Linux only: Recent switchers from Windows to Linux are probably used to using the Windows key to open up the start menu. To get the same thing on Linux, you'll have to tweak a simple setting instead.


Over at the How-To Geek site (my home away from Lifehacker), we noticed that since Ubuntu 9.10, you can no longer assign the Windows key directly through the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog—if you want to set that key to open Gnome's main menu, you'll have to resort to the command line instead. To make the change for yourself, open up a terminal and paste in the following:

gconftool-2 --set /apps/metacity/global_keybindings/panel_main_menu --type string "Super_L"


Readers should note that assigning the Windows key will cause problems with other Windows key combination shortcut keys, and you could always learn to use the default Alt+F1 combination—but if you're still determined to use the Windows key instead, this is how you can do it.

Use the Windows Key for the "Start"� Menu in Ubuntu Linux 10.04 [How-To Geek]