How many of you actually use the "back" and "forward" keys on the Thinkpad keyboards?

I'm talking about the ones on the left and right side of the UP ARROW key. I've never used them and use gestures during browsing with the Trackpoint instead. In the offshoot chance that I do use a keyboard key to go 'back,' I end up hitting Backspace since it's easier for me to hit. How many of you guys use those keys?

On a side note, how many of you actually use the blue FN playback keys on top of the left/right/up/down arrow keys? Me- not at all.

 

All the time. It replaces having a multi-button mouse if you're just using the trackpoint.

I also use the playback Fn keys to control foobar2000 without going back to the window.

 

Funny you should mention those because I accidentally hit one today and wondered for a second what had happened!

I guess my answer would be almost never.

 

If I'm not using my mouse, and just have my laptop away from my desk then I will *sometimes* use them.
They are much more convenient than hitting the "back" button on the browser.

 

Mine are disabled.

 

I use them all the time when I'm not using an external mouse (then I just use mouse gestures). But it's more convenient to use those buttons than do gestures using the touchpad or Trackpoint.

 

i use them.

 

I not only use them, but I love them.

 

I actually have them mapped to Home and End, and use them all the time in this context.

 

I've mapped them as Home and End also. And I mapped the context menu key (between right alt and ctrl) to be a second delete key.

To do so, I use KeyTweak:
http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick/

Edit: Hmmm, that link seems to have gone dead. Here is a link to Tucows who is hosting it:
http://www.tucows.com/preview/327616


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I also mapped them to something else (with xbindkeys).

 

The back and forward buttons are real convinent when I'm using my Thinkpad on a desk. Not so much in a mobile context. I've hit the back button by accident more times I can remember, but I'd still rather have them. The delete button is a poor substitute

I have to physically think about using the function keys for everything but Thinklight (that one is second nature). Everything else, even brightness, is rarely used unless I'm like "Oh use the function". I just found out there's a shortcut key for the EasyEject stuff, for example

 

I use them all the time. Thinkpad keyboards almost always get credit for the great tactile feedback they provide but, rarely for such simple/thoughtful implementations that makes life so much easier.
I've never had them on any of my previous laptops and I was fine with it but now that I've experienced it I think I've been spoiled.
On most other laptops the space for those two keys are almost always vacant. BY filling those spaces with two more keys that either we can map to other functions or use them as intended, Thinkpads gave the end user more options and reiterated the "Think" in Thinkpad.

 

I use both the back and forward buttons and I also use the multimedia shortcuts when I don't have a keyboard connected (which has dedicated multimedia buttons).

I tend to use the arrow keys to scroll web pages, in which case the back and forward buttons are close by.

 

Hey laptopgun,
whats the shortcut for easy eject? Thanks.

The function combos I use most are the thinklight, brightness levels, power manager and full screen magnifier

 

I love them! Now when I look at other laptop brands I look at the arrow keys and think about the wasted space that's put to good use on Thinkpads

 

^^^^!!!!!!

 

I use them, they are very useful but if any one from ibm's design division is listening in, try placing them differently? I dunno how many of you agree, but it's almost dangerous to have near the cursor cos sometimes when i'm writing an email, fb message or filling out a form and i mean to move the cursor by a few characters, i've hit the back button! and i have to do it all over again!

 

carthikv12, on many webpages you can hit Forward (after you have accidently hit back) and still retain the infos you have already filled. But yes, it does not always work

 

I use them on daily basis.
In order to avoid accidental forward/back navigation (happens sometimes) I just extended the activation time for them in the Keyboard Customizer application.

 

I use them VERY often

Far more often that I would've thought. They also caused me to use the arrow keys and page up/down keys more often too.

 

miliranga brought up an interesting point about the back and forward keys: they really are conspicuous in their absence. My work laptop was a Core Duo era Dell Lattitude and there was naked empty space by the arrow keys.

My Thinkpad has really spoiled me, hasn't it?

Function+F9 (icon of a stereotypical PC and stereotypical eject arrow squeezed onto one key). At least on my W500 with a T61 keyboard. You're welcome

 

I don't use them frequently, but they have their place. The backspace key is generally easier and more intuitive for going backward when web browsing, especially with the classic thinkpad style of thinkpoint/fingers on keys.

