysRq and Pause/Break keys.
-- Tom
I do agree that the Mac keyboard is a bit crappy.
On some of the keyboards, the arrow keys are in a row, rather than a T: that's just wrong. Obscure but illuminating historical fact: the first Mac keyboard didn't have arrow keys at all, to force the user to use the mouse, which at the time was a bit of a shocking new invention. I think this reasoning (or at least the focus on the mouse) has continued to some extent, so that good keyboard design and use hasn't been a high priority.
Lack of home and end is also a pain, but in many contexts command-left/right arrow does the same trick. The weird thing about this is that almost all other aspects of the Mac UI are very consistent between different contexts, thanks to Apple's comprehensive design guidelines; it seems they just didn't bother about this.
Macs may not have general-purpose keyboard shortcuts for menu navigation thing, but they do have shortcuts for menu items, and in practice, this is enough.
Also, modern Macs use USB for keyboards, so there's nothing to stop you plugging in a nicer keyboard. I can't say for certain that you wouldn't also need to fiddle about with the settings, but there you go.
Oh, and as a consolation, explore the alternate character set enabled by the 'option' key: wacky symbols galore! Also, at least the mac doesn't have the antediluvian PrtSc/SysRq and Pause/Break keys.
-- Tom
