Ex-Windows whinge

I recently changed from Windows to Mac (17" Powerbook), and overall I haven't regretted it at all.

However, there's one thing that's really bugging me, which doesn't happen in Windows, and I wondered if anyone had found a way around it.

In Windows, when I use a keyboard command which moves me to the end of the current text line (i.e. the "End" key) it does exactly the same thing in all applications. However, when I use the same command on my Mac, e.g. Apple key and right cursor key in Mail and Safari, it doesn't do the same thing in MS Word.

Now you may say that it's my fault for using MS, but aside from the argument about whether I should have bought it or not, IT STILL ANNOYS ME! Besides, as I remember it, Steve Jobs said MS Office is the most popular single piece of software for the Mac. Having to learn different keyboard combinations for different apps is a real pain. This doesn't happen with Windows - with Windows I didn't have to think about what application I was in, it just worked the way I expected it to from use with other applications.

Also, this isn't constrained to MS applications - when using Photoshop CS the usual "AppleKey + `" command doesn't switch between documents, you have to use Control+Tab.

Now I've got that off my chest I feel better. I love my new Mac, I really do, but things like this will stop people switching, and that's a bad thing...

 

Thanks for your replies

I'm surprised you find shortcut keys more consistent on the Mac mduser63 - I definitely find switching between documents within an application and going to the end / beginning of a line to be all over the shop. The UI is definitely nicer to use though.

Asif786 - I do use Exposé, and really like it - I use it mostly for finding stuff on the desktop rather than switching between applications, but it's definitely handy.

LeeTom - It's that word "most" that bugs me! I use that to go to the end of the line in Mac applications, but in Word it goes to the end or beginning of the next word on that line, and I think that might be true of Photoshop as well.

Ah well, hopefully things will come together in the next releases of the programmes. Does anyone know if Word in Office X still does this or not?

 

thanks vanilla - i didn't realise it worked if you use the shift key. that's probably easier than ctrl + tab as it's closer to the original.

chaos86 - a good idea, but unfortunately the shortcut customization only works for menu items, palette menus and tools. there isn't a menu item for cycling through windows, so i can't add that as a shortcut.

even more confusing is ms word - using apple and the right arrow, which in all other applications goes to the end of the line, goes to the right of the next word (which in other applications is alt + right arrow). why on earth can't they standardise?

 

mactastic - there's a way of stopping those system keystrokes being taken over by photoshop:

from http://www.adobepress.com/articles/article.asp?p=30163&seqNum=8

i haven't tried this though, so i can't vouch for it working...

 

Nice one - I'll see how much an upgrade is from Office X.

As an addendum to this, Adobe ImageReady DOES use Apple + ` to switch between documents, so not only is this between applications, it's between Adobe applications that have a "Switch to Imageready / Photoshop" button built into the tool palette. Grrr.