Command (i.e. Windows-Key) and Option (i.e. Alt) are getting reversed

[Douglas Alan]

Hi -- I'm trying to use the RealVNC client on a Windoze XP computer to
talk to an OS X Max running an OSXvnc server. Everything works great,
except for one thing: the Command (i.e. Windows) and Option (i.e. Alt)
keys are getting reversed. I.e., I have to press the Windows key for
the Mac to see a press of the Alt key, and I have to press the Alt key
for the Mac to see a press of the Windows key. As you can imagine, this
is quite annoying, as my fingers have to do different things whether I'm
using the Mac in person or remotely.

Is there any way that I can fix this incorrect behavior?

|>oug

[Douglas Alan]

Douglas,
It sounds like OSXvnc has the two keysyms the wrong way around in its
keyboard-handling code. Have you tried contacting the OSXvnc
developers to report the problem?

They claim that they are doing the right thing for the Mac. The bottom
line, however, for me, is that I have identical Kinesis keyboards at
home and at work, and when I use the one at work that is directly
connected to the Mac the mapping is one way, and when I use the Mac
remotely from home, it is the other. I don't care which way it is, as
long as it's the same in both places!

They blame the problem on the Mac's incorrect interpretation of some PC
keyboards that are plugged directly into the Mac.

Perhaps you two businesses could compromise, and *both* implement
features to allow the user to swap these two keys. (The alternative is
probably that neither will do it....)

|>oug

[James Weatherall]

Douglas,

Firstly, OSXvnc is an open-source project based on VNC, not a business. :)

The latest VNC Server releases all provide the RemapKeys option, which
allows these sorts of keyboard-mapping bugs to be worked around, or custom
keyboard mappings created, etc.

Given that the Mac doesn't have the two keys in question, the only "correct"
mapping of them to Mac keys is the one that behaves the way one would
expect. Since this isn't what OSXvnc does, OSXvnc's mapping is "incorrect".
Their argument that "some PC keyboards are interpreted wrongly by Mac"
implies that yours is one of them, in which case you would have noticed that
the keys behave in an unexpected fashion *locally* while behaving
"correctly" via OSXvnc.

Regards,

-----Original Message-----
Sent: 27 May 2005 04:33
Subject: Re: Command (i.e. Windows-Key) and Option (i.e. Alt)
are getting reversed

Douglas,
It sounds like OSXvnc has the two keysyms the wrong way

around in its

keyboard-handling code. Have you tried contacting the OSXvnc
developers to report the problem?

They claim that they are doing the right thing for the Mac.
The bottom
line, however, for me, is that I have identical Kinesis keyboards at
home and at work, and when I use the one at work that is directly
connected to the Mac the mapping is one way, and when I use the Mac
remotely from home, it is the other. I don't care which way it is, as
long as it's the same in both places!
They blame the problem on the Mac's incorrect interpretation
of some PC
keyboards that are plugged directly into the Mac.
Perhaps you two businesses could compromise, and *both* implement
features to allow the user to swap these two keys. (The
alternative is
probably that neither will do it....)
|>oug
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VNC-List mailing list
http://www.realvnc.com/mailman/listinfo/vnc-list

[Kelly F. Hickel]

Wez,
Can you expand on the "provide the RemapKeys" option? I've
looked through all the option settings in 4.1.1 that I can find, and
googled the obvious queries and can't find any information about
remapping keys (other than f8) in VNC.

