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Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

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Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#201

Post by neomantra »

cytzol wrote: post #169
mFixman wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can add "Volume Up" and "Volume Down" keys, along with other useful functions, in the initial touchbar view by going to the settings.

I've been wanting to do this for ages, but I can only find the volume slider! Could you tell me how to put Volume Up and Down buttons on there please?

It's hidden weirdly.... go to "Keyboard" prefs pane and "Keyboard" tab (initial one shown when you bring it up.

At "Touch Bar shows".... change that from "App Controls with Control Strip" to "Expanded Control Strip". Then you will see the individual buttons. You can then further "Customize Control Strip..." and you will now see more buttons. But you will also loose "App Control".

Of course, why can't those specific buttons be a customization option there with "App Control with Control Strip" forcing you to choose between volume up/down and "App Control"? Because Apple.

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#202

Post by DigitalJack »

BlackjackCF wrote: post #171
nrclark wrote: post #5

My work gave me one of the 2016 15" MBPs as my main computer, and the keyboard is horrible. My V key double-presses about half the time, and the rest of the keys are really hard to press down all the way. Some of the keys make a weird metal rattle when I press them. Typing on that wretched keyboard for more than an hour or so literally bruises my fingers. Since I do most of my day-to-day work at a dock with an extern…

> Who the hell decided that programmers don't need a functional ESC key or permanent function keys? I find functional keys nice, but not necessary. I also just remapped ESC to capslock since I never use capslock anyway.

I have capslock as control. My work computer has the ESC key, but it's out of reach. My ipad keyboard has no escape, so I've been training myself to use ctrl-[. Works ok, I don't really notice the difference anymore.

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#203

Post by guelo »

nrclark wrote: post #5

My work gave me one of the 2016 15" MBPs as my main computer, and the keyboard is horrible. My V key double-presses about half the time, and the rest of the keys are really hard to press down all the way. Some of the keys make a weird metal rattle when I press them. Typing on that wretched keyboard for more than an hour or so literally bruises my fingers. Since I do most of my day-to-day work at a dock with an extern…

It's really just an accident of history, not intentional on Apple's part, that Macs became popular with developers. In an alternate universe Jobs isn't kicked out of Apple, doesn't develop NeXT based on Unix, and Apple continues merrily snubbing developers and not accidentally attracting them the way they did. In this alternate universe I believe more energy and funding would have been directed at Linux and it would be a stronger desktop platform.

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#204

Post by AlexandrB »

Gaelan wrote: post #9

I actually really like my 2017 MBP's keyboard. There isn't much key travel, but the keys do have a very satisfying "click." I prefer it over older apple keyboards. Keys do have issues weekly or so, but that's resolved by hitting the key a bunch; it's an inconvenience, but certainly not a dealbreaker.

> Keys do have issues weekly or so, but that's resolved by hitting the key a bunch; it's an inconvenience, but certainly not a dealbreaker.

My first laptop was a Toshiba Satellite something or other. It was plasticky, had a shitty screen hinge, terrible battery life, poor trackpad, and eventually the video stopped working (I suspect some of the GPU's BGA pins came loose). At the time it cost ~$1000.

Even this POS laptop's keyboard didn't have "issues weekly or so". I don't understand how this is acceptable in a premium product. Remember, the keyboard is a Macbook's primary input device. This is like if the touch functionality on your smartphone started misbehaving once a week until it got "unstuck".

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#207

Post by hedora »

nrclark wrote: post #5

My work gave me one of the 2016 15" MBPs as my main computer, and the keyboard is horrible. My V key double-presses about half the time, and the rest of the keys are really hard to press down all the way. Some of the keys make a weird metal rattle when I press them. Typing on that wretched keyboard for more than an hour or so literally bruises my fingers. Since I do most of my day-to-day work at a dock with an extern…

About half the macs at work have been upgraded to touchbar models.

Mine hasn’t, but I’ve noticed the touchbar screen freaks out when lots of crap scrolls by in terminal. I’d be tempted to electric tape over mine if I had one. Instead, the common case for coworkers is to keep the old one for WFH, dock the new one at desks, and cope with terrible keyboards during meetings.

We have an open floor plan, so that would break my “hide in a random room to concentrate on stuff” workflow.

I’ve seen die-hard laptop screen users take 17” macs to coffee shops, and lay an external keyboards on top of the now irreparable built-in one.

Maybe that’s the right way forward for people that still want keyboards.

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#208

Post by jsjohnst »

isatty wrote: post #22
nrclark wrote: post #5

My work gave me one of the 2016 15" MBPs as my main computer, and the keyboard is horrible. My V key double-presses about half the time, and the rest of the keys are really hard to press down all the way. Some of the keys make a weird metal rattle when I press them. Typing on that wretched keyboard for more than an hour or so literally bruises my fingers. Since I do most of my day-to-day work at a dock with an extern…

About the ESC key - if you're using vim you should be remapping it to caps lock. If you rather not remap, you can always just hit ctrl [ (and this works out of the box). I've been doing this for so long its natural to me even on a keyboard with an actual escape key.

I’m a heavy VIM user and I’ve never once had a problem hitting the ESC key on the touchbar. Yes, it doesn’t have same tactile feel, but it’s an ESC key and is a known distance and angle away, so I’m fine.

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#209

Post by tasuki »

kagamine wrote: post #50
Gaelan wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a vim user, I don't find the software escape to be bad—it's always in the same spot, even if it's not a physical key. Also, in vim, you can use ctrl-[ instead of escape (which is arguably better anyway).

Ctrl + [ won't work on any non-English keyboard as the square parenthesis are hidden behind a modifier already. This is a constant problem with software, and now hardware, manufacturers that they assume everyone in the whole wide world is using a US keyboard. Yes, you can remap and fiddle to make it work but that isn't the point, the point is to pay the same price, sometimes more than Americans and get the same value…

Interesting that you use your native keyboard for programming. I'm Czech, all the Czech programmers I know use English layout for programming.

Re: Problems with MacBook butterfly switch keyboards

#210

Post by heartbreak »

tomxor wrote: post #175
dillondoyle wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My biggest beaf with the TouchBar: volume takes two clicks! Instead of an up down and mute button, I get mute and volume which then opens a slider to the left of the click. So instead of just clicking once to lower volume I have to click, move my finger and slide. It would be so easy to allow custom button to add back on (and maybe there is that I haven't been able to find?) I also accidentally 'touch my pinky finger…

>Instead of an up down and mute button, I get mute and volume which then opens a slider to the left of the click. So instead of just clicking once to lower volume I have to click, move my finger and slide. Hah, You couldn't make this stuff up... GUIs were borne out of a hatred of highly context based keyboard behaviour (VI, Xerox Parc), now Apple go full circle and revert to context hell by combining a keyboard with…

Read the other comments here and try it out for yourself. The single volume button is a slider itself. You don't have to touch twice.

This same UI is found on other touch screens including my Honda's dashboard.

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