PC Keyboards in Mac OS X Lion
One of the benefits of the recent upgrade I made to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is how consistently simple using a PC keyboard now is. The preference pane for switching the modifier keys around (using alt in place of CMD, Windows key in place of option etc…) was available in Snow Leopard and earlier versions, but compatibility with the range of PC keyboards I’ve tried with my various Macs has long been a bit patchy – even though the changes would save in System Preferences, the keys would still use the default mapping.
If you’re used to CMD being either side of the space bar, it can get pretty annoying when it isn’t there.
In earlier versions of OS X, I’ve used DoubleCommand when there’s been trouble remapping keys, however I’m pleased to report that Lion seems to have addressed some of the earlier issues with the modifier preference pane being ineffective.
I’ve tested the modifiers with a range of keyboards (including ones I’ve experienced issues with in the past) and they all seem to be altering the maps without issue.
To alter the key map:
1. Open System Preferences and select the ‘Keyboard’ preference pane
2. Click the ‘Modifier Keys’ button and switch the mapping. When you’re done, click ‘OK’ and close the preference pane.
I find there are still issues, for instance the 2 key should produce a ” but instead gives me a @.
Others are finding the same problem.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1202273
Did you not try the punctuation keys?
The 2 key is supposed to produce an @ on a Mac – that’s been an Apple keyboard convention since forever. In my book, if you are able to get a @ from 2, a # from Opt-3 and can remap the alt/ctrl/Windows keys to respond like a Macintosh keyboard would, then that’s what I call working.
If you’re talking about wanting to get a ” from the 2 key, like on a PC, that’s not what I’m getting at. Besides, why would you have a single quote (‘) and a double quote (“) on two different keys? It makes no sense whatsoever!
That is actually British layout, we have ” above 2, £ above 3 and @ above the ‘
You are referring to US keyboard layout, not a layout on ALL macs.
Not so. The UK Apple keyboard has @ on the 2 key and ” paired with ‘.
One issue I’ve been experiencing is Lion forgetting the remapped keys upon reboot. Not too much of an issue as restarts are pretty infrequent, but worth noting nonetheless.
Makes sense does it not to have the keys produce the characters shown on the keytops?
Also if you spend all day switching between using a pc (linux in my case but same issue) and mac, it helps if your fingers don’t have to learn new locations for these characters all the time.
There have been complete pc keyboard layouts before, but the one I used to use for british-layout pc keyboard no longer works in lion. Oh well…
I wouldn’t say so – unless you look across your keyboard seeking out the character you want to type for every key press then maybe, but for touch typists I’d say the logical approach is grouping similar characters { ‘ and “, ; and : } rather than necessarily reflecting exactly what’s printed on each key. Have you seen ‘Das Keyboard’?
For me, Lion has done by default what previous versions of the Mac OS needed 3rd party tools like doublecommand to accomplish – I’m running a standard British English keymap and all I’ve had to do to use a PC keyboard is swap the modifiers.
“Also if you spend all day switching between using a pc (linux in my case but same issue) and mac, it helps if your fingers don’t have to learn new locations for these characters all the time.” – This.
I probably type @ instead of ” 20 times a day on 5 different computers running 3 different OS, just because I haven’t figured out how to switch the keys on my Mac.
I installed http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=ukelele (ukelele).
Allows me to map the standard british PC keyboard with the Mac and have the double quotes and @ symbols in the standard place (for a british-english-gb keyboard, not a US keyboard with £’s on it).
Thanks James! Swapping the @ key was just what I was looking for. Really frustrating when I set UK keyboard in preferences it doesn’t put the @ in the right place!