Andrew AbdalianHow is #Windows still so bad at entering characters with #diacritics? I know you can install custom keyboards or use alt-codes (and I have done both), but is there really no simpler way to use dead keys on a standard English keyboard? I guess I could switch to a Canadian French keyboard and remap my mental keyboard when I'm using Windows...or I could just do what I usually do and avoid Windows like the plague.
Dr. Angus Andrea Grieve-Smith@abdalian You can pick special characters from Character Map!
@grvsmth It's easier than memorizing alt codes, but it's poorly designed and looks like it hasn't been updated in a long time. Even dragging and dropping the character is hit or miss. The lack of care and attention for special character entry—and the fact that it hasn't improved—saddens me.
Entering an em-dash:
Windows: Alt-0151 for the em-dash if you have a keypad and a good memory. If you're missing one or the other, use character map.
Mac: Option-Shift-hyphen
@abdalian Yes, Charmap is definitely a pain to use, I just wanted to make sure you knew about it.
I actually like the way you can toggle between keyboards on Windows - when it works. I haven't been able to figure out how to do that on a Mac.
And the long-keypress on the Mac is helpful - if you remember which key offers the option of the special character you're looking for!
I actually don't find option-shift-hyphen very helpful, because I haven't used a Mac enough to memorize it!
@grvsmth you can enable keyboards in the text input dialog in Keyboard preferences. The active keyboard layout can then be toggled via the Input Sources menu or a keyboard shortcut. I think the ability to switch keyboard layouts via menu has been around since system 7.