What does this key do?

[yegon]

Dumb question I'm sure, for which I apologize in advance.

I bought my first mac, a white mb, about 18 months ago. Rather stupidly, I still don't know what the key next to the right hand command key does. Anybody? Alternatively, for those with a wired Apple keyboard, it's the key at the very bottom right hand corner of the keyboard.

All it appears to do is make the pointer vanish. Is that it? Surely not, as that'd hardly warrant space on a laptop k/b...would it?

 

[mkrishnan]

I'm lost... aren't you referring to the option key on the right side? Which... does the same thing as the option key on the left side?

Maybe your keyboard is different based on your country than ours... take a picture of the keyboard with your iSight or iPhone or something and post it.

 

[applefan69]

Do you mean, like the "enter" key?

well thats essentially like the return key

Or are you talking about the arrow keys? I doubt thats it cause thats fairly obvious.

I have a white macbook about 10 months old, and i honestly have no idea what your talking about :S

 

[yegon]

Heheh, sorry, I should have been more specific.

On the (white) mb keyboard it's the key immediately to the right of the right command key. Apple wired keyboard, it's on the very bottom right hand corner.

It's a small arrow head pointing upwards, with a line horizontally across the point. Sort of like ;

__
^

 

[ergdegdeg]

In most apps, it's just like the return key. But in Photoshop for example, if you enter text, return will produce a new line, enter will stop editing the text.

 

[Blue Velvet]

It's the (dedicated) enter key.

—
^​

Used for numerical entry, math software and various keyboard commands in various apps e.g. QuarkXpress... which is why I alway use a wired full keyboard.

 

[yegon]

Aah right, thanks!

/mystery solved

 

[rpaloalto]

Does anybody know what this key is ~
I have a privet web page that I share with family. It uses that key in the url.
I feel stupid trying to explain to them. That O, it's the little squiggly sideways S key

 

[isx]

Does anybody know what this key is ~
I have a privet web page that I share with family. It uses that key in the url.
I feel stupid trying to explain to them. That O, it's the little squiggly sideways S key

That my friend is the Tilde key
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilde

It's used a lot to abbreviate the location fo your home folder e.g.

/Users/yourusername/Documents

When using terminal can be typed as

~/Documents

 

[rpaloalto]

Thanks isx
I'll remember that it's the tilde key
Now I wont have to refer to it as the. Little squiggly sideways S key

 

[kunze50]

Hah, Wow I had no idea holding the left & right arrow keys on a late 2007 MBP could make the pointer vanish in safari and such. Crazy.