> The modifier key symbols are printed on most modern Apple keyboards. See the Magic Keyboard, for example.
Apple has loads of symbols for their keys. There's the modifier keys ⌘(cmd), ⌃(ctrl), ⌥(alt), ⇧(shift) and ⇪(caps-lock), of which shift and caps-lock are missing on the magic keyboard (in addition to ctrl and alt on the macbook in front of me).
Then there's ⇥(tab), ↩(return), ⌫(delete) and ⎋(escape) to name a few. These can and do all show up in menus and documentation. With all the control they have over their hardware and software you'd think they could do better than linux on their own hardware (super and backspace are wrong, but the rest are correct at least on this macbook).
I really hate how sporadically these symbols come and go; it feels like they appear or disappear on new Apple hardware every other year. The old Apple Wireless Keyboard I'm typing this on just has ⌘. The laptop it's connected to has ⌘, ⌃, ⌥. I think I have an older laptop sitting around that has ⇧ and maybe even ⎋. I wish they'd at least start always including all the ones that show up in menus.
Historically Apple's ISO keyboards made more use of the icons than their US keyboards, although ⌃ and ⌥ are on some of the newer US keyboards. Was your older laptop a European or other ISO-keyboard model?
Apple has loads of symbols for their keys. There's the modifier keys ⌘(cmd), ⌃(ctrl), ⌥(alt), ⇧(shift) and ⇪(caps-lock), of which shift and caps-lock are missing on the magic keyboard (in addition to ctrl and alt on the macbook in front of me).
Then there's ⇥(tab), ↩(return), ⌫(delete) and ⎋(escape) to name a few. These can and do all show up in menus and documentation. With all the control they have over their hardware and software you'd think they could do better than linux on their own hardware (super and backspace are wrong, but the rest are correct at least on this macbook).