Guide to Macbook keyboard?

luckat

An elderly friend who lives abroad has been iChatting with me, but is having a few little problems.

When I say to him: "Here, email me a screenshot, just hit cmd-shft-3", he doesn't know where the command or shift keys are.

He also doesn't understand the ctrl, alt/opt, tab, fn, spacebar or caps lock keys, or know the difference between the function keys and the number keys.

Yes, I know. But you probably grew up with computers; he didn't. I don't think he even used a typewriter before getting his first computer a couple of years ago. So he's really doing pretty well to be able to use mail, web and iChat (the iChat since today).

I'd like to find a picture of the Macbook keyboard for him, with arrows to the keys saying what they are and what they do. But despite much googling, I've failed to find one online.

Can anyone help?

muggyog

This what you want?

luckat

Thanks, Mug, I'll send him that.

Oh, wait, that's not a Macbook keyboard - it doesn't have the Fn key and the like, and has a numeric keypad on the right. This will only confuse the old gent.

muggyog

AAAAAhhh Im becoming a nerd, just scanned my MacBook!

luckat

Hmm.

Now, I'd never noticed that. On the big keyboard, shift says shift and things. But on the Macbook....

Wait, though, that's odd. On your picture it just has mysterious arcane symbols. On mine it actually says fn, shift, etc. Maybe I'll scan mine!

muggyog

What model do you have?
I think you need to check that both your friend and yourself are on the 'same page' regarding the keyboard. He may not have the same model as you so dont assume that when you say "press shift" there is a key with 'shift' on it for him to press.

K.O.Kiki

Just use the following:

• Tell him that the really big button is the space bar that inserts a space between words
• Instead of "cmd", say "the Apple button beside the spacebar"
• Teach him that the CAPS LOCK button is on the left, has CAPS LOCK written on it & lights up when you press it
• Finally, teach him that Shift is under CAPS LOCK
• Discard all above information & teach him how to find & use the "Grab" application

Sending him on a computing course could help too.

luckat

'sOK, took a photo of the keyboard - left side, then right side.

What's the GRAB application, please?

SouperComputer

grab allows you to take screenshots by dragging a selection area......

Depending on how much time you want to spend, you could have him install logmein on the Mac, then you could remote him and have an interactive walkthru for anything that he needs. JamesM

luckat

Thanks for the idea, Souper; might run it by him.

su_dios

Or forget all of that and tell him to press 'apple key+shift+3' to take a screen shot of the whole screen.

Why would you bother with grab when all the shortcuts are built in?