I refer to the backspace key as an alternative to go back through your browser history...

Why would anyone think this is a useful feature of a web browser?

On my netbook, it's the only way to really conveniently go back. Pressing alt+left is awkward. I was dismayed to find out that after using it in Chrome forever in Windows, it doesn't go back while running under Linux and there's no option to change it. I guess I've gotten used to it now.

I can see the logic of why you would have backspace not go back, but not the logic of having it inconsistent from windows to linux, and not giving an option to choose.

Lack of convention at the moment of making a default hot-key (Ctrl-F4 or Ctrl-W) for closing a MDI child window bugs me more. At least backspace has always had that use inside a browser and it doesn't interfere with anything afaict.

Oh and welcome to gdnet ... strange opening post. lol.

Thanks for the welcome... This topic does seem quite strange as an opener in hindsight

Anyway, I guess the reason I dislike it is there has been many times where I am editing text, and due to my thumbs hovering too close to the touchpad and the cursor being outside of the editing box and I notice I need to delete a word or something and I go to hit the backspace key, I find myself several pages back in my history.

Just wanted to know the reasons behind the key - Guess I can wait until an option becomes available to disable it.

Thanks for the welcome... This topic does seem quite strange as an opener in hindsight

Anyway, I guess the reason I dislike it is there has been many times where I am editing text, and due to my thumbs hovering too close to the touchpad and the cursor being outside of the editing box and I notice I need to delete a word or something and I go to hit the backspace key, I find myself several pages back in my history.

Just wanted to know the reasons behind the key - Guess I can wait until an option becomes available to disable it.

Using a proper browser should make you immune to going back to a previous page as browsers generally auto-save form information, unless it's private.

I personally use Backspace a fair bit and I can remember it being frustrating when IE and FF didn't save form information, but nowadays even if my focus is outside of the form input field itself and the browser does go to the previous page, there's no actual loss when going forward again. As mentioned above, backspace is especially useful on laptops where navigating with the mouse can be annoying (suppose you only have a trackball or a touchpad or your mouse is a foot away from your keyboard, so you'd constantly have to shift your hand from one position to another) , so keeping everything within reach is pretty convenient.

What I personally can't understand is the lack of standardization when it comes to IME layout design (keyboards). Why does every manufacturer think that by rearranging the Home, End, PgUp, PgDown, Delete and Insert keys is in anyway useful or funny, I cannot tell...

What I personally can't understand is the lack of standardization when it comes to IME layout design (keyboards). Why does every manufacturer think that by rearranging the Home, End, PgUp, PgDown, Delete and Insert keys is in anyway useful or funny, I cannot tell...

I hear you on that one... One laptop that I own sticks the PgUp, PgDn, Home and End keys on the arrow keys that you have to hit the Fn key to access

Well, I guess there are some logical reasons for it... I have always used alt-left arrow but maybe there are laptops out there that have their arrow keys quite difficult to access.

Cheers

Page Up is for pages only! Non-paginated web-browsers shouldn't use it as a scroll key!! [/sarcasm]