Changing Apple keyboard

I'm running a new G5 iMac with the standard Apple keyboard. As a long time
Windows user I'm finding it difficult to come to terms with it. Would it be
possible to change it for a European Keyboard?
And if not, how do I insert the hash symbol when attempting to use vi? The
special symbols menu is available in the terminal, unlike in Hogwasher, but I
can't get vi to accept the symbol. Many thanks.

Peter James wrote:
> I'm running a new G5 iMac with the standard Apple keyboard. As a long time
> Windows user I'm finding it difficult to come to terms with it. Would it be
> possible to change it for a European Keyboard?
> And if not, how do I insert the hash symbol when attempting to use vi? The
> special symbols menu is available in the terminal, unlike in Hogwasher, but I
> can't get vi to accept the symbol. Many thanks.

For #, press Option-3.

Chu

--
chuenginsberg at mac dot com

In article <user->,
wrote:

In article < m>,
Peter James <> wrote:

> I'm running a new G5 iMac with the standard Apple keyboard. As a long time
> Windows user I'm finding it difficult to come to terms with it. Would it be
> possible to change it for a European Keyboard?

Sure, otherwise, it would not be possible to sell computers in Europe. :-)
I use a Apple Swedish Pro model, which I really like, due to its compact
design, and light keys. You can see all available keyboard maps in System
Preferences/International/Input methods. If that is not enough, you can
design your own keyboard maps using the program Ukelele.

--
Hans Aberg

Peter James wrote
(in article
< m>):

> I'm running a new G5 iMac with the standard Apple keyboard. As a long time
> Windows user I'm finding it difficult to come to terms with it. Would it be
> possible to change it for a European Keyboard?
> And if not, how do I insert the hash symbol when attempting to use vi? The
> special symbols menu is available in the terminal, unlike in Hogwasher, but I

> can't get vi to accept the symbol. Many thanks.
>

In addition to the other responses, you might find this
dashboard widget to also be helpful:

http://www.tacowidgets.com/widgets/c...pal/index.html

Longer term, I wish Apple would realize that the symbols on
screen in OS X for keystrokes should actually appear on the
keyboard. Take a look at some of the GUI pulldown icons for
shorthand for ESC, option, alt, cmd, etc. sometime. Then look
at they keyboard, and wonder why the screen images don't appear
on the official Apple keyboards. Bewildering omission.


--
Randy Howard (2reply remove FOOBAR)
"The power of accurate observation is called cynicism by those
who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

Randy Howard <> wrote:

> Longer term, I wish Apple would realize that the symbols on
> screen in OS X for keystrokes should actually appear on the
> keyboard. Take a look at some of the GUI pulldown icons for
> shorthand for ESC, option, alt, cmd, etc. sometime. Then look
> at they keyboard, and wonder why the screen images don't appear
> on the official Apple keyboards. Bewildering omission.

Ooo. So that I could figure out what key it is referring to by that
funny backslash-like symbol without either looking it up in some
reference manual or using trial&error? That would be nice.

While I overall like my Mac, the one user-interface thing that
infuriates me is the proliferation of modifier keys. There is this
company line that having two mouse buttons is too hard for users to
remember (though this line is finally beginning to waver, and at least
my Logitech trackball works fine)... but I'm of course supposed to be
able to figure out whether I should be pushing the shift, control,
option, or flower (well, it looks like a flower to me) key, or some
combination of them. For example, to post this message, I'll need to
push the option, flower, and K keys (yes, 3 of them) - I happen to have
that one memorized, but not because it makes any sense - just because I
use it so much.

--
Richard Maine | Good judgment comes from experience;
email: my first.last at org.domain| experience comes from bad judgment.
org: nasa, domain: gov | -- Mark Twain

Richard E Maine wrote
(in article <1h7926b.1vs7shf7busg4N%>):

> Randy Howard <> wrote:
>
>> Longer term, I wish Apple would realize that the symbols on
>> screen in OS X for keystrokes should actually appear on the
>> keyboard. Take a look at some of the GUI pulldown icons for
>> shorthand for ESC, option, alt, cmd, etc. sometime. Then look
>> at they keyboard, and wonder why the screen images don't appear
>> on the official Apple keyboards. Bewildering omission.
>
> Ooo. So that I could figure out what key it is referring to by that
> funny backslash-like symbol without either looking it up in some
> reference manual or using trial&error? That would be nice.

Exactly. It defies imagination why they don't do that. It's
not like it would be difficult. It certainly isn't fun for the
switchers, as I can personally attest to. I had a cheat sheet
handy on the desk for quite a while.

> While I overall like my Mac, the one user-interface thing that
> infuriates me is the proliferation of modifier keys.

Yeah, for a company all hyped up on the mouse from way back, it
seems strange.

> There is this
> company line that having two mouse buttons is too hard for users to
> remember (though this line is finally beginning to waver, and at least
> my Logitech trackball works fine)... but I'm of course supposed to be
> able to figure out whether I should be pushing the shift, control,
> option, or flower (well, it looks like a flower to me) key, or some
> combination of them. For example, to post this message, I'll need to
> push the option, flower, and K keys (yes, 3 of them) - I happen to have
> that one memorized, but not because it makes any sense - just because I
> use it so much.

Indeed. Isn't it incredibly logical that option-shift-4 should
allow you to catch a screen shot? Wow, that is ease of use.

:-)


--
Randy Howard (2reply remove FOOBAR)
"The power of accurate observation is called cynicism by those
who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw