Quite a lot of key bindings differ on a MacBook from a standard Intel PC. If you are common to work on Linux or an other i386 or x64 based system with ssh clients, you have to learn some new bindings. And this is far more than just the @ sign, which you have to access by pressing Apple-g.
This note is based upon the usage of Terminal.app on MacOS X 10.5 Leopard. There might be some other handling in other Terminal Application and/or on other MacOS Versions. I don’t know, because I have only tested this one.
The following situations occur if you are logged in from Leos Terminal.app ssh client on a i386/x64 Linux host.
Backspace
The ‘usual’ backspace button becomes to a ‘delete’ button. Backspace actions have to be done by pressing Ctrl-h or (vi style) Ctrl-w to delete a whole word.
Usage of function keys (F1-F12)
On my MacBook Pro function keys are defined as hot keys to set backlight, keyboard light and audio. To really use the function key, press Fn-Fxx. You can swap this behaviour by selecting ‘xxxx’ on the System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Advanced. Some function keys are usually also used as hot keys for Exposé, Spaces and Docs and so on. To send the function key value to the application via ssh, press Apple-Fxx (or Fn-Apple-Fxx when you did not change the previously discussed behaviour).
Midnight Commander (mc)
The midnight commander really uses function keys discussed abouve. But more, if you use mc for file handling, you will get into much trouble. Sorry, there is no ‘insert’ key on the Mac keyboard. Press Ctrl-t to select files or directories.
screen
Since there is no backspace key, Ctrl-a-Ctrl-backspace doesn’t work. Ctrl-a-Ctrl-p does the same (it returns to the previous screen).
irssi
The Alt key seems to completely been handeled by MacOS and not been sent to the ssh client application. Makes it hard to switch windows in irssi. Instead of Alt-1, Alt-2 (Alt-Window_number) you have to escape the sequence: Esc-1, Esc-2 (Esc-Window_number)