What is the § ± key for on Mac keyboards?

Posted by Pat Wallace on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Pat Wallace
Published on 2010-05-16T17:22:02Z Indexed on 2010/05/16 17:30 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 618

Filed under:

apple

|

macbook-pro

|

keyboard

Apple's keyboards have a new key, with § and ± symbols on it. Can somebody tell me what these keys are for, and where I should use them?

I am aware the symbols have mathematical uses, but I assume they must do something important as well to be on the core keyboard. Or are they just the 'Scroll Lock' of the Apple world?

© Super User or respective owner

Related posts about apple

Evolution of Apple: A Fan Spliced Mega Tribute to the Apple Product Lineup

as seen on How to geek - Search for 'How to geek'
Whether you’re an Apple fan or not, this 3.5 minute tribute to the evolution of Apple products is a neat look back at decades of computing history and iconic design. Put together by Apple fan August Brandels, the video splices together Apple commercials and promotional footage from the last… >>> More
Why is iTunes starting and stopping play randomly, and how do I stop it?

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Since yesterday morning my copy of iTunes has been starting and stopping randomly. If iTunes is not running, then it opens and sometimes begins playing, other times sits idle. Eventually, after a random interval it will begin playing a song, and then stop, and so on... Needless to say, it's driving… >>> More
iTunes crashes with "Attempt to allocate 1073741824 bytes for NS/CFData failed" error

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
This is a pretty common occurrence. Every two days or so iTunes will crash on me with this error. FYI, 1073741824 is 2^30, which is gigabyte. The crash log is below if you're interested. Process: iTunes [40778] Path: /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes Identifier:… >>> More
Active Directory and Apple's Workgroup Manager

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I thought I'd share my experiences here. I work for a small business with only ~20 users. I wanted the ability to use managed client preferences to assign things like the software update server. Basically the ability to manage my Macs easily and in a native way. At first I tried the magic triangle… >>> More
Kernel Panic every time I open a print queue

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Every time I open any printer queue I get a kernel panic and have to reboot. It's quite frustrating. I've tried removing/adding printers, clearing all caches with Onyx, repairing permissions, all manner of things to no avail. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! ==== CRASH REPORT ==== Interval… >>> More

Related posts about macbook-pro

Macbook Pro - Randomly sleeps and won't wake up

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
All, I have a Macbook Pro 13" (mid 2009) that has had a long time issues which seems to be getting worse. Occasionally, I will go to wake the computer with the keyboard and can't wake it. The HDD spins up, the light on the front of the computer stops blinking, but as soon as it seems like the display… >>> More
Persistent static routes fail on MacOS 10.6.5 startup!

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I'm unable to get static routes to persist a reboot on Mac OS 10.6.5. I've tried all of the methods prescribed in Google search results, and previous posts on this site. I've tried manually creating a launchd daemon, and used RouteSplit's launchd daemon to no avail. It's clear that the interface is… >>> More
Persistent static routes fail on MacOS 10.6.5 startup!

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I'm unable to get static routes to persist a reboot on Mac OS 10.6.5. I've tried all of the methods prescribed in Google search results, and previous posts on this site. I've tried manually creating a launchd daemon, and used RouteSplit's launchd daemon to no avail. It's clear that the interface is… >>> More
Persistent static routes fail on MacOS 10.6.5 startup!

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I'm unable to get static routes to persist a reboot on Mac OS 10.6.5. I've tried all of the methods prescribed in Google search results, and previous posts on this site. I've tried manually creating a launchd daemon, and used RouteSplit's launchd daemon to no avail. It's clear that the interface is… >>> More
Fan speed monitor Software for Macbook Pro Unibody on Windows

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I've tried multiple temperature monitor and fan speed software on my Macbook Pro Unibody under Windows 7 64-bit RC. None of them can report the fan speed. Currently I'm using SpeedFan which reports the CPU temperature of each of the two cores, but is not able to detect or interface with the Fans.… >>> More