Fixed British Keymap for UK MacbookPro
If you are British, own a Macbook/Macbook Pro, and spend a lot of time coding, then you probably find some of the symbol locations on your keyboard layout annoying. Particularly regarding the location of the #, @, and “ symbols on the UK Macbook/MacbookPro models.
Solution:
Liyang Hu has modified some OSX keymap files, which will swap the “ and @ symbol key mapping, replace the | symbol with #, and a couple others.
I’m used to proper British keyboards, and I expect my ‘#’, ‘”’ and ‘@’ to be in their usual places. Apple seems to think differently about the matter, with their bastardised excuse of a ‘British’ keyboard.
Step 1: Download this file: Mac OS X British keymap (fixed)
Step 2: If /Library/Keyboard Layouts/ doesn’t exist on your OSX partition, create the folder, and copy the downloaded keymap files into it.
Step 3: Log out of OSX, and back in again.
Step 4: In System Preferences, click on International, and under the Input Menu tab select the new Keymaps - British (PC105), and British (PC105 alt)
Step 5: Stop thinking about where the @ or “ key is everytime you want to use it, type like a Brit!
The swapped @ and ” actually suit me because I move back and forth between US, international and UK keyboards. But I do have to wonder why Apple have chosen this hybrid.
Fair enough!