However, on web pages that capture the cursor in a text box (e.g., Google), effectively preventing the backspace key from working for back-navigating, the back key is still much faster and more convenient than mousing over to the back arrow on the top of the browser.

 

I use them so much that I feel crippled when going to another PC that doesn't have them..!

 

I don't use them and haven't remapped them... though that may change after this thread!

 

Wow, didn't expect such a high number to say yes!

Next question:

Who here is right handed and who is left handed? I'm right handed.

Does a certain type of handedness determine whether or not these keys are helpful or not? Could be.

Will my interest in mundane details of Thinkpad design ever perplex the masses as it does myself? Magic 8 ball says "Outlook not so good."

 

Yes MastahRiz you are becoming the new Von Hagens..... i guess this is your medical training calling you.

 

Right handed... still haven't remapped keys...

 

I use them from time to time but I ALWAYS FORGET THEY'RE THERE.

 

I use them all the time and consider them essential.

 

I'm right handed and find them EXTREMELY convenient. Now, if only I could disable the backspace key's back function, because that one always seems to work when I don't want it to.

 

I use these keys regularly as they work with iTunes and other music software. So I can use Fn+Right/Left to go to the next song, etc. without tabbing back out.

I honestly had no idea they could be used for anything else.

 

I use them all the time. My hands are always positioned for touch typing, so reaching out my right fifth fingers is always convenient to move back and forth. However, if I wanted to do something different... I could always just use the touch screen gestures hehe...

 

Not I.

It seems like a lot of people here use them. I've accidentally hit the back one page button and was thinking "WTH?!!!" lol. I see their handiness so it's nice that they're there

 

All the time; both in Firefox and in Windows Explorer.

 

I use them alot. I'm a developer.
Renee

 

I use both the forward/backward keys and the media control buttons on my TP all the time. I remember one of the major points of me getting a T60 as an upgrade from the T42 I'd been using was the fact the keyboard had the media player functionality.

 

anyone knows how to make them work in Opera browser?

they work fine in firefox (windows and ubuntu)

 

yes i remembered this as well, when i got mine X60 and T60. Basically i found it annoying that the T4x did not have the media control, when other laptops had them, and i watched a lot of movies during the early uni years.

 

That pisses me off when i accidentally do that, the typing cursor is on, and all of a sudden it isn't in type mode and is not even on the paragraph, so i hit the backspace button thinking i'm about to erase a letter or a few, and it goes back from a webpage, effectively destroying all of my typing.

 

Just one more reason why I only use gestures w/Trackpoint.

 

I only ever use them by accident.

 

Learn how to use Undo.

I never use the back or forwards keys. I prefer the trackpad, but it wasn't worth twice as much for me to get one, so I muddle along with what I got.

 

You can use KeyTweak to define them to the proper keys for Opera if they don't already work.

See my earlier post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...ward-keys-thinkpad-keyboards.html#post6267112

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I use(d) those keys often on my T61p when I didn't have a mouse plugged in. Never once lost anything important (email, ect.) due to an accidental keypress. I really miss those keys on my new non-Lenovo laptop.

 

Hmm. What version of Opera are you using? The Back and Forward buttons work fine for me in Opera 10.53, in Windows 7 64-bit.

 

Kind of useless if you ask me. Alt-<left> or <right> arrow works the same, and can be done with one hand. I use alt-arrow all the time.

So this key redundancy is a waste to me. What would be more useful is to put page up and down because when I scroll a document with keys, the paging feature is convenient when it's close to the up and down keys.

 

Again, a keyboard remap utility such as KeyTweak (I'm sure there are others) will let you change these keys to PgUp/Dn if you like. I have them remapped to Home/End. I also remapped the key between right Alt and Ctrl to be a second Delete key.

Here is a link to KeyTweak:
Download KeyTweak - Freeware Software - Tucows

(Regarding previous post... I just found out the link I had posted went dead. This one should get you there.)

 

I'm in the habit of using BACKSPACE to go to previous page. I don't often have occasion to go the other direction. About the only time the back and forward buttons on the keyboard get pushed is by accident, screwing up whatever text I was trying to type into the given web page I'm viewing.

 

Rich that's an application function.

I guess I'm in a strange place as far as the second part of this question is concerned. I'm naturally right handed BUT I was hit by an illegal alien largely paralzing the right hand so now I'm reluctantly left handed.

I think technical people use the right and left key more than other populations. I recognize Jaredy on the first page.

Renee