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'ctrl' and 'fn' keys on OS X

Ovid on 2004-12-17T18:41:45

I've been typing control key combinations for years. I'm used to them. My iBook, unfortunately, has put the 'fn' key where my hand knows the control key is and it's killing me. I've tried to figure out how to switch these keys, but so far no love, with or without google. I'm sure it's possible. Any Mac geeks have tips?

DoubleCommand

lachoy on 2004-12-17T20:08:15

DoubleCommand should do the trick.

Re:DoubleCommand

Ovid on 2004-12-17T23:15:19

Thanks. It appears that mapping the control key to "fn" is on the todo list :(

Haven't solved it, yet

jdavidb on 2004-12-17T20:21:28

My solution has been to develop paranoid schizophrenia. I dual boot OS-X and Gentoo Linux; the meanings of the keys in that area are totally different in both OSes. Furthermore, sometimes one or both OSes will operate as if the Fn key is automatically down. Sometimes my F1-12 buttons have one meaning, sometimes another. Plus under Linux I use F11 and F12 as the middle and right mouse buttons.

Throw in the fact that my keyboard at work is different (reasonably normal), but that it's a docked laptop and when I take it out it's different again. Then throw in my wife's laptop, with a decidedly non-normal keyboard. Last week you could throw in my sister-in-law's laptop, which was really weird (tilde in the upper right? what is this, Sun?). All of this has resulted in my being pathologically unable to make sense of whatever keyboard I am on at the moment. I fumble around till I find the right key, constantly.

I miss the old days when my caps lock was in the corner, my control key was in the middle, and I never heard of an F1 button.

uControl

Matts on 2004-12-20T23:41:15

I use something called uControl, which may do the trick. I only use it to make my trackpad into a scrolly-pad.

I'm surprised this is what you complain about...

bazzargh on 2004-12-21T14:26:15

Number one annoyance for me when typing perl is the lack of a key with # and ~ on it. ~ is there but I have to search for it, and I continually mistype alt-3 as clover-3 (WOOPS!) alt-3 which makes '###' in emacs.

The fn thing has become second nature. I use the function keys so much I got used to it. Its just practice. Similarly I bought warcraft with my powerbook so I'd get used to the single-button mouse faster. Honest.