Thanks,
--
Kelly F. Hickel
Senior Software Architect
MQSoftware, Inc
952.345.8677

-----Original Message-----

On

Behalf Of James Weatherall
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 6:06 AM
Subject: RE: Command (i.e. Windows-Key) and Option (i.e. Alt) are

getting

reversed
Douglas,
Firstly, OSXvnc is an open-source project based on VNC, not a

business. :)

The latest VNC Server releases all provide the RemapKeys option, which
allows these sorts of keyboard-mapping bugs to be worked around, or

custom

keyboard mappings created, etc.
Given that the Mac doesn't have the two keys in question, the only
"correct"
mapping of them to Mac keys is the one that behaves the way one would
expect. Since this isn't what OSXvnc does, OSXvnc's mapping is
"incorrect".
Their argument that "some PC keyboards are interpreted wrongly by Mac"
implies that yours is one of them, in which case you would have

noticed

that
the keys behave in an unexpected fashion *locally* while behaving
"correctly" via OSXvnc.
Regards,

-----Original Message-----
Sent: 27 May 2005 04:33
Subject: Re: Command (i.e. Windows-Key) and Option (i.e. Alt)
are getting reversed

Douglas,
It sounds like OSXvnc has the two keysyms the wrong way

around in its

keyboard-handling code. Have you tried contacting the OSXvnc
developers to report the problem?

They claim that they are doing the right thing for the Mac.
The bottom
line, however, for me, is that I have identical Kinesis keyboards at
home and at work, and when I use the one at work that is directly
connected to the Mac the mapping is one way, and when I use the Mac
remotely from home, it is the other. I don't care which way it is,

as

long as it's the same in both places!
They blame the problem on the Mac's incorrect interpretation
of some PC
keyboards that are plugged directly into the Mac.
Perhaps you two businesses could compromise, and *both* implement
features to allow the user to swap these two keys. (The
alternative is
probably that neither will do it....)
|>oug
_______________________________________________
VNC-List mailing list
http://www.realvnc.com/mailman/listinfo/vnc-list

_______________________________________________
VNC-List mailing list
http://www.realvnc.com/mailman/listinfo/vnc-list

[James Weatherall]

Kelly,

It's described in the documentation, and can be found most easily by using
our website search facility.

Using the search term:
site:realvnc.com remapkeys
Also seems to work fine.

Regards,

-----Original Message-----
Sent: 27 May 2005 13:39
Subject: RE: Command (i.e. Windows-Key) and Option (i.e. Alt)
are getting reversed
Wez,
Can you expand on the "provide the RemapKeys" option? I've
looked through all the option settings in 4.1.1 that I can find, and
googled the obvious queries and can't find any information about
remapping keys (other than f8) in VNC.
Thanks,
--
Kelly F. Hickel
Senior Software Architect
MQSoftware, Inc
952.345.8677

[Douglas Alan]

Post by James Weatherall
Given that the Mac doesn't have the two keys in question, the only
"correct" mapping of them to Mac keys is the one that behaves the way
one would expect. Since this isn't what OSXvnc does, OSXvnc's mapping
is "incorrect".

Alas, the issue isn't so clear. If you look at an Apple keyboard, and
compare it to a PC keyboard, the Apple Key on the Apple keyboard is
located where the Alt key is located on the PC keyboard, and the Option
Key on the Apple keyboard is located where the Windows key is located on
PC keyboard. Consequently, the implementers of OSXvnc decided to
preserve the key locations, rather than the keysms, so that when you use
a PC to remotely access your Macintosh, you fingers can do the same
thing on both your Mac and your PC.

Unfortunately, Apple deciced differently and if you plug in a PC
keyboard into a Macintosh, it will use the Windows key as the Apple Key,
and the Alt Key as the Option Key, which means that your fingers need to
do different things, depending on whether you have a PC keyboard on your
Mac or an Apple keyboard on your Mac. So I guess the real culprit here
is Apple, but I doubt that they will listen to me about changing this.

The decision of the OSXvnc folk is precisely right if you so happen to
have an Apple keyboard on your Mac and a PC keyboard on your PC. But,
alas, I have a PC keyboard on both my Macintosh and on my PC, and this
is why things get reversed.

So, you might think that I should just go with the flow and use an Apple
keyboard on my Macintosh and a PC keyboard on my PC. The trouble with
that solution is that I have carpal tunnel syndrome and consequently
must use a Kinesis Contour Ergonomic Keyboard (a strange, but wonderful
sort of PC keyboard) on both computers.

|>oug