Microsoft COMFORT ERGONOMIC USB Keyboard

Question

Will just about any of the MS keyboards that are curved "splint" Ergonomic work on mac's?

Answer 1

Not any. You have to look for those that specifically support the Mac so they behave as a Mac keyboard, or which there are few. I liked the Logitech keyboard, but it only comes as a wireless unit with a mouse. I don't like wireless keyboards or mice and already have a Logitech mouse. Spending $90 to get a keyboard and throw away the mouse wasn't a good option.
Personally, I use the MS Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. How much a person likes it depends mostly on how you like the keys to feel. The 4000 is a little soft, but I like it. There are pluses and minuses.
Pluses: The extra row of keys across the top are nice. I can launch the browser and mail with a single button instead of scouring the Dock. It has Back and Forward keys for your web browser. Nice since you can click on links with the mouse and use your other hand for going forward or back without having to keep moving to those buttons on screen with the mouse. It has five other keys on the top to go to any site you assign to them.
The software installs a kernel extension so the keyboard behaves the way you would expect Mac keys would. Though you can reassign many of them with the application it puts in the Applications folder. There are no replacement keys, so the key to the left of the space bar does act as a Command key, although it says Alt. The Option key is also where you would expect although it has the standard Windows Start key marking. The right side Option key insists on acting as the Application Switcher until you change it in a separate option in the keyboard application. Once you do that, it behaves the way you expect.
Minuses: They're minor, but may bug some. There's no Eject key for the CD/DVD drive. I reassigned the Play/Pause button to do that. No big deal to me as I don't even have iTunes installed, so never use the key for that anyway. There's four extra keys along the top right you can't assign anything to. I did contact Microsoft and asked them to make those keys accessible in the next release of the front end software. Who knows when, or if they'll do that. Zapping the PRAM, starting into Single User mode and Safe Boot mode all work normally as the extension for the keyboard is loaded before being checked by the Mac for those commands. Option booting is a little different. This happens before the extension is loaded. So if you hold down what would be the Option key on a Mac keyboard, nothing happens. You have to remember that the keyboard initially behaves as a Windows layout. Note that the Option key on most Macs is also marked Alt. So you instead hold down the Alt key (the one in the Command key position). Then it works.
It's a really nice keyboard to have for Intel based Macs. Works as a native keyboard no matter which OS you've booted into if you have Windows installed via Boot Camp. It's also pretty cheap. You can often find it on sale at CompUSA or Best Buy for $30.