Re: How easily can I use a PC keyboard on a mac?

In article <011120051519050830%sarakirk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Sara Kirk <sarakirk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> In article <pan.2005.11.01.14.27.53.236207@xxxxxxxxx>, Steven Sumpter
> <ssumpter@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Having used a Thinkpad for the last year I have got used to the
> > trackpoint. I have discovered in the last few days that going back to a
> > mouse causes my RSI to return with vengeance so I will probably buy an IBM
> > space saver keyboard with a trackpoint to let me use my shiny new iMac
> > when it arrives. (Yes, I have a PS/2 - USB converter.)
> >
> > Will I have any problems mapping the CTRL, ALT and Windows keys to the
> > Mac equivelents? What other problems am I likely to run into?
> >
> I've got someone here who uses s ome form of PC keyboard with their
> iMac, it hasn't caused any problems. The Windows key works as Flower.
> There isn't an eject key so they've installed a thingy that puts an
> eject icon in the menu bar. All seems to work OK.

Press and hold F12 does eject.

Scroll Lock brings up shutdown dialogue, which I sorely miss when I use
an Apple keyboard.


There are a variety of ways of swapping the function keys around:
At 9:27 am +0100 26/7/05, Jochem Huhmann <joh@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> David Sankey <D.P.C.Sankey@xxxxxxxx> writes:
>
> >> So, is there are hack to swap out specific keys on OS X?
> >
> > For the Apple and Alt keys, <http://gnufoo.org/ucontrol/>
>
> Tiger has a "Modifiers..." button somewhere in Keyboard preferences
> which allows to do just that.


There are also a variety of ways of mopping up the differences in key
layouts:
At 12:08 pm +0100 6/6/05, Rexx Magnus <trashcan@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sat, 04 Jun 2005 23:53:26 GMT, Tim Cutts scrawled:
>
> > Then there was the keyboard. I have a standard UK PC-layout keyboard.
> > Does Tiger support that layout? No. Not very good if they're trying to
> > persuade existing PC users to re-use their old keyboards. Fortunately
> > it's only the work of a minute or two at http://wordherd.com/keyboards/
> > to create a keyboard layout file, but it really shouldn't be necessary.
>
> http://www.msephton.plus.com/UK.keylayout/ - this adds uk keyboard to
> the input menu. Works a treat.


At 9:22 am +0100 13/6/05, Graham <grd1969@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> At 9:22 am +0100 13/6/05, Graham <grd1969@xxxxxxxxxx> (by way of David Sankey
> wrote:
> Rob wrote:
> > *But* the fix doesn't enable removal of 'British' in the input menu
> > (system prefs/international) and for reasons I've yet to fathom, the mac
> > mini marvel reverts to this British setting (with a @ over the 2) at
> > will. Its will, not mine, that is.
> >
> > Rob
>
> This one seems to work.
> http://www.daydream.org.uk/meng/uk102mac/
>
> I tried it on Tiger. You copy the layout file to /Library/Keyboard
> Layouts or ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. I then logged out and then back
> in again. Then go into System Prefs | International and select UK
> plug-in 102. Then on your task bar change from British Layout to UK
> Plug-in 102.
>
> Graham


At 7:49 pm +0000 23/3/04, Tim Browse wrote:
> But! the good news is that someone who uses UKPCKeyboard recently emailed me
> this:
>
> > Just to let you know that I have found the following page online which
> > solves my UK PC Keyboard problem in Panther.
> > <http://www.gyford.com/misc/windows_keyboard_mac.php3>
>
> This is essentially a different way of solving the problem, which used to be
> quite complicated and fiddly, but I believe on Panther it's now reasonably
> straightforward.

Myself I use the Phil Gyford keylayout installed in Classic and a
(slightly modified) version of Matt Sephton's keylayout in OSX.

Dave
.