[OT] "The Condescending UI" (was: Do we need Win95/98/Me support?)

[Nick Sabalausky]

"Steven Schveighoffer" <schveiguy at yahoo.com> wrote in message 
news:op.v8o5k6h4eav7ka at localhost.localdomain...
>
> If you can bring yourself to stomach the apple store atmosphere,

Heh :)

> I  encourage you to visit one and try it out.  It's definitely different 
> than  any other interface I've ever used.
>

Maybe I will. (Although, there's a MicroCenter right around here and they 
have a nice atmosphere and an Apple section...Although then I'll have to 
keep shooing the vulture know-nothing salesmen away...)

Last time I gave something a try at the apple store it was apple's version 
of a scroll mouse (the thing that "improves" on their infamous "one-button 
mouse" by having *no* buttons). By far worst mouse I've ever used. I know a 
guy that says he loves it, though I can't imagine why.

> I do have a gripe about the mac system, however: the whole special key 
> shit.  Control, Shift and Alt should be enough.  Why do we have option, 
> and that funky clover key?

Unless things have changed, it works like this (I'm actually looking at my 
Mac keyboard right here): "Option" *is* the "Alt" key (although the OS might 
treat it differently, can't remember). And the weird squiggly key is the 
"Apple" key (which is kind of a holdover from Apple 2 days when there was 
"Open Apple" and "Closed Apple", but no Control or Alt.)

The Apple key is treated like the control key - You just have to remember 
that when you'd normally go for Control, on the Mac you'd do Apple instead. 
I don't remember what the hell the Mac's "Control" key is for. My Option key 
actually says "Alt" in addition to "Option" (no function key involved b/c 
this isn't a laptop), so...I think it behaves the same IIRC...?

Of course, FWIW, Windows does have the "Windows" key and the "Menu" key.

> Not to mention that on every other system in  the world, ctrl-c is copy 
> ctrl-v is paste.

Except for damn near every text-mode editor I've ever seen on Linux :/ 
(Note, that's "text-MODE editor", not just "text editor").

>
> As a bonus, they've left off the home, end, page up, and page down keys.

Ouch. That would absolutely kill me. That's definitely got to be a 
laptop-ism though. My Mac keyboard has all of those, and in the right 
places. Hmm, although it has a "Help" where "Insert" should be. Weird. Guess 
I never noticed because the only time I ever use overwrite mode is on 
accident.

It does have F13-F15 where PrintScrn, Scroll Lock, and Pause/Break normally 
are. The last two make sense to change, as I never use them. I do use Print 
Screen though. I do remember that OSX's keyboard combo to take a screenshot 
is rather unintuitive as a result.

> Instead you use (yep, you guessed it) flower-key + arrow keys.  And the 
> backspace key is labeled delete, and I still don't know how to do what a 
> normal delete key would do (delete the character that follows the cursor) 
> can someone tell me?
>

My Mac keyboard has the normal "Del" delete button (which also has a 
right-pointing arrow that has an 'x' inside it)...Although it *also* has a 
backspace button labeled "Delete"...So there's two "Delete" keys that each 
behave different. That's strange. Even more strange that I don't remember 
noticing it, but then it *has* been awhile. Guess I just forgot.

I do agree though, keyboards on a Mac take some getting used to if you've 
been a Windows or Unix guy. And laptop keyboards can be a real pain in 
general.