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Show HN: Delete with your Macbook Pro's power key

pkamb.github.io

25 pointspkamb42 comments

Given that holding the button still causes the Mac to shutdown... this seems awful dangerous. I could easily see myself holding the button to delete a few lines of text and then * oops *.

As trapexit mentioned, fn+Delete already does this, an can easily be entered without removing your hands from the main keyboard area.

I never find myself actually using that shortcut, despite knowing it exists. I end up repositioning the cursor, then backspacing. Whereas the power key is in the same muscle-memory space as my external keyboard's Delete key, which I use all the time.

It is a little dangerous, yeah, but worth it in my opinion for a nice shortcut. At least key repeat is off, so you have no reason to hold down the key.

It might've been a better idea to remap the eject button on CD drive less MacBooks. But it would still be weird, I'd just use fn + delete.

That would be the power button. :)

What eject button? Why would Apple put an eject button on a laptop with nothing to eject? Fucking retard.

Looks like you're new here?

http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Check out "in comments" in particular.

     When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. E.g. "That is an idiotic thing to say; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3."

In your case: Apple wouldn't put an eject button on a laptop with nothing to eject.

If they remapped it, it wouldn't be an eject button anymore, would it? Then you would have no reason to be uncivil.

Me, I'm fine with fn+Delete.

Coincidentally, I just discovered today that you can also do a forward-delete on a Mac laptop keyboard by hitting Fn+Delete. Very useful for e.g. sending a ⌘⌦ (Ctrl-Alt-Del) to a VirtualBox VM.

I'm typing this on a late 2011 Macbook Pro and I'm confused. Do I have a power key that is different than my power button? The power button seems too far away from the keyboard to be usefully remapped.

The Macbooks without optical drive have the power button located where your eject key is.

I was a bit confused as well, the power button on mine is at the edge and not something you'd like to press very often.

What power buttons on newer MacBooks look like: http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/mac/retinaMacBookPro/DSC...

Thanks for the clarification; this software look more useful in that case. It would be even nicer if it would enable me to remap my eject key, since I never use my optical drive.

On the newer Macbook Air and Retina Macbook Pro models, Eject has been replaced with Power. No optical drive.

(This app does actually work with your power _button_, by the way. I suppose some people might find that useful).

Most confusing things for recent Mac converts:

Not having a forward delete key.

No obvious way to "alt-tab" between an apps windows, even less obvious on international keyboards.

No way to use arrow keys to select the OK and cancel buttons in a dialog.

Some Windows-isms was recently added, such as being able to resize the windows using any border. This must have been to appease converts. Do you think Apple will add any of the above soon?

Not having a forward delete key.

fn + delete does this. If you plug in a USB keyboard, the forward delete key works as expected.

No obvious way to "alt-tab" between an apps windows, even less obvious on international keyboards.

⌘ + ` (this is the back-tick above tab). You can change this by going to System Preferences → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts, clicking on the "Keyboard and Text Input" category, then editing "Move focus to next window." This option is buried because Apple thinks Mission Control is easier. :/

No way to use arrow keys to select the OK and cancel buttons in a dialog.

System Preferences → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts. Check "Full Keyboard Access" to use tab, space, & enter on controls.

I hope that helps!

The proper desktop keyboard has a forward delete key, it's just the laptops (and BT keyboard) that have to make do with [Fn + Del].

The Alt-Tab thing for apps gets on my nerves as well, and I've been a Mac user for ten years now. However, it's easy to go into the Sys Prefs and change the default key shortcut for that to something reasonable. The functionality is already there, it's just hidden behind an obscure key binding.

Cycling through buttons in dialog boxes works with the Tab key. The first thing you need to do when you get a new Mac is to go into System Preferences and enable nav keys for all UI elements, it's a single checkbox.

The defaults on the Mac are a disaster, you'll have to revisit pretty much every single preference pane, but it's worth it.

Even worse - on my MBP there is no pound sign on the keyboard. Try coding without a pound sign! (EDIT: I'm referring to the hash key, i.e. #)

(I know it's alt 3, but WHY didn't they mark it on the keyboard? Newcomers have to google this! There is a sign on the '2' key that indicates euro (alt 2 is euro sign on my keyboard), so they could have done it easily on the 3 key.

