I have used windows computers virtually all my life. Only now have I discovered that the space key scrolls down a page (and shift-space scrolls up)
It works on Linux, too (at least Mandrake/KDE/Galeon, which is what I am using.) Drives me nuts when I think I’m typing in a reply box and I hit space only to find myself suddenly staring at the copyright. ;
Two words: mouse wheel. 
I knew about the space=scrolldown thing, not about the shift+space=scrollup thing.
Really odd that you mention this, because last night while I was sitting here checking out what was going on at the SDMB, my 2 year old son climbed into my lap and started trying to touch the keyboard. And kept making the screen scroll down by pushing the space bar. I was completely amazed, and thought that I, too, was the only person who had never figured that out.
Damn. I never knew that. It just worked on Netscape, on my Mac. Wow. A cross-platform thing!
SWEET! THANKS!
That’s Awesome! I’ve been a computer programmer for over 15 years, and I didn’t know that!
The keyboard shortcuts I use frequently are:
Window key…
- e = brings up explorer
- f = brings up search window
- m = minimize everything
- break = brings up system properties window
- L = lock computer
- r = bring up “run” window
and finally, the ones I use a LOT when browsing with ie are:
backspace = go back a web page
ctl - n = Open New browser window
alt - f4 = close current window. This is VERY handy when I don’t have my popup blocker turned on and I go to a rogue website that kills me with popups.
The shift key reverses most actions (shift-tab tabs in the opposite direction, for instance)
(at work, we have no mouse wheels)
I love shortcuts. I knew about the space bar, but another handy trick is right click in the scroll bar area. You get:
Scroll here (scrolls to the place you right clicked on)
Top (scrolls to the top of the page)
Bottom (scrolls to the bottom of the page)
Page Up
Page Down
I use F5 for refresh and F6 to get to the address bar, as well as Alt-F4 to close windows…
Wish there was a keyboard shortcut for everything…
I’m still not used to GUI’s (:D), so I use keyboards more than most people, even when surfing.
For the record, there are a number of handy short-cuts not mentioned here:
Alt+[Cursor Left] - “Back” button
Alt+[Cursor Right] - “Forward” button
Ctrl+D - bookmark current page (works in IE and Netscape)
Ctrl+N - new browser page
Um, can’t think of any other off the top of my head.
Slight hijack re Linux: When I first got into Linux, I loved the forward slash (/) in listing directories as opposed to MS backslash () on the command line.
Ex: “cd c:\directory” (win) as opposed to “ls /home/directory” (lin)
To me, much easier to type not having to “reach” for the backslash.
Count me as one of those who didn’t know any of these things (please, God let there have been others who didn’t know any of these things 
). Thanks for the helpful info!
The shortcut I use most when web browsing would be Ctrl+Enter. It adds “www.” and “.com” in the address prompt in IE. I just wished it worked with Netscape and Opera.
Well, I’ll be dammed! It works! Doubt if I’ll ever use it because of my mouse wheel, but hey! Learn something new every day!
I only got on the Internet after the mouse wheel was standard issue, so that’s new thing to me!
I had no idea!
Then again, I had my scrolling mouse for at least a year before I realized that the cursor didnt have to be positioned over the actual scroll bar area.
One day I just accidentally clicked on the page itself and DING! It hit me.
The ctrl+wheel roll is my favorite trick.
Well, I never…Boy, you live and learn.
What’s next? Upon pressing “Alt + Strg + Space + COFFEE + Enter” my laptop will prepare me a piping hot cup of java? They should invent that.
You know, you’d think that if you had an actual “COFFEE” key, there would be an easier combination there…
I’ll be buggered like a Finnish construction worker, it works! I’ve never known that.