I have CMD+arrow keys for that, and those key combinations are often easier to reach that home/end/pgdn/pgup on many keyboards.

Haven't really needed a separate delete/backspace key. About the only time I use the separate delete key even on windows/linux is in the file explorer.

Well, these are just Fn + Arrow keys. The end/home thing can get a little annoying when programming, but you quickly work your way arround it, and it surely isn't a problem in vim.

Do programmers actually use those keys? I use Home and End in the web browser... but when coding, I just use the close-to-my-fingers shortcuts. Home = C-<, End = C->, Delete = C-d, Page Up = C-v, Page Down = M-v.

Speaking as a developer who uses a macbook, I kinda agree. Overall, keyboard support on OSX is way inferior to Windows (and, presumably, Linux - it's been a while). Not only do you have to learn really awkward combos for pagedown, end, etc. but each app interprets them slightly differently (or not at all), so it's not even worth the effort. If it weren't for the unixy innards, I would probably move away.

Well I actually run Linux now on my MBP but to demystify, I don't use any of those keys because I only work in vi. You can do those things without the buttons when not in insert mode: page up/down: ctrl f/b home/end: 0/$ delete: x

Although that's somewhat of a simplification for delete.

Home/End: ⌘+Arrows

Page: Fn+Arrows

Delete: Fn+Backspace

The other reasons would be mostly OS X's arguably smoother and overall consistent GUI and its extensibility (through Automator, scripts, globally modifiable shortcuts and the like) and its Unix'ity.

I wonder how coders can work on any 15 inch laptop in the first place.