The hidden pipe key is also annoying.

And the [ key, and the ] key, and the { and } keys. etc. etc.

I have those keys, how is it that they are hidden on yours? Special characters due to language?

They aren't printed on the keys: https://www.apple.com/macbookair/images/features_keyboard_ba...

Huh? They're right there on the right, below the delete key.

Oops that's an American keyboard layout.

Try this: http://www.kbcovers.com/catalog/GER-M-CB_Full_A.gif

I have the hash symbol on my 3-year old USA MBP (shift-3). Why is your keyboard different? Why do is it alt-3 instead of shift-3? (Is it your country or age of laptop?)

European country, Mid-2012 non retina MBP

I have to ask, do you mean the hash key ? Or the British currency ?

Hash key, i.e. #

I would love for Microsoft to introduce some Apple-isms in Windows: text navigation is particularly awful, and I'm far more efficient on OS X when it comes to text. The lack of forward delete key doesn't bother me or hinder me at all: command-right + delete takes care of it.

I find text navigation in Apple less consistent than in Windows. It makes it harder to be efficient :

By default:

- Chrome / TextEdit

⌘ + → = end of line

ctrl + → = end of line

⌥ + → = next word

- Sublime / Xcode

⌘ + → = end of line

ctrl + → = next word

⌥ + → = next word

- Firefox / Eclipse

⌘ + → = end of line

ctrl + → = ∅

⌥ + → = next word

OK I realize now that I should never use the ctrl key for navigation... It's disturbing and useless !

This means you should tell a new Apple user:

For text navigation:

mac ⌥ = windows ctrl

mac ⌘ = windows alt

For pretty much everything else:

mac ⌘ = windows ctrl

Except: ⌘ + tab = alt + tab

He might kill you.

Well, I see your point but you are using examples that voluntarily circumvent Apple's established, system-wide shortcuts.

Fortunately for us and developers, setting custom shortcuts for different commands is still supported. But this allows for devs to bypass default shortcuts.

I'm mostly using command and option and shift when I navigate in text, and it's a bliss to do so. On Windows, it's erratic and you have to use the Home/End keys to have the same results.

Anyway, minor gripes.

The thing is that Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (which define these bindings) were created in the 1980s, before Windows even existed, so it's a bit difficult to blame Apple for not being compatible with an OS that didn't even exist at the time.

The early Macs didn't even have a Control key, which was later added to support terminal applications that needed it.

switching between app windows is command+` just above command+tab

European keybords (All?) dont have that key, atleast not in that place.

On for example german and nordic keyboards there is some other useless symbol there, and command+"that key" does not work.

I know you can configure this, but its strange that there is no sane default.

Ah, of course. I wondered why they’d picked that shortcut; on a UK mac keyboard ` is to the left of z.

An alternative is Double Command. I've been using Double Command to map the right ALT key to forward delete for awhile now: http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/

Here's a screenshot of the settings: http://i.imgur.com/GQi5Ncj.png

Worked on a mini all last year, first real mod I did was fixing forward delete: http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/

Made the dock 2D, bought a wired keyboard and mouse, line in adapter for my analog headset and it was a usable workstation.

What did you remap it to?

Plain ol' Delete

I remember you need to get a bit creative with the config files, I don't think it's one of the default settings.

So your Mac's "delete" key now performs forward delete? How do you backspace?

I had a full size key board to replace the stock bluetooth one, so I had both.

I'm a big guy and like a full keyboard, large screen etc. After the very first time the mouse died I went out and got all wired peripherals for my workstation.

OS X has an delightful affinity for Emacs bindings in standard implementations - try Ctrl-d to delete without leaving home row.

Mind you, if you're in MS Word for Mac then you'll just have to suck on an egg: no Ctrl-d, Ctrl-a, Ctrl-e for you.

My CapsLock is mapped to Control and I use 'C-d' to forward-delete in OS X.

As is mine. It's pretty nice...especially using 'C-h' for regular delete.

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