Disabling windows key while using SS

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lsalvo
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Disabling windows key while using SS

Post by lsalvo »

Is there any way to disable the windows key in SheepShaver? I have that key binded inside, and the windows start menu raises every time i touch it. Thank u in advance!
Mac Emu
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Post by Mac Emu »

Currently no. But someone pointed out the problem to Gwenole.
Slice
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Post by Slice »

I haven't looked at the source, but you might be able to change SS's input processing so that it traps presses of the Windows keys instead of letting Windows handle them.
zuc
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Post by zuc »

Hasn't the Windows key a function for SheepShaver?

I recently had to delete a locked file inside of OS 8.6 in Sheepshaver.
While tring to Empty the trash the Mac OS told me to hold down an "Option key" while emptying the trash. Since I didn't knew which key it was I tested various keys till I hold down the Windows key and clicked "Empty Trash". That did the trick. The file got deleted. Of course the startmenu popped up, but that was after I released the key not while holding it.
So it seems the Windows key is mapped in SheepShaver as the Mac OS option key (whatever key that may be).
Caligari
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The Option Key

Post by Caligari »

On all recent Apple keyboards and IIRC some older ones (eg. the ADB Extended II), the option key is captioned Alt but it serves a purpose closer to AltGr (or Control-Alt for US keyboards), ie. it is a Modeshift key which allows you to type a secondary character per key. Combined with the shift key, it gives you four different characters per key.

On Apple or SUN keyboards, the order of keys is thus:

Code: Select all

Control          Option          Command          Space
                  (Alt)           (Meta)
                                 (Windows)
while on PC keyboards it is:

Code: Select all

Control          Windows          Alt          Space
                  (Meta)        (Option)
                (Command)
This probably explains why the Option key is mapped to the Windows key.

(BTW, why on earth don't all keyboards have a Compose key ?!)

EDIT: that would be "on recent SUN keyboards" - the older ones had Caps Lock instead of Control on the bottom row.
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PPC_Digger
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Re: The Option Key

Post by PPC_Digger »

Caligari wrote:(BTW, why on earth don't all keyboards have a Compose key ?!)
Excuse me, but what is a 'compose key'? Is it a different name for another one?
Caligari wrote:EDIT: that would be "on recent SUN keyboards" - the older ones had Caps Lock instead of Control on the bottom row.
Just like the PC/XT keyboards. :wink:
Caligari
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Re: The Option Key

Post by Caligari »

PPC_Digger wrote:
Caligari wrote:(BTW, why on earth don't all keyboards have a Compose key ?!)
Excuse me, but what is a 'compose key'? Is it a different name for another one?
It can be found on SUN keyboards (I have a type 6 USB which still has it) and probably others.

It's used for typing composed (ha!) characters, eg. accented ones, but it is not a modifier key in that you press it before the keys to be composed.

Example: Compose, e, ' --> é

I *think* that if you're using X11 on OS X you can map a key to Compose in you ~/.xmodmap, although you might have to disable the Aqua/X11 keyboard layout synchronization.

Anyway keyboard layout discussions are way out of place here :D
PPC Digger wrote:
Caligari wrote:EDIT: that would be "on recent SUN keyboards" - the older ones had Caps Lock instead of Control on the bottom row.
Just like the PC/XT keyboards. :wink:
Hey I didn't know that... Who on earth would have changed it to the current layout ?!
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PPC_Digger
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Re: The Option Key

Post by PPC_Digger »

Caligari wrote:
PPC Digger wrote:
Caligari wrote:EDIT: that would be "on recent SUN keyboards" - the older ones had Caps Lock instead of Control on the bottom row.
Just like the PC/XT keyboards. :wink:
Hey I didn't know that... Who on earth would have changed it to the current layout ?!
I don't know, but the current one is much more comfortable. The old one had only one of the Alt and Control Keys (and I'm pretty sure there was only one Shift too). You couldn't press Control-P without two hands (which is a pain in the butt when one of them holds the mouse). It is also the reason for why CTRL-ALT-Del is CTRL-ALT-Del and not SHIFT-ALT-Del or something like that. Control was where Caps Lock is today and Alt where the right Control is, so you couldn't press them all by accident.

P.S. I just remembered why Macs have to be so stable: Mac users can't press CTRL-ALT-Del :lol:
Slice
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Post by Slice »

You couldn't press Control-P without two hands (which is a pain in the butt when one of them holds the mouse).
Sure, but how many people used mice back then compared to today? :p
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PPC_Digger
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Post by PPC_Digger »

Slice wrote:
You couldn't press Control-P without two hands (which is a pain in the butt when one of them holds the mouse).
Sure, but how many people used mice back then compared to today? :p
Maybe that's why the guys as IBM changed it with the introduction of the PS/2... However, I don't see a connection since the original PS/2 came with the old, text-based version of OS/2. (and Windows was pretty unpopular at the time... MS-DOS ruled the world)
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