Aplgies for errors and confusion was Re: newcomer
in [UK Mac]
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From: Jim on 22 Jan 2010 11:35 On 2010-01-22, SM <info(a)that.sundog.co.uk> wrote: > Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote: > >> >> I think the out-of-the-box default is to act as volume, brightness etc. >> >> keys, and pressing 'fn' makes them act like normal function keys. >> > >> > Ah - I had no idea that there was another mode of operation for them. >> >> I don't think it's commonly used by Mac software. > > Function keys are used all the time in Final Cut's default set of > keyboard controls. For example F9 is an insert edit. I sit corrected. Jim -- http://www.ursaMinorBeta.co.uk http://twitter.com/GreyAreaUK "Get over here. Now. Might be advisable to wear brown trousers and a shirt the colour of blood." Malcolm Tucker, "The Thick of It"
From: Steve Firth on 22 Jan 2010 14:04 Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > Ah - I lied, As if that were a first.
From: Jaimie Vandenbergh on 22 Jan 2010 14:30 On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:02:18 +0000, Dorian Gray <D.Gray(a)picture.invalid> wrote: >In article <D.Gray-3B5E13.14363522012010(a)nntp-serv.cam.ac.uk>, > Dorian Gray <D.Gray(a)picture.invalid> wrote: > >> Other uses of the fn key (one pointless, one useful): >> >> - To access the numeric keypad on the mini keyboard without pressing num >> lock. So that use seems pretty pointless. >> >> - To access the page-up, page-dn, home and end keys on the mini keyboard >> (fn with the cursor keys). I use the fn key for this purpose quite a >> lot. > >I should point out that I am referring to an iBook G3/G4 keyboard, e.g.: ><http://www.laptopbattery-usa.com/images/IBOOKG414.JPG> > >It is really handy having two-hand page-up, page-dn, for paging through >documents (in Safari the fn key is unnecessary because space is used for >page-up and shift-space for page-dn). Access to "home" and "end" is >useful for e.g. selecting text, or cells in Excel. Two-hand? Ew! I used to have to use DoubleCommand on my powerbook, to change the enter key into a spare fn so as to be able to one-hand the pageup/pagedown/home/end, which were fn-arrowkey. >Can someone confirm or otherwise whether fn with the cursor keys works >on modern Mac keyboards like this? It does with this aluminium full keyboard, and that's one-handable because the fn key is above the arrowkey cluster. Cheers - Jaimie -- "What we have done with PCs so far is not natural" - Craig Mundie, CTO Microsoft
From: Elliott Roper on 22 Jan 2010 16:31 In article <23vjl51g0bs4r2uorg89dcnvrbk21edp7e(a)4ax.com>, Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie(a)sometimes.sessile.org> wrote: > On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:02:18 +0000, Dorian Gray > <D.Gray(a)picture.invalid> wrote: > > >In article <D.Gray-3B5E13.14363522012010(a)nntp-serv.cam.ac.uk>, > > Dorian Gray <D.Gray(a)picture.invalid> wrote: > > > >> Other uses of the fn key (one pointless, one useful): > >> > >> - To access the numeric keypad on the mini keyboard without pressing num > >> lock. So that use seems pretty pointless. > >> > >> - To access the page-up, page-dn, home and end keys on the mini keyboard > >> (fn with the cursor keys). I use the fn key for this purpose quite a > >> lot. > > > >I should point out that I am referring to an iBook G3/G4 keyboard, e.g.: > ><http://www.laptopbattery-usa.com/images/IBOOKG414.JPG> > > > >It is really handy having two-hand page-up, page-dn, for paging through > >documents (in Safari the fn key is unnecessary because space is used for > >page-up and shift-space for page-dn). Access to "home" and "end" is > >useful for e.g. selecting text, or cells in Excel. > > Two-hand? Ew! > > I used to have to use DoubleCommand on my powerbook, to change the > enter key into a spare fn so as to be able to one-hand the > pageup/pagedown/home/end, which were fn-arrowkey. > > >Can someone confirm or otherwise whether fn with the cursor keys works > >on modern Mac keyboards like this? > > It does with this aluminium full keyboard, and that's one-handable > because the fn key is above the arrowkey cluster. Did I come into this late? What's wrong with System Preferences � Keyboard � Keyboard and checking "Use all F1, f2, etc. as standard function keys" Work on standard keyboard and all the laptops I ever tried it with. It is no hardship pressing fn when you want to change the brightness or other once in a lifetime operations illustrated on the keys. Two-handed? Pah! -- To de-mung my e-mail address:- fsnospam$elliott$$ PGP Fingerprint: 1A96 3CF7 637F 896B C810 E199 7E5C A9E4 8E59 E248
From: David Empson on 22 Jan 2010 17:20
David Empson <dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz> wrote: > Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote: > > > On 2010-01-22, Rowland McDonnell > > <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > > > Oh aye? Ah. Oh aye. Found 'em now. Bottom left on the small > > > keyboard; above the arrow keys on the big keyboard. > > > > Good-o. > > > > > What's this fn key for anyway? > > > > Good question. Wish I had a good answer. I _assume_ it's to access some of > > the more esoteric characters. > > It modifies some of the keys to access or bypass a special function. The > ones I know about: > > fn-delete foward delete > fn-return enter And I missed four others that I did know: fn-left home fn-right end fn-up page up fn-down page down -